Heating and cooling equipment is rated in a lab, not in the Salt Lake Valley. Here is what is different about our valley, and what it means when you repair or replace a system. Written by Aegis Heating and Air, a West Valley City HVAC contractor since 2017.
Altitude: thinner air changes equipment
West Valley City sits at roughly 4,300 feet. The air there is about 12% less dense than at sea level, so each cubic foot carries less heat. That affects both furnaces and air conditioners.
- Gas furnaces must be set up to the manufacturer’s high-altitude instructions. That can mean different gas orifices, gas pressure or a high-altitude pressure switch.
- Air conditioners move less heat per cubic foot of air, so sizing by square footage alone can go wrong in both directions.
- The fix is a Manual J load calculation for your actual house. Read what size AC you need in Utah.
Hot, dry summers with humid days on the west side
Most summer days are dry, which is why evaporative coolers still work here. On the more humid days, west-side homes feel it more. Two-stage and variable-speed equipment handles those days more comfortably than a single-stage system that short cycles.
Winter inversions and indoor air
Cold-air inversions trap pollution in the valley in winter. A tight filter rack, a good media filter and fresh filters matter most in those weeks. Track air quality on the Utah Division of Air Quality site and see our indoor air quality services.
Dry winter air
Heated winter air gets very dry. A whole-home humidifier can help with static, dry skin and cracking wood.
Hard water
Valley water is hard. It scales swamp cooler pads and pumps and humidifier pads, so they need regular cleaning or replacement. See swamp cooler service in West Valley City.
Efficiency rules for Utah
- New split-system central air conditioners: at least 13.4 SEER2 (Utah is in the Department of Energy northern region).
- New split-system heat pumps: at least 14.3 SEER2 and 7.5 HSPF2.
- New AC equipment uses lower-GWP refrigerants. Read what R-454B and R-32 mean for you.
Sources: U.S. Department of Energy standards · National Weather Service Salt Lake City
What this means when you buy
- Ask for a Manual J load calculation, not a rule of thumb.
- Ask whether the furnace is set up for altitude.
- Check that your contractor is licensed. Here is how to verify a Utah HVAC license.
- Compare repair and replacement costs. Read repair or replace in Utah and HVAC costs in West Valley City.
More HVAC guides · Cooling services · Heating services · Aegis facts