How to use the sizing guidelines
The sizing guidelines consist of a set of nine maps covering the continental U.S. and the Sizing Table contain-
ing recommended cooling equipment sizes in tons. The maps are divided into counties. Contiguous counties that
have the same sizing recommendations are combined into Sizing Groups.
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The maps and Sizing Table are
available on the Web at http://www.mhrahome.org and http://www.energystar.gov.
Follow these steps to determine your recommended size:
1. Find the county where the home will be sited on the map and determine the corresponding Sizing
Group number.
2. Find the row corresponding to the Sizing Group on the Sizing Table. The rows on the table are color-
coded to match the colors on the map.
3. Determine the conditioned Floor Area of the home and read across the top row of the table locating
the pair of columns containing that area.
4. To find the required cooling equipment capacity in tons for a heat pump or air conditioner, read down the
column that corresponds to the Floor Area and across the row that corresponds to the Sizing Group.
5. The left-hand column in each pair represents the appropriate cooling equipment size for ENERGY STAR
qualified homes. The right-hand column in each pair represents the size (in tons of cooling capacity) for
homes built to the HUD-standards thermal requirements.
Example:
• An ENERGY STAR qualified home is to be installed in Richmond County near Ocala, Florida.
• The map indicates that Richmond County is in a Sizing Group 50.
• The home is a 28 ft. by 56 ft. multisection containing 1,568 square feet of conditioned living space (28
ft. x 56 ft.=1,568 sq. ft.).
• Referring to the Sizing Table, read across the row labeled Sizing Group 50 and down the column
containing 1,568 square feet (1,441 to 1,680).
• Read down the left-hand (blue) column for an ENERGY STAR qualified home.
• This home requires a 3 Ton heat pump.
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Some counties are divided into more than one sizing group.
Disclaimer
The values on the chart are intended as a guide for equipment selection. This information is not a substitute for proper evaluation and judg-
ment by an equipment specifier. The cooling capacity estimates are based on typical home configurations and assumed design conditions.
Actual sizing requirements may differ from the values on the chart. The Manufactured Housing Research Alliance and its members, the US
Environmental Protection Agency, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, sponsors of this work,
assume no liability for errors in equipment sizing, selection, and installation.
Sizing charts are available for other regions of the U.S. For information on obtaining sizing guidance for other areas, please visit the
Manufactured Housing Research Alliance web site at: http://www.mhrahome.org.
The Manufactured Housing Research Alliance developed the sizing charts. MHRA is a non-profit membership organization comprised of
firms actively engaged in the manufactured housing business. Wrightsoft Corporation performed the engineering analysis. The technical
basis for the values that appear on the chart is Right-J™, an Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA)-endorsed software version of
ACCA Manual J, Load Calculation for Residential Winter and Summer Air Conditioning, Seventh Edition.
Copyright © 2005 Manufactured Housing Research Alliance All rights reserved. No portion of this chart may be reproduced, by any
process or technique, without the express written permission of MHRA.