How Do You Calculate The Size Of An Air Conditioner?

What size air conditioner do I need? This is a very of import question to answer correctly when shopping for a new HVAC unit. Failure to do so tin can result in airflow issues and other long-term effects that will cost you time and money to fix. In this mail, nosotros'll walk you lot through the steps experts utilize to determine what size AC unit is required.

What Size Air Conditioner Practise I Demand?

Two air conditioners used to represent the concept "what size air conditioner do I need?"

Understanding British Thermal Units

The British thermal unit (BTU) is a metric used to represent the amount of heat it takes to enhance a pound of h2o's temperature by one degree. Information technology's a bit of an odd metric, peculiarly in the United states of america where we've shunned most British measurement units. Nonetheless, the HVAC industry uses BTUs to measure out cooling chapters. Under this application, one BTU translates to the corporeality of heat an air conditioner tin remove within an hour. How many BTUs you need depends on several factors, which we'll explore next.

Calculating What Size AC Unit You Need

Calculate your square footage.

If yous're cooling a unmarried room, this is easy. For square and rectangular spaces, multiply the room's length and width. For triangular spaces, add an extra step and divide the result of that calculation by two (remember, a non-equilateral triangle is only half of a foursquare or triangle). If your room is a more complex shape, split up it into smaller triangles and squares so combine each section'due south measurements.

If yous're buying an air conditioner to cool your entire home, you'll need to repeat this process for each room then add the square footage together. Recall to but measure living spaces and exclude areas of your home you're not looking to absurd.

Note: If your house is a perfect square or rectangle, you may be able to calculate the square footage with one easy measurement. Just remember to multiply your measurement for each floor.

Multiply your square footage by 20.

While in that location are many different opinions on how many BTUs you need per square foot, twenty is a good rule of pollex. Multiply your square footage calculation by twenty and you'll have a practiced ballpark figure for what capacity air conditioner you need.

Arrange based on the following factors.

While the calculations you've made so far have left you lot with a rough approximate of how many BTUs y'all need, there are several additional factors you lot need to take into account. Free energy Star (a program jointly operated past the Section of Free energy and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) recommends the following.

If your home is heavily shaded, decrease ten% of the capacity. Conversely, if your home gets a lot of sunlight (such as in Phoenix, Arizona), increase your chapters by 10%.
If your property is occupied by more than than two people at a time, increase the capacity by 600.
If you're purchasing an air conditioner specifically for your kitchen, add four,000 to the capacity.

It tin be hard to guess which of these factors apply to y'all. Our air conditioning services in Phoenix will be of great assist if yous live in the expanse and aren't sure how to navigate these more nuanced calculations.

Find an air conditioner that offers the chapters you lot need based on your calculations.

In one case you lot know how many BTUs you need for the expanse you lot're looking to absurd, your adjacent pace will be purchasing an air conditioner capable of providing information technology. Installation is arguably best left to professionals who can determine the platonic placement of your air conditioner. Check out this post for some tips on choosing a adept HVAC company in Phoenix, Arizona.

What Size Air Conditioner Do I Need For My House? Common Misconceptions

Air conditioners are circuitous machines. Choosing the right chapters requires some endeavour and at to the lowest degree a basic understanding of concepts similar BTUs. In lite of this, there are a few misconceptions floating around as people look for shortcuts and easier methods for broaching the subject field. Hither are the two main ones.

Myth: A Larger Air Conditioner Can't Hurt

The logic behind this misconception isn't hard to empathise. Some people assume that buying a bigger air conditioner than they need will hateful the unit simply runs less, saving electricity and cooling your home faster. This isn't true.

As nosotros discussed in this mail service, oversized air conditioners can run intermittently and throw your home'southward humidity out of wack, which negatively impacts electricity consumption and your condolement. The intermittent operation will also cause your air conditioner's parts to wear out faster than usual.

Of course, you lot also have to recall that capacity is a major cistron in determining how much an air conditioner costs. Going with an oversized unit will encounter you spending unnecessary amounts of money.

Myth: An Undersized Air Conditioner Will Relieve You Coin

On the flip side, people in more moderate climates may mistakenly believe an undersized air conditioner volition meet their needs just fine. Perhaps they're looking to cut costs and/or go along energy consumption low.

On the contrary, undersized air conditioners have to run longer. Y'all'll be much improve off getting an appropriately-sized unit of measurement and setting information technology to operate at a lower temperature if that's what yous need.

What Size AC For My House? Conclusion

In this slice, we showed you the four steps most HVAC experts use to make up one's mind how much AC capacity is required for a residence. To summarize, you need to calculate your domicile'southward square footage so multiply that effigy by 20. After adjusting the number for factors such equally your home's exposure to sunlight and its occupants, you'll have a figure representing how many BTUs you need. You tin then select an air conditioner that meets that chapters.

This can all be a fleck tricky to figure out if y'all're selecting an air conditioner for the get-go fourth dimension. Given how much these units price and how much of an affect they have on your health, yous'll desire to get the adding right. Don't hesitate to contact an HVAC contractor in your area if you need assistance. If y'all live in the Phoenix area, we hope y'all'll give American Abode Water and Air a telephone call!

Frequently Asked Questions

What size air conditioner practice I need for 1,500 square feet?

Without knowing annihilation else about your holding (such as its sunlight exposure or the number of occupants), you'll need an air conditioner capable of providing roughly thirty,000 BTUs.

What size air conditioner do I demand for a ii,000 square human foot house?

Once over again, without knowing the full picture, you'll need an air conditioner capable of providing roughly 40,000 BTUs.

How practice I summate what size air conditioner I need?

While there are a few different methods people utilize to calculate how much air conditioner chapters they need, one of the virtually reliable is to simply multiply your square footage of living space past 20. This volition give you a figure representing how many BTUs of cooling ability you need.