How Many BTUs Do I Need in My Air Conditioner?

Before purchasing an air conditioner, you need to make sure that you get the correct size unit depending on the square footage that you plan to cool.

If you purchase an AC unit that is not the appropriate size, you can experience a host of problems, including inefficient operation of the unit and high utility bills.

Air conditioners measure cooling capacity in BTUs, which are British thermal units. BTUs come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 5000 BTUs all the way up to 18,000 BTUs.

It is important to buy an appropriate level of BTUs for the size of room that you plan to cool. An air conditioner that is too big for a specific room will automatically shut on and off while it is cooling, because it will cool the room too quickly. This makes it very inefficient and also raises the risk of compressor breakdown.

On the flip side, and air-conditioner that is too small to cool a certain space will have to run all the time and may not do an effective job.

To determine the proper size of air conditioner that you need, you need to take careful measurements of the space that you plan to cool. There are number of free air conditioner size calculators that you can find online.

Two other factors should be considered when searching for the correct size for your air conditioner. First, you need to have a sense of the climate zone in which you live. More humid climates will generally need a higher level of BTUs.

The second calculation that you must have before you go air-conditioner shopping is the square footage of the room where you plan to put the unit.

To get a general sense of how many BTUs you might need, a 500 square-foot room requires a 12,000 BTU air conditioner. By the same token, however, a smaller room –say 250 square feet – requires a 6000 BTU unit.

Now you might be thinking that you should invest in a bigger air conditioner than you actually need in the room that you plan to cool. In theory, this makes sense but, in reality, however, this is not a good idea.

If you purchase a unit that is too big for the room that you plan to cool, it will cost you dearly in monthly electricity bills. It will also leave a bigger carbon footprint.

Your best bet is to go with one that is the appropriate size for your room.