Air Conditioning Repair

 

Unfortunately, what happens is that if the air conditioner size is too small, the room would not be cooled well and often, the unit runs longer than needed, which is hard on it.  On the other hand, if the air conditioner size is too large, then energy is being wasted.  In fact, a large unit for a small room will also fail in dehumidifying the room and because the unit would need to cycle on and off so frequently, it adds wear and tear.

 

The first aspect of choosing the air conditioner size is to know the square footage of the space or room.  To get an accurate number, the width of the room is multiplied by the length.  With this number, choosing is easier.  Of course, if the room will have a lot of people using it at once and if there are several windows, the room will be hotter than usually so these factors also need to be considered.

Once the square footage of the room is known, then the BTU, which stands for British Thermal Unit can be determined.  This rating is extremely important, which helps a person know the appropriate size of unit needed based on room or space size.  Although the number of BTUs used most often range from 5,000 to 24,000 although there are some options for higher BTUs.  However, when a unit reaches 24,000 BTU, it would likely be more efficient to have central air installed.

Now, the larger the conditioner size the higher BTU needed.  Additionally, as BTUs go up, so does price.  A great example is that choosing an air conditioner size intended for a small room based on 7,000 BTU might cost a person $150.  However, someone needing to cool a large room, perhaps a living room with two windows, the air conditioner size might need 12,000 BTU.  In this case, the cost would jump to around $300.

To give readers a better understanding on how the air conditioner size works a list of required BTUs is listed below but in summary, a small room between 100 and 300 square feet would need 5,000 to 7,000 BTUs.  A larger room of 500 to 700 square feet would need an air conditioner size of BTUs closer to 8,000 to 9,000 BTUs.  Therefore, to determine the appropriate size, the BTUs play a key role.

Room/Space Size	Required BTUs
100 to 150	5,000
151 to 250	6,000
251 to 300	7,000
301 to 350	8,000
351 to 400	9,000
401 to 450	10,000
451 to 550	12,000
551 to 700	14,000
701 to 1,000	18,000
1,001 to 1,200	21,000
1,201 to 1,400	23,000
1,401 to 1,500	24,000
1,501 to 2,000	30,000
2,001 to 2,500	34,000

Of course, when shopping for the air conditioner size that will work most efficiently, there are some other variables that need to be added to the equation.  For instance:

• Warm Climates – For someone living in a hotter region of the country, the air conditioning unit needs more BTU output per hour than for the same size room in a cooler climate.
• Portable Units – Although portable unites have advantages, in most cases, they do not offer as much efficiency.  Therefore, when choosing a portable air conditioner size, we recommend the person go with something more powerful.
• BTU – Any air conditioning unit installed in rooms where heat is prevalent such as a kitchen or perhaps a living room facing west, the air conditioner size should have more BTU output to accommodate.

There are other circumstances that might come into play when choosing an air conditioner size.   While the mentioned guidelines are very helpful, the following could mean making a slight adjustment on the final purchase.

• Rooms with significant shade should have 10% less capacity
• Overly sunny rooms should increase capacity by 10%
• Air conditioners used in kitchens should have a 4,000 BTU capacity increase
• A room in which two or more people live or spend a lot of time should have BTU capacity increased 600 per person