What Size Ac Unit For 1800 Sq Ft Home

Many people are confused by the different units used to describe air conditioner size, but calculating the right size for your living area isn't rocket science. You tin figure out what size air conditioner you need with some bones math and by taking your home'due south features into business relationship.

This May Besides Interest You: New to BTUs? Here'south What to Know Most BTUs When Shopping for an Air Conditioner

Below, you tin can find out how to calculate what size air conditioner you should buy.

How Do I Determine What Size Air Conditioner I Need?

Air conditioner size doesn't hateful the physical measurements of the unit itself. Instead, it refers to its cooling chapters. Therefore, the "larger" the air conditioner, the higher its cooling chapters. Cooling capacity is measured in BTUs or tonnage, depending on the blazon of air conditioner.

You should select the air conditioner size depending on the dimensions of the room or dwelling house you want to cool down. This applies to all air conditioner types, including window and portable models. Choosing the right size air conditioner for your infinite'southward size tin aid y'all salvage free energy and reduce article of clothing and tear to the unit, so you won't need to maintain or replace it as frequently.

However, the efficiency of an air conditioner doesn't solely rely on its cooling capacity. More often than not, mounting your AC unit as high as possible on the wall allows it to circulate and cool the air more efficiently. Mod air conditioners are ordinarily more efficient than older models, so you tin frequently accomplish more effective cooling and save on energy bills by replacing worn-out units with new ones.

What Are BTUs in Terms of Portable and Window Air-conditioning Units?

window ac unit

BTU stands for British Thermal Unit of measurement. This unit is a mensurate of how much free energy is required to warm a pound of water past 1 degree Fahrenheit at sea level. BTUs are used to describe how rapidly a portable or window air conditioner unit can absurd the air down.

The college the BTU rating, the greater the air conditioner's cooling capacity. In full general, you'll demand to choose an air conditioner with a high BTU rating if yous have a big room. Information technology's of import to know what size air conditioner you lot need to avoid wasting energy or shortening your unit's lifespan.

How Many BTUs Do I Need to Absurd My Room or House?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can summate what air conditioner size you demand past multiplying the foursquare footage of your room or firm by 20 BTU.

Domestic air conditioners generally have a BTU betwixt 5,000 and 14,000 BTU. If your calculation produces a BTU rating lower than this considering your room dimensions are small, your best bet is to buy the air conditioner with the everyman number of BTUs you lot tin can detect.

Still, several other factors could hateful you need a larger air conditioner than the foursquare footage calculation suggests. Rooms with loftier ceilings or that go a lot of sunlight will be harder to cool down, so you should consider getting a slightly larger unit. Similarly, rooms frequently used by multiple occupants simultaneously or that contain heat-generating appliances similar ovens may also require a higher BTU per foursquare foot. Various online BTU calculators are available that consider your home's square footage combined with additional factors.

A common mistake that many people brand is to assume that a bigger air conditioner is ever better. In fact, it's counterproductive to purchase an oversized air conditioner with a high BTU rating if you lot're just trying to cool a pocket-size space. Although the air conditioner volition initially cool the room very quickly, information technology volition probable shut itself down in one case the air reaches your desired temperature. This can lead to a bicycle of the unit having to restart frequently when the room warms up again, which is bad for your electricity bills and tin cause excessive wear and tear to the unit itself.

Conversely, using a portable or window Air-conditioning unit with a BTU rating that's too depression will prevent the unit from cooling the infinite efficiently and may mean that you lot can't achieve a comfy temperature. The air conditioner volition also accept to work harder, which could shorten its lifespan.

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What Is Tonnage in Terms of Central Air Units?

HVAC unit

Tonnage doesn't refer to the weight of an air conditioner. Instead, it refers to the unit'south cooling capacity. I ton is equivalent to 12,000 BTU. Unless you're purchasing a central air conditioner, yous'll by and large find cooling chapters listed in BTUs rather than tonnage.

How Many Tons Should My Air Conditioner Exist to Cool My House?

You lot can use an online AC tonnage calculator (similar this i from Ac Direct) to determine how many tons your air conditioner needs to be. Alternatively, you tin convert BTUs to tons and calculate the required tonnage using your home's square footage.

Here's some math: You lot need around twenty BTUs per square foot, which is equivalent to 0.0016 tons. For instance, a 600-square-human foot space requires a 12,000 BTU or 1-ton unit of measurement. Past those calculations, an average 1,800-foursquare-foot house would need a three-ton primal air conditioning unit. As with BTU calculations, you may need more tonnage for homes with a lot of traffic, high ceilings or a lot of windows that face the sun.