How-To-Size-An-Air-Conditioner What To Know About Buying A Window Air Conditioner
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How-to-size-an-air-conditioner is critical knowledge to have when choosing an air conditioner for your home as there are several things you want to take into consideration.
Most people will place the air conditioner in their window during the summer months and then remove it over the winter. If you decide to do this too, it will help cut down on drafts and help lower your energy bill. However if your air conditioner fits snuggly into your window or is in a difficult to install area you can decide to leave it in year round. Just make sure that you seal around the window with a good foam tape.
One of the main buying points is to buy a unit that is suitable for the room size. There is no point in buying a small air conditioner for a larger room.
The unit will just constantly run without cooling the room sufficiently. All this will do is run up your electricity bill without you receiving any benefits at all.
On the other hand buying a bigger unit isn't always a smart move either.
If the unit is way too large for the area it won't work effectively. This is because an air conditioner works by removing both the heat and the humidity levels in a room.
A unit that is too large will cool the room very quickly! In fact this will be too quickly as the room will become cold but it will remain humid. The room will actually feel damp and clammy and not at all comfortable.
To determine the size of the room the air conditioner can properly cool you must look at the BTU's. To determine the square footage of your room just multiply the width by the length. So a bedroom of 10 x 20 feet will have 200 square feet. For this size you would need an air conditioner the capacity of 6,000 BTU's.
We have a complete BTU chart available that shows how many BTUs are required to properly cool a room of various sizes. It ranges from 100 to 1,400 square feet. This chart is invaluable in determining how-to-size-an-air-conditioner properly.
BTU Square Footage Chart
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Whether the room is in the sun or shade? For shady rooms you can lower the BTU by 10% and for a sunnier room you would want to increase it by 10%.
If the room you are cooling is a family or TV room and will regularly have more than 2 people in it you should add an extra 600 BTU per person.
If you want to keep your kitchen cool then it is recommended to add 4,000 BTU.
When you're determining how-to-size-an-air-conditioner, look for an energy star rating on your air conditioner. This will help you save money in the long run. You may also want to consider a unit that has a built in thermostat or timer. This way you can set the temperature of the room as necessary. Set the temperature higher for when you are not home or for when you are sleeping at night. Even making a small adjustment can mean a huge savings on your summer energy bill.
Don't forget to fill any gaps around your air conditioning unit with foam tape. This will stop drafts and keep the cool air in.
As you can see there is more to purchasing an air conditioner than just looking at the price of the unit. Now that you know how-to-size-an-air-conditioner, be sure to select a unit with the correct BTU's based on the size of your room. Then try to find the most affordable energy efficient model you can. These models will be fitted with the latest in technology and will last you longer.
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