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BTU is short for British Thermal Unit, a unit of measurement that shows just how much energy your air conditioner uses to remove heat from your home within an hour. It may seem overly technical, but BTU is an important metric that can help you determine the kind of air conditioner you need for a home your size.
How many BTU air conditioner do I need?
As a rule of thumb, an air conditioner needs 20 Btu for each square foot of living space. But other considerations, such as the ceiling height and the size of your windows and doorways, might call for more cooling power. To measure your room, multiply the length by the width.
Is higher BTU better for air conditioner?
A measure of an air conditioner’s power is its BTU rating. BTUs are the energy used to remove heat from a room. Therefore, the more BTUs an air conditioner unit has, the better equipped it is to cool a larger space.
How big of a room will 12000 BTU air conditioner cool?
The size of your space determines how much cooling capacity you need. Budget air conditioners range from 5,000 BTU, which can handle about 150 square feet, to 12,000 BTU, enough to cover about 550 square feet.
Is 8000 BTU enough for a bedroom?
Recommended BTU By Room Size If you are looking for an air conditioner for a room measuring say 10′ x 15′ (150 square feet), the recommended BTU range is up to 5400. Once you get into 340 and 400 square feet per room, you’d need an 8,000 or 9,000 BTU air conditioner, respectively.
How many square feet will a 10000 BTU air conditioner cool?
10,000 BTUs will cover 300 sq. ft. (2,400 cubic feet) 12,000 BTUs will cover 400 sq.
What size air conditioner do I need for a 2000 square foot home?
Step 5: Match your square footage to an HVAC size chart Home Sq Footage Air Conditioner Size (tons) 600 – 1,000 square feet 1.5 tons 1,000 – 1,500 square feet 2 tons 1,500 – 2,000 square feet 3 tons 2,000 – 2,500 square feet 4 tons.
What happens if you have too much BTU?
A unit with too many BTU’s, will cool the room fast, but leave the room humid. Too few BTU’s will never cool the room down and the unit will run incessantly.
What happens if BTU is too high?
If the BTU is too high, your room will cool too quickly and that can cause the air conditioner to cycle more often. That places a considerable amount of load on the compressor and can shorten the lifespan of the air conditioning unit.
Is 6000 BTU enough for a bedroom?
If you want to properly cool down a 300 square foot area (or room), you need a 6,000 BTU air conditioner. Obviously, the problem arises when you have a tiny 12×12 room, for example. According to the US Department of Energy directive, an air conditioner’s most appropriate size would be 2,880 BTU unit.
How many sq ft will 18000 BTU cool?
BTU Sizing Chart for Mini Split Systems Area To Be Cooled Capacity Needed (BTUs Per Hour) 450 to 550 square feet 12,000 BTUs 550 to 700 square feet 14,000 BTUs 700 to 1,000 square feet 18,000 BTUs 1,000 to 1,200 square feet 21,000 BTUs.
What size room will a 15000 BTU air conditioner cool?
Those in the 12,000- to 15,000-Btu range cost from $450 to $600, while large units go up to $1,200. Air conditioners rated at 15,000 Btu should be enough to cool most rooms up to about 875 sq. ft.
Is 9000 BTU enough for a bedroom?
Match the BTU rating to the room size Small rooms (150 square feet or below) will require a unit with around 6,000 BTUs. This is generally appropriate for a single bedroom. For larger rooms (up to 350 square feet), you will need a unit with around 9,000 BTUs. This is typical for most living rooms.
Does higher BTU mean more electricity?
The more BTU your unit produces, the more energy it consumes. So, if you are worried about high energy costs, you should get a unit that is appropriate for your space.
What is the meaning of 12000 BTU?
Twelve thousand (12,000) BTUs equals one ton. This term is more often used when talking about Air Conditioners, Refrigeration Systems, Heat Pumps, and Geothermal systems. A typical home would need somewhere around 36,000 BTUs, or 3 TONs, of cooling per hour on a very hot day.
How big of an air conditioner do I need for my house?
To calculate for yourself how big of a central air conditioning unit you need, multiply your home’s total square footage by 20. Divide that total by 12,000. Then subtract 1.0 for the total number of tons you need.
Is 8000 BTU enough for living room?
Consumer Reports recommends 20 BTUs per square foot of the living space (or spaces) you want to cool down. 300 – 350 sq. feet: 8,000 BTUs. 350 – 400 sq.
Is a 10 000 BTU air conditioner good?
A 10000 BTU air conditioner can cover spaces up to 450 square feet. This would be more than enough to cool an average sized living room, as well as having 100 square feet leftover to cool. This could work in a kitchen/living room combo.
Is a 5000 BTU air conditioner good?
“5000 BTU air conditioner can cool a 100 to 150 sq ft room.” Energy Star guidelines for 5000 BTU AC room sizing also recommends that you: Increase capacity for a room with high sun exposure; +10% cooling output. That would reduce the 5000 BTU AC room size to 90-135 sq ft.
Is 14 SEER or 16 SEER better?
The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient your system should be. A 16 SEER unit is about 13% more efficient than a 14 SEER. For every $100 you spend to cool your home with a 14 SEER, you could save $13 on your monthly bill by upgrading to the 16 SEER unit.
How much more efficient is a 20 SEER vs 14 SEER?
In short, 20 SEER AC unit is 43% more energy-efficient than 14 SEER AC unit.
How many square feet will a 3 ton air conditioner cool?
3-ton is equal to 36,000 BTU. If you apply the 20 BTU per sq ft rule of thumb, you can see that a 3-ton air conditioner cools about 1,800 square feet spaces.
