Air Conditioning Tips

Submitted by Cox Lumber

Friday, July 29, 2005

Tired of being warm? Now is the time to purchase an air conditioner. But, what do I know about finding the right size air conditioner for myself.

Air conditioners are self-contained and designed for single or multi-room use, or they are designed to cool the entire house in conjunction with the furnace and ductwork system.

An air conditioning unit is measured in cooling capacity. Cooling Capacity is measured in BTU. BTU (British thermal unit) is the amount of heat that it takes to raise or lower the temperature of one pound of water for one degree Fahrenheit.

The main purpose of an air conditioner is to remove the heat from the air, and recycle the cooler air back into the house, which in turn cools the house down.

Single or multi-room air conditioners are commonly called window units. Window units are installed in the windows to allow movement of air from the inside of the house to the outside. Room area conditioners range from 5,000 and 30,000 BTUs.

Whole house area conditioners are designed to work with your heating system. The air compressor is normally placed outside of your home. The whole house air conditioner or central heat and air, uses duct work that is connected throughout your home to blow the cool air throughout your home. Whole house air conditioning systems typically come in capacities of 18,000 to 60,000 BTUs.

Along with Capacity, efficiency is the next important area to look at. The government has an efficiency rating SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio), and the higher the number, the more efficient the unit is.

Calculate the square footage of the room that you want to cool down. If your room is heavily shaded, you can reduce the BTU capacity by 10%, for a sunny room increase the BTUs by 10%, and for a kitchen add 4000 BTU/HR. Below check the chart for the square footage and then cross-reference the size of air conditioner that you will need to purchase. Remember when purchasing an air conditioner to check the following things: Efficiency, Warranty, Humidity, Control, and multi-speed.

To cool this area look for this size air conditioner:

100 to 150 square feet 5,000 BTUs
150 to 250 square feet 6,000 BTUs
250 to 300 square feet 7,000 BTUs
300 to 350 square feet 8,000 BTUs
350 to 400 square feet 9,000 BTUs
400 to 450 square feet 10,000 BTUs
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 1 400 square feet 24,000 BTUs

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