Choosing The Right Size Of Air Conditioner For Your Home

‘The bigger the better’ is not a motto which applies to air conditioners. Unfortunately, however, given how used we are to the idea we tend to think that a large oversized air conditioner will serve us much better than a smaller one. But this isn’t so. Air conditioners are meant to be installed with the room in mind, since its main function is to remove all moisture from that room. It is in fact by removing the moisture from the room that an Air Conditioner creates the cool atmosphere that we associate with it. The size of the machine matters since it determines exactly how long it will operate, and if it will work long enough to remove the moisture from the room. If it is of the required size it will last long enough to perform this task, if it isn’t it won’t.

So in case your AC is too big for the room you have put it in you should probably know that it is making your room less cool than what a smaller unit would. Why? Because its run time is too short, which makes it incapable of removing the required amount of moisture from the room and making you feel cool and comfy. So it will click on and off frequently and make a miserable job of cooling.

Ratings for AC’s are given in terms of BTU’s (or British Thermal Units). BTU gauges what amount of heat is being taken from the room and being thrown out. Since heat is going from inside your room to outside it therefore the cooling coil indoors is cool and the one hanging outdoors is equally hot.

Although the common sizes of AC’s bought are 5000, 6000 and 8000 BTU most households don’t need any more than a 4000 BTU machine. So what size do YOU need? That really depends on the size of the room you want to put it in. Suppose the area of your room is between 100-250 sq.ft in size, then you will do nicely with a 5000-6000 BTU AC. Similarly if the room is anywhere between 250 and 400 in size you can manage comfortably with a 6000 BTU to 8500 BTU machine. Calculate your requirement keeping these figures in mind.

Before deciding the size of your AC therefore you need to decide which room you will be putting it in. obviously where you put your machine is completely up to you. But here are a few suggestions that might help you in taking the decision. Consider where the AC will provide you with the most comfort. Most people think the Bedroom is the ideal place for an AC. This is because it helps you get a goodnight sleep, and after a hard day’s work that’s all you really want. Many even find the low humming sound of the AC a great comfort, almost a good replacement for a lullaby!

But of course there is no strict rule stating that you must place your AC in the bedroom. You might not like the cold atmosphere while going to bed and can therefore choose to put the machine in the living room instead, where the whole family can enjoy its benefits. If you have a large number of people sleeping in some master bedroom or a general room it would also make sense to put the AC there, else you might have to wake up with your kids and dogs who crawl into your bed just to be in the AC!

Wherever you ultimately put your AC make sure your expectations from it is realistic. It was designed to cool one single area, and just because you want it to it won’t suddenly decide to cool more than that one area. Most window AC’s do not have the sort of blower to cool a couple of interconnected rooms, so no matter how much you want it to do that, it won’t. In case you want the other rooms to be cooled too get yourself a couple of smaller units and fix them in all your rooms.

About the Author: D. Benjamin Castonguay is the owner of  iapsales.com LLC  - a family business specializing in HVAC products. We are distributors of Qmark Heaters, electric tankless water heaters, bathroom heaters, patio heaters, electric heaters, portable air conditioners  & electric towel warmers.  Shop on line at www.heateroutlet.com for these great home improvement products.

Iapsales.com LLC was established in 2003 and is the sister company to Innovative Air Products located in historical Exeter, NH.  We are a 2^nd generation manufacturers’ rep firm dedicated to providing residential & commercial heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment. We offer a great selection online at the lowest prices anywhere. We can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.