How to Read Central Air Conditioner Labels
An air conditioning unit typically has two separate labels. One is a metal tag that will stay indefinitely attached to the device. The second is a yellow Energy Guide label that will, over time, come off when exposed to the outdoor elements. Each of these labels is important in its own right. The metal tag not only supplies information to the homeowner, but it also will aid any service technician who works on the unit. The yellow Energy Guide label informs the consumer about the model's efficiency. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Locate the metal tag on the air conditioning unit. It's usually positioned on the exterior of the unit where the copper tubing enters and exits. Read the top first lines of the metal tag. Below the name of the manufacturer is the unit's model and serial number. Sometimes you need the manufacturer's specifications to identify what the model number means. In most cases though, that information is displayed on the tag's following lines of information.
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Read the next line on the tag. Manufacturers will have different items listed in various order. Typically, though, the unit's voltage and the amount of amperage is displayed next. It may read as "voltage 220 VAC" and "amperage 30 A." This is the total amount of electrical energy consumed by the unit under full-load operation. Using a basic electrical formula, the amount of power in watts is equal to volts times amps. The unit described above will consume 6,600 watts.
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Read the next line of information to determine the air conditioner's capacity. The label CFM (cubic feet per minute) may be identified. This is the amount of air the unit will distribute throughout the ducting system.
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Read the next line, which may specify "ton" or "BTU" (British Thermal Units). The two are interrelated. One ton of cooling capacity is equal to 12,000 BTUs per hour. One BTU is equal to raising, or lowering, 1 lb. of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit.
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Read the yellow Energy Guide label to learn how much the unit will cost to operate, on a sliding scale. Another number to read is the energy efficiency ratio (EER). The higher this number, the more efficient the unit. Since Jan. 1, 1990 all air conditioning units must have an EER of 8.0 or higher.
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Tips & Warnings
A basic rule of thumb for sizing an air conditioner system for rooms or the home is to multiply each square foot by 20 BTUs. A 1,000-square-foot home would require a 20,000 BTU air conditioner.
Undersizing an air conditioner unit slightly is better than oversizing the unit. An air conditioner system that's too large for the space will not be efficient in removing humidity. It will tend to cycle on and off too frequently, raising the overall operational costs.
