How to Determine the Right Size for an Air Conditioner

Get the right size air conditioner for your space.

An air conditioner of the proper size will provide you with adequate cooling and save you money at the same time. The reason is that a larger unit won't really cool a space more powerfully than one of the appropriate size. Using BTUs, a cooling unit standard applied to air conditioners to express their strength, you can get the right size air conditioner. You must first ascertain the area of the space to be cooled, and then work from a formula determined by Energy Star.

Things You'll Need

• Tape measure
• Calculator

Instructions

1. Measure the length of the space. Use the measuring tape.

2. Measure the width of the space.

3. Multiply the length by width. This provides the area. For example, if the room is 19 feet by 29 feet, the area is 551 square feet.

4. Multiply 20 by the number of square feet. Energy Star says you'll require, for each square foot, 20 BTUs. Thus, a room of 551 square feet would demand about an 11,000 BTU unit.

References

• Energy Star: Room Air Conditioners
• Ask Mr. Electricity: Saving Money on Air Conditioning