Sizing Air Conditioners 101

What size air conditioner do I need to condition my room?

The correct size unit for a room is not only decided by room area, but also many other factors such as:

how large your home is and how many windows it has;

how much shade is on your home’s windows, walls, and roof;

how much insulation is in your home’s ceiling and walls;

how much air leaks into your home from the outside; and

how much heat the occupants and appliances in your home generate.

An air conditioner’s efficiency, performance, durability, and initial cost depend on matching its size to the above factors.

Make sure you buy the correct size of air conditioner. For those planning a new home with air-conditioning in mind, it is best to hire a professional air-conditioning engineer or mechanical engineer to calculate your cooling needs and for correct AC sizing. Often the practice most AC contractors do is to oversize your AC by “half a ton”, which is usually not needed.

Buying an oversized air conditioner penalizes you in the following ways: high cost of purchasing unit, frequent cycling, more electrical usage, less moisture removal among others. More on AC tips in the near future!