What Size Air Conditioner Do You Need
Summer days and nights in Australia are often too hot, almost unbearable; so, it is understandable why almost every home owns an air conditioner. If you’re on the lookout to get one, there are several crucial factors to consider before opting for a specific air conditioner. You have to make sure it will manage to cool down the space you want, whether it is just one room or your entire home.
Factors to Consider When Purchasing an Air Conditioner
Here’s the first factor – decide whether you would like to cool down the entire house or just one room. This will help you determine the type of air conditioner you need.
Another important factor is price. Think about your budget and what you can afford.
When you are thinking about size, there’s a golden rule to aircons – bigger is not always better. If you purchase an air conditioner that is too big for your home or room, it will be a huge energy waste AND your electricity bill will suffer as well.
Types of Air Conditioners
There are several types of air conditioners:
- The central air conditioner is great if you want to cool down your entire home
- Split systems are used for cooling down one room
- Evaporative cooling is convenient for warm and extremely dry climate
Factors That Determine Time required to Cool Down a House
When you have decided on the type of air conditioner, there are several other factors that determine how much time it takes to cool down the desired area:
- Insulation of the house—it takes less time to cool down an insulated home
- The age of the house/ building—younger homes get cooled down much easier
- Windows—smaller window area means better cooling
- Outside temperature—obviously, the higher temperature outside means higher temperature inside as well
How to Determine What Size is the Best for Your Room
First, you will have to calculate the square footage of the area that needs to be cooled down. This is pretty simple—multiply the length of one wall with the length of the other.
There are many tables online that will give you the info regarding the air conditioner capacity needed to cool down a specific square footage.
For example, if you need to cool down 200 square feet, you will need an aircon whose capacity is 6,000 BTUs. Here are several more examples:
Square feet | Capacity needed (BTUs) |
100-150 | 5,000 |
150-250 | 6,000 |
250-300 | 7,000 |
300-350 | 8,000 |
350-400 | 9,000 |
How to Increase the Efficiency of an Air Conditioner
- Do not leave doors or windows open
- Maintain your air conditioner according to recommendations of the manufacturer (washing the filter, for instance)
- Do the regular maintenance by a licensed professional before cooling season
- If possible, insulate your home
If you have any doubts or questions about the type or model of air conditioner you should get, do not hesitate to contact our team of trained professionals.