What Size Central Ac Unit Do I Need

What Size Air conditioning Unit Does Your Firm Need?

Written on: June 23, 2020

choosing a/c system new haven, ct

(Photo/https://www.publicdomainpictures.cyberspace)

If yous've decided to invest in a cooling system for your home , you lot already know information technology'due south a major investment, so you want to be sure y'all're buying the right unit for your firm.

While at that place are several things to consider when deciding which Air-conditioning unit of measurement to buy , perhaps the most important question you may be asking yourself: What size Ac unit do I need?

Non only practise you want to avoid wasting money on the wrong air conditioner, but yous also don't want to throw your money out the window each month, equally the unnecessarily large Air conditioning unit burns upward your energy bill.

Likewise, you don't want to purchase a unit of measurement that's too small-scale for your firm, which means it volition be running all the time to endeavor and cool you down, eventually leading you lot to buy a second unit.

Thankfully, you lot can avert guessing games and calculate the correct size AC unit of measurement your house needs.

Computing The Right Size AC Unit

There are several things you volition need to consider, all of which volition affect the size of the Ac unit of measurement you lot will need for your house:

What is the foursquare footage of your firm?
What geographic region do yous live in, and what is the local climate like?
How much insulation do you accept and how quondam is it?
How many windows do you have in your house?
Does your business firm get a lot of shade or sun?
How old is your ductwork and how former is it?
How many people live in your firm?

To come up with a ballpark, the three most of import numbers you need to know:

The square footage of your house
The required tonnage of the unit of measurement
The height of your ceilings

What Is Air conditioning Unit Tonnage?

Tonnage actually has nothing to do with weight. A ton refers to the Air-conditioning unit of measurement'due south capacity to absurd the air, in other words, how much rut the unit of measurement can remove in one hour.

That capacity is measured in BTUs or British Thermal Units . Why BTU? A long time ago, they determined it takes 286,000 BTU to completely cook 1 ton of ice in a 24-hour menses. HVAC experts eventually divided that number by 24 hours and came up with 12,000 BTU/one-ton Air-conditioning capacity.

Using that measurement, a two-ton Ac unit will remove 24,000 BTUs, while a three-ton Ac unit will remove 36,000 BTUs. Therefore, the more than tonnage the AC unit is rated for, the more air it tin can absurd downwardly.

DIY Calculations

To go a rough estimate of the tonnage yous volition need from your Air conditioning unit, use the post-obit calculation:

Square footage of your dwelling house x 25 (estimated free energy to cool one foursquare foot is 25 BTU) / 12,000 –one = AC Unit Tonnage

For example, the calculations for a 1,200-square-human foot abode:

(one,200 10 25) / 12,000 –ane = 1.v Tons

You lot would need a i.five ton AC unit of measurement for your business firm.

If you live in a drier or hotter region, don't subtract 1.

For example, the calculations for a ane,200-foursquare-foot home located in New United mexican states:

(1,200 ten 25) / 12,000 = ii.5 Tons

You lot would need a two.5 ton AC unit for your business firm.

This table should give you an thought of what size Air-conditioning unit you need, depending on the square footage of your house (located in a temperate climate region):

Foursquare Footage	BTUs per hour	Ac Unit of measurement Tonnage
450 to 550	12,000	1 Ton
550 to 700	xiv,000	1.5 Tons
700 to ane,000	eighteen,000	1.5 Tons
1,000 to i,200	21,000	2 Tons
one,200 to ane,400	23,000	2 Tons
1,400 to ane,500	24,000	2 Tons
1,500 to 2,000	xxx,000	2.5 Tons
two,000 to 2,500	34,000	3 Ton

Of course, all the other factors we previously discussed volition also affect the unit you ultimately end up purchasing:

What geographic region do you lot live in, and what is the local climate like? Volition yous demand college or lower ability to go on you lot cool?
How much insulation do you have and how quondam is information technology, and how one-time is your ductwork? If your insulation or ductwork is old, air can escape, requiring more power to keep your dwelling house cool.
How many windows do you have in your house, and does your firm get a lot of shade or sun? Natural sunlight tin can heat your home up really quickly. Without proper sunblocks on your windows, you might need a stronger AC to keep your home cool.
How many people live in your business firm? The more than torso rut in your dwelling house, the more than energy you'll need to keep your house cool.

Which Blazon Of AC Unit of measurement Exercise I Need?

There are commonly two different types of air-conditioning systems you tin install in your abode: a packaged unit or a split system.

Packaged Unit

The packaged unit of measurement air conditioner is the one nearly normally associated with a key air system. With this arrangement, the evaporator, condenser, and compressor are placed in one unmarried cabinet. This cabinet is well-nigh often located on a physical slab outside or on the roof. This blazon of packaged air conditioner usually includes electric heating coils or a natural gas furnace. This removes the demand for an entirely carve up furnace.

Carve up-System Fundamental Air

This blazon of system is most often used in homes that already have a furnace but no air conditioner installed. It'due south the nigh toll-effective fashion to install air conditioning in a business firm.

With a split-system central air conditioning unit, an outdoor cabinet holds the condenser and compressor. An indoor cabinet holds the evaporator. This indoor cabinet may also agree the furnace.

Buying The Right AC Unit

While information technology's fairly simple to come up upwards with a rough estimate on the right size AC unit you lot will demand for your house, ultimately, it's safer and will save you money in the long run, if y'all work with an HVAC good to make up one's mind the proper size.

Installing primal air can cost you betwixt $3,779 and $7,429 , according to HomeAdvisor.com. And so you want to make sure you're buying the right unit of measurement the first time.

Getting the right unit will ensure your cooling system tin can perform efficiently for years, especially with regular maintenance .