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Air Conditioners
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Window mounted air conditioners cool, circulate, filter and dehumidify the air. They range in size starting with a cooling capacity of 5,000-BTUs for small rooms up to 14,000-BTUs for normal home voltage. It is important that you are getting the right sized unit for your home environment. One that is too big will leave the air feeling clammy and damp, whereas one that is too small will not operate effectively when it is very hot outside.
When choosing a unit, your selection should be based upon the British Thermal Unit (BTU) rating, not the horsepower. Horsepower is only referring to the size of the motor driving the compressor, but BTU is the cooling capacity of the unit. Use this easy equation to determine the BTUs needed to cool a room:
(Square feet of the room X 25) + (1,000 for every window) + (400 for each person in the home)
So a 10 x 10-ft. room with 2 windows and 3 people in the home would result in:
(10 x 10 x 25) + (1,000 x 2) + (400 x 3) =
2,500 + 2,000 + 1,200 = 5,700 BTUs needed
The resulting number will correlate with the BTUs of the air conditioner.
It is also important to look at the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) of the unit. If the EER is not listed, it can be calculated by dividing the BTUs/watts. High EER ratings on an air conditioner are good, but they will come at a cost. If you plan to have the unit on most of the summer it will pay to have a higher EER, otherwise a lower rating will be fine. |
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