How To Choose The Right Aircon BTU?

How To Choose The Right Aircon BTU? If you are intending to buy an aircon, be ready to come across the acronym BTU. These three letters are common for every AC unit, and they signify something important. When you look for an aircon, you will have to pay attention to the BTU number.

If you don’t do so, the air conditioner may fail to cool your room properly. But what is BTU and how to choose the right one? Read on to find the answers to these questions.

What is aircon BTU?

BTU is an acronym for British Thermal Unit. It tells how much heat a pound of water needs to increase its temperature by 1°F. While more popular in heaters, BTUs find their use also in air conditioners, where they show how powerful the unit is.

In aircon terminology. BTU refers to the amount of energy needed to remove heat from the room. In this way, the more BTUs the AC has, the more efficient at cooling it is.

However, it doesn’t mean that you have to choose the aircon with the highest BTU rating. A too powerful aircon will cool the room too fast, causing a sudden change in temperature. Also, it will make the air in the room too dry which is not good for your health.

Each room is compatible with a specific BTU. There is a list of factors that help determine which BTU is appropriate for your room.

How to choose aircon BTU?

The first factor to consider when choosing aircon BTU is the size of the room. Make sure you measure your room before ordering the AC. Once you take the measurements, go to the BTU chart to see how powerful of an aircon you need.

Room size is not enough, though, to perfectly determine the compatibility of your house and air conditioner. There is also the ceiling height. If you have a higher ceiling than standard, the unit may perform worse. Windows are also an important element in the whole equation.

The more and the larger they are in the room, the more powerful your aircon should be.

The point is that windows allow light and heat to come in. Hence they contribute to the heating of the house, which is the total opposition of the aircon’s role. Make sure you count the amount and size of glass panes in your room. This will bring you a step closer to choosing the perfect AC BTU.

The location of the house is also an aspect to consider when choosing aircon power. Hot climates require more energy to cool a room. The presence of shade in the room’s proximity, like big trees, is also worth considering. The existence of such natural heat protection reduces the aircon power requirement.

We would also mention the insulation factor. The better insulation the house has, the less cool air it will allow to leave it. In other words, insulation keeps the room cool for a longer period of time. Hence the aircon doesn’t need to constantly run to keep up with the fast loss of cold.

What happens when BTUs don’t correspond to room’s requirements?

Choosing a BTU rating that doesn’t correspond to the room’s needs can lead to bad consequences. Too powerful aircon will cool the room fast, making the air extremely dry. The rapid change from high temperature to low temperature can also affect the immune system and lung function.

A too weak aircon is neither a good choice. It will ensure a smooth temperature transition and will not dry the air at a fast pace. However, it will not have enough power to cool the room properly. Hence you will have to keep it operating without interruption to cool the room at least somehow.

This inevitably leads to high energy bills and more costly aircon maintenance. In this way, taking into consideration the factors we’ve mentioned above is crucially important.

How To Choose The Right Aircon BTU? – Bottom line

To choose the right aircon BTU you have to measure the room and the ceiling. Then you have to consider the presence of windows and insulation. Many windows and weak insulation will allow cool air to leave the house fast. Moreover, you have to be aware of the climate you live in.

If it’s hot and the house experiences great exposure to the sun, a more powerful air conditioner is what you need.