Summers are almost here, and it’s high time you get your air conditioners fixed or invest in new ones right away. Understandably, traditional cooling systems mean a spike in your electricity bills. But thank goodness for technological advancements. You’d be surprised to know how most modern energy-efficient cooling techniques help keep your bills wallet-friendly.
Alas, getting a new air conditioner means considering several factors, like its right size, the best type of cooling technology, and whatnot. What size of ductless mini-split air AC units or window air conditioners is better for you? Too many questions and not enough answers. But rest assured, here’s a quick blog to help you clarify all your concerns. Read along to discover the easiest way to buy air conditioners with the right capacity based on your room.
Measuring Your Room’s Covered Area
First things first, before going to shop for new cooling technology, calculate the size of your room or the covered space. This assists in determining the BTUs of air conditioners you will need to invest in. Figuring out the area’s square footage means multiplying the length and width of your room.
That’s hassle-free for regular rectangular rooms, but measuring the covered area to be cooled can be tricky for odd-shaped spaces with pointed corners. In such cases, you can divide the total covered space into different shapes like rectangles, squares, and triangles. Calculate their areas separately and add them together for the overall square footage.
Calculate Your Required BTUs Per Square Foot
The next step is understanding how many BTUs per squared foot you have. This enables you to find the correct capacity of air conditioners. This trick is suitable for all AC units, regardless of whether you’re buying new split air conditioners or even central air conditioning.
As a general rule of thumb, one square foot area requires 25 to 30 BTUs of cooling energy. Therefore, whatever covered area you’ve calculated in the step above, multiply it by 25 to get an idea of the AC unit’s size fit for your room. For instance, a home with 1500 square feet of covered space will require around 24000 BTUs, whereas a room with 300 square feet will need about 7000 BTUs.
Once you calculate the BTUs, you can assess what air conditioners suit your needs. Continuing the example, central air conditioning may be better for homeowners needing bigger BTUs. But ductless mini-split AC units might work for individuals buying cooling technology for your 300 square feet rooms.
Think Of Your Space
Your work doesn’t end with calculating your BTUs per square footage. You must also look around your room and consider a few more factors before finalizing your decision-making process. For instance, airier rooms with big windows or spaces with direct exposure to sunlight need air conditioners with bigger capacities.
On the other hand, if your room is shaded and usually remains cooler than other areas, you are in for a treat. You can even save some money and settle on a lesser cooling capacity because it can regulate the relaxing temperature inside your room just fine. Some other things that can affect your room’s required BTUs include the length of their ceilings, the amount of insulation already present, and the number of windows in your space.
Additionally, don’t forget to check how many appliances (especially heating ones) you have nearby. For example, your room may be smaller, but if it is near the kitchen, heating the walls due to the stove, your required BTUs increase. Similarly, the number of people using or living in the room affects BTUs. So, don’t forget to add 600 more BTUs for every individual occupying the covered space.
Select The Potential Types Of Cooling Systems For Your Room
Often, you may want a new cooling system but can feel conflicted about what type of AC unit to opt for. Technology is changing so fast that sometimes you may not even know about all the kinds of air conditioners available in the market. So, here are the four most widely used AC options you need to know about:
Central air conditioning
This is the perfect option for people looking for a cooling system for their whole house. You can regulate chilly air with a single unit and transfer cool air around the house via ducts. Of course, they are on the higher end of the air conditioner price in Pakistan, and even their installation can be quite expensive.
Ductless Mini-Split AC
Split air conditioners are extremely easy to install and are now available with some of the best energy-efficient cooling technology. Because you install them on a wall, they don’t take up floor space and are even aesthetically pleasing for the interior.
Portable Air Conditioners
The best feature of portable AC units is the ability to move them from one room to another. Moreover, some models don’t even need you to vent from the outside to install these AC units. However, the constraint of getting portable AC units is how they occupy floor area and may affect your interior’s aesthetics.
Window air conditioners
Window ACs may be traditional, but you can install them without complications. Though, as the name suggests, your room must have a window before you can consider installing a window AC.
Remember: Bigger Doesn’t Always Mean Better!
You may think that getting air conditioners with bigger capacity is always better regardless of any factor. The more, the merrier, after all. But that saying doesn’t quite apply when buying AC units, especially if you want to get the right-sized one for your space.
Cooling systems with too large capacities may result in overkill, as the underlying fact remains: the room cools efficiently when the AC’s size is perfect. Having a bigger AC for a smaller covered area can cause more energy consumption, causing the electricity bills to increase significantly.
Moreover, bigger air conditioners cool small spaces quicker. But ACs are also responsible for sucking humidity from the air. Therefore, big cooling systems extract moisture quicker, making the air drier inside the room. They will also cycle on and off more frequently, causing compressors to wear down faster. And the more this short cycling continues, your room will eventually lose its cooling comfort.
Final Thoughts
Oh, joy. Time does fly when you’re concentrating on acquiring knowledge about air conditioners, right? So, with this, we end our quick step-by-step guide. Hopefully, you had your notebooks opened and made quick pointers on what to check for before buying air conditioners.
Above, we defined steps to calculate your room’s covered area and listed all vital factors to consider when deciding your required BTUs for your new cooling technology. Understand these determinants, select the type of AC units you want to invest in, and mark your budget.
If you still further assistance choosing the right AC size for your space, there’s nothing to worry about! Talk to appliance experts and allow them to list all potential energy-efficient cooling systems within your budget and aligned with your requirements. And finally, become owners of the best-suited air conditioners in no time.
Good luck!