How to Calculate BTUs for an A/C Unit

British thermal units (BTUs) are units of energy. Approximately 1 BTU is the amount of heat needed to increase 1 pint of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. Although you will find BTU measurements in power and steam applications, they're most often used to rate the cooling capacity of air conditioners. Household air conditioners usually produce between 5,000 and 15,000 BTUs. Calculating the number of BTUs your air conditioner needs to adequately cool your home can be done once you take a few key measurements.

Instructions

Calculate the area of the space to be cooled. To determine the area of rectangular spaces, multiply the length of the space by the width of the space. For triangular areas, multiply the length of the space by the width and divide by two. As an example, a rectangular room has a length of 10 feet and a width of 10 feet. She just cut her electricity bill to 60%, click here to read. Its area is 100 square feet.

Determine the base BTU requirement your air conditioning unit needs by referring to a BTU chart. In the example, a 100-square-foot room will need an air conditioner with at least 5,000 BTUs.

Subtract 10 percent of the BTUs determined in Step 2 if the space faces north or is heavily shaded. In the example, the air conditioner is heavily shaded. Multiplying 5,000 by .10 equals 500. The number of BTUs needed is now at 4,500.

Add 10 percent of the BTUs determined in Step 2 if the space is very sunny. In the example, the space is not sunny, so you wouldn't add any additional BTUs.

Add 15 percent of the BTUs determined in Step 2 if the space is poorly insulated. In the example, the room is poorly insulated. Multiplying 5,000 by .15 is 750. Adding 4,500 and 750 equals 5,250 BTUs.

Add 4,000 BTUs to the total requirement if there is a kitchen in the space. In the example, there is a kitchen in the space, which means the total BTU requirement is now at 9,250.

Add 600 BTUs per person to the total requirement if people regularly occupy the room. In the example, one person regularly occupies the room, which means that the total BTU requirement is 9,850. This space needs an air conditioner with a BTU rating of approximately 9,850.

Properly Sized Room AC : ENERGY STAR
www.energystar.gov Home Products Room Air Conditioners
Cooling capacity is measured in British thermal units (BTUs) per hour. Area To Be Cooled (square feet) Capacity Needed (BTUs per hour) 100 up to 150: 5,000:
How to Calculate AC BTU eHow
www.ehow.com Home Appliances Air Conditioners
How to Calculate BTUs for an A/C Unit; Instructions. 1. ... The BTUs of an air conditioner are a measure of how much cooling power a window AC has.
How to Calculate BTU Per Square Foot (with Calculator) - wikiHow
www.wikihow.com Subjects Mathematics Conversion Aids
How to Calculate BTU Per Square Foot. The British Thermal Unit (BTU) is the basic measure of heat energy in the Imperial system. One BTU is defined as the amount of ...
How to calculate BTU needed for my house? -
Full questionBest answerOther answersanswers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=...Resolved Last updated: Mar 19, 2012 4 posts 3 total answers
Mar 19, 2012 I need to replace the through-the-wall A/C unit in my house. The current AC is a Kenmore 18,000 BTU unit. It is the
BTU Calculator - How Many Air Conditioner BTUs to Cool a
www.goodhousekeeping.com Home & Organizing
Calculate how many BTUs you need to cool your room. ... Answer the questions below and we'll tell you the approximate number of BTUs (British Thermal Units) ...
Window Air Conditioners: How to Choose an Air Conditioner -
inspectapedia.com/aircond/AirConditionerChart.htm
How To Calculate the BTUs needed to cool a given space: ... the temperature will drop quickly and the A/C unit will shut off before the air has become adequately dry. ...
How to Calculate BTU for AC in a Room eHow
www.ehow.com Home Appliances Air ConditionersBy Marshal M. Rosenthal
How to Calculate Air Conditioning in BTUs. ... While you can place an air conditioning unit into almost... How to Calculate AC Requirements. How to Calculate AC BTU.
How to Calculate BTUs for an A/C Unit eHow
www.ehow.com Home Appliances Air ConditionersBy Jordan Whitehouse
British thermal units (BTUs) are units of energy. Approximately 1 BTU is the amount of heat needed to increase 1 pint of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. Although you ...
How to calculate BTU requirements eHow UK
www.ehow.co.uk Hobbies
That's probably the last thing on your mind when it's 37.8 degrees C outside and your AC unit just bit the dust. ... How to Calculate BTUs to Heat Your Home.
How to Calculate BTUs for House Cooling - Budgeting Money
budgeting.thenest.com Buying & Selling Stock Calculate Bonds
How to Calculate BTUs for House Cooling by Kathryn Hatter, Demand Media To cool a home effectively, the air conditioner unit must be large enough.
how calculate btu for split ac unit? - AOL Answers. Ask Us Anything
aolanswers.com/questions/how_calculate_btu_for_split_ac_unit_p...
how calculate btu for split ac unit? Piotrus. Answer this question. Related Answers Explore the latest questions and answers related to "how calculate btu for split ...
How to calculate BTU needed for my house? -
Full questionBest answerOther answersnz.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=...Resolved Last updated: Mar 19, 2012 4 posts 3 total answers
Mar 19, 2012 I need to replace the through-the-wall A/C unit in my house. The current AC is a Kenmore 18,000 BTU unit. It is the
How Many BTUs Does My Air Conditioner Need? Consumerist
consumerist.com/2010/07/06/how-many-btus-does-my-air-conditioner-need
Air conditioning is your ... Ive seen commenters on this site calculate ... the manufacturer is trying to say This unit will only suck 5000 BTUs of ...
Calculate Btu - Air Conditioner - AirConTalk.com - "Knowing all ...
www.aircontalk.com/calculate-btu.html
The cooling capacity of an air-conditioning unit is the ability to remove heat from a room and in usually ... How do you calculate btu your air-conditioner for your ...
How CAN i TELL HOW MANY BTU MY CENTRAL
Full questionBest answerOther answersanswers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080609173748AALLJciResolved Last updated: Jun 11, 2008 5 posts 4 total answers
Jun 10, 2008 Best Answer: I believe 12,000 btu = 1 ton. Serial numbers, in general are increased 1 numeric unit per manufactured unit
How to calculate the needed BTU for AC? - Home Owners Forum
www.homebuyerstalk.com/showthread.php?t=242266 replies since June 2007
Hi all, How to calculate the needed BTUs for a room? ... How to calculate the needed BTU for AC? ... Don't buy too large a unit thinking it will cool faster or better.
How to calculate btus & watts eHow UK
www.ehow.co.uk Style
How to calculate btus & watts. BTUs and watts are both units that measure types of power (energy expended over time). The term BTU typically refers to BTUs used over ...
How To Calculate How Much AC Power You Need Apartment
www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-much-ac-do-i-need-172265
As I began a search for a replacement I tried to figure out just how many BTUs I ... replace the once-trusty window AC unit that had ... Calculate How Much ...
BTU Calculator Radiator Sizing Guide - BestHeating.com
www.bestheating.com/btu-calculator
>> How do I Calculate the BTUs for my Room? ... A British Thermal Unit (BTU) is an approximation of the amount of energy required to heat 1lb (one pound) ...
How you calculate the size of an air conditioner for a room
wiki.answers.com Air Conditioning and Coolant
Heat is measured in either British Thermal Units (BTU) or Kilowatts (KW). 1KW is equivalent to 3412BTUs. ... This is trickier to calculate that you might think.
Air Conditioner Size Calculator AC BTU Calculator
www.airconditionerbtusizecalculator.com
Calculate how many BTUs you need to cool your room 1. ... The Air Conditioner BTU Calculator calculates the energy, measured in British Thermal Units ...
British thermal unit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_thermal_unitDefinitions Conversions Associated units
The British thermal unit (BTU or Btu) is a traditional unit of energy equal to about 1055 joules. It is the amount of energy needed to cool or heat one pound of water ...