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While air conditioners with high BTUs are ideal for their strong cooling power, you’d want to use them in a room that can benefit the most from their cooling capacity. It would be a waste of money if the AC is used in a smaller room, and on the other hand, it’ll be almost useless if placed in a room larger than its intended capacity.
So, how do you know if your room is the perfect fit for an 8,000 BTU air conditioner? Read more below.
What is BTU?
BTUs or British Thermal Units refer to the amount of heat that the unit can remove from the room, or in short, its cooling capacity. Most units range between 1,500 and 8,000 BTUs. However, some units can go higher than 10,000 BTUs, and these are usually made for cooling large areas or rooms that are normally packed, like a conference hall or a movie theater.
How To Measure a Room
In general, you’ll need around 20 BTUs of cooling per square foot of area. The ideal room size for your 8,000 BTU AC is 300 to 350 sq. ft or an 18×18 room. This is as big as the average studio apartment.
To determine the square footage of the space where you want to install your unit, you can refer to your house’s original blueprint. If unavailable, you can simply measure it yourself using a measuring tape and calculate the square footage by measuring the length and width of the space. Assume the room is 10 feet by 15 feet. Multiply the two and you’ll get 150 sq ft. This is your room size and you can use this as a reference for buying an AC.
Final Note
If you have a small room, you should consider installing a smaller unit, and a bigger AC for a bigger room will be preferable. You’ll need to look at different brands and sizes of units depending on how much cooling power you require.
With how expensive some AC units are, it’s important to purchase the right AC size for your room.
