home / other / btu calculator BTU Calculator AC BTU Calculator Use this calculator to estimate the cooling needs of a typical room or house, such as finding out the power of a window air conditioner needed for an apartment room or the central air conditioner for an entire house. Size 18 Room Ceiling Height 3 Number of People Inside Regularly 2 Type Insulation Condition Sun Exposure Climate Calculate General Purpose AC or Heating BTU Calculator This is a general purpose calculator that helps estimate the BTUs required to heat or cool an area. The desired temperature change is the necessary increase/decrease from outdoor temperature to reach the desired indoor temperature. As an example, an unheated Boston home during winter could reach temperatures as low as -5F. To reach a temperature of 75F requires a desired temperature increase of 80F. This calculator can only gauge rough estimates. Room/House Width 5 Room/House Length 5 Ceiling Height 3 Insulation Condition Desired Temperature Increase or Decrease 25 e.g. 75F for Boston winter, 45F for Atlanta winter. Calculate What is a BTU? The British Thermal Unit, or BTU, is an energy unit. It is approximately the energy needed to heat one pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. 1 BTU = 1,055 joules, 252 calories, 0.293 watt-hour or the energy released by burning one match. 1 watt is approximately 3.412 BTU per hour. BTU is often used as a point of reference for comparing different fuels. Even though they're physical commodities and quantified accordingly, such as by volume or barrels, they can be converted to BTUs depending on the energy or heat content inherent in each quantity. BTU as a unit of measurement is more useful than physical quantity because of fuel's intrinsic value as an energy source. This allows many different commodities with intrinsic energy properties to be compared and contrasted; for instance, one of the most popular is natural gas to oil. BTU can also be used pragmatically as a point of reference for the amount of heat that an appliance generates; the higher the BTU rating of an appliance, the greater the heating capacity. As for air conditioning in homes, even though ACs are meant to cool homes, BTUs on the technical label refer to how much heat the air conditioner can remove from their respective surrounding air. Size and Ceiling Height: Obviously, a smaller area room or house with shorter lengths and widths require fewer BTUs to cool/heat. However, volume is a more accurate measurement than area for determining BTU usage because ceiling height is factored into the equation; each three-dimensional cubic square foot of space will require a certain amount of BTU usage to cool/heat accordingly. The smaller the volume, the fewer BTUs are required to cool or heat. The following is a rough estimation of the cooling capacity a cooling system would need to effectively cool a room/house based only on the square footage of the room/house provided by EnergyStar.gov. Area To Be Cooled (square feet) Capacity Needed (BTUs per hour) 100 to 150 5,000 150 to 250 6,000 250 to 300 7,000 300 to 350 8,000 350 to 400 9,000 400 to 450 10,000 450 to 550 12,000 550 to 700 14,000 700 to 1,000 18,000 1,000 to 1,200 21,000 1,200 to 1,400 23,000 1,400 to 1,500 24,000 1,500 to 2,000 30,000 2,000 to 2,500 34,000 Insulation Condition: Thermal insulation is defined as the reduction of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. The importance of insulation lies in its ability to lower BTU usage by managing as much as possible the inefficient wasting of it due to the entropic nature of heat it tends to flow from warmer to cooler until there are no longer temperature differences. Generally, newer homes have better insulating ability than older homes due to technological advances as well as more strict building code. Owners of older homes with dated insulation that decide to upgrade will not only improve on the ability for the home to insulate (resulting in friendlier utility bills and warmer winters), but also have the value appreciation of their homes. The R-value is the commonly used measure of thermal resistance, or ability of heat to transfer from hot to cold through materials and their assembly. The higher the R-value of a certain material, the more it is resistant to the heat transfer. In other words, when shopping for home insulation, higher R-value products are better at insulating, though they're usually more expensive. When deciding on the proper input of insulation condition into the calculator, use generalized assumptions. A beach bungalow built in the 1800s with no renovations should probably be classified as poor. A 3-year-old home inside a newly developed community most likely deserves a good rating. Windows normally has poorer thermal resistance than walls. Therefore, a room with lots of windows normally means poor insulation. When possible try to install double glazed windows to improve insulation. Desired Temperature Increase or Decrease: To find the desired change in temperature to input into the calculator, find the difference between the unaltered outdoor temperature and the desired temperature. As a general rule of thumb, a temperature between 70 and 80F is a comfortable temperature for most people. For example, a house in Atlanta might want to determine the BTU usage during winter. Atlanta winters tend to hover around 45F with chances to reach 30F occasionally. The desired temperature of the dwellers is 75F. Therefore, the desired temperature increase would be 75F - 30F = 45F. Homes in more extreme climates will obviously require more radical changes in temperature, resulting in more BTU usage. For instance, heating a home in Alaskan winter or cooling a home during a Houston summer will require more BTUs than heating or cooling a home in Honolulu, where temperatures tend to stay around 80F year-round. Other Factors: Obviously, size and space of house or room, ceiling height, and insulation conditions are very important when determining the amount of BTUs required to heat or cool a house, but there are other factors to keep in mind: The number of dwellers residing inside the living spaces. A person's body dissipates heat into the surrounding atmosphere, requiring more BTUs to cool and fewer BTUs to warm the room. Try to place the air conditioner condenser on the shadiest side of the house, which will usually be north or east of it. The more the condenser is exposed to direct sunlight, the harder it must work due to the higher surrounding air temperature, which consumes more BTUs. Not only will placing it in a shadier area result in greater efficiency, but it will extend the life of the equipment. It is possible to try and place shady trees around the condenser, but keep in mind that condensers also require good surrounding airflow for best efficiency. Make sure neighboring vegetation does not interfere with the condenser, blocking air flow into the unit and choking it. Size of air conditioning condenser. Units too big cool homes too rapidly. Therefore, they don't go through the intended cycles, which were intentionally designed for out of the factory. This may shorten the lifespan of the air conditioner. On the other hand, if the unit is too small, it will run too often throughout the day, also overworking itself to exhaustion because it isn't being used efficiently as intended. Ceiling fans can assist in lowering BTU usage by improving air circulation. Any home or room can be a victim of dead spots, or specific areas of improper airflow. This can be the back corner of the living room behind a couch, the bathroom with no vent and a big window, or the laundry room. Thermostats placed in dead spots can inaccurately manage the temperatures of homes. Running fans can help to distribute temperatures evenly across the whole room or house. The color of roofs can affect BTU usage. Darker surface absorbs more radiant energy than a lighter one. Even dirty white roofs (with noticeably darker shades) compared to newer, cleaner surfaces resulted in noticeable differences. Efficiency decrease of the heater or air conditioner with time. Like most appliance, the efficiency of the heater or air conditioner decrease with usage. It is not uncommon for an air conditioner to loss 50% or more of its efficiency when running with insufficient liquid refrigerant. Shape of the home. A long narrow house has more wall than a square house with the same square footage, which means heat loss.

A good home air conditioner not only offers respite from the summer heat, but also gives you the benefit of air purification all year round, humidity control in the monsoon, and heating in winters. With numerous options flooding the market, knowing how to select AC for your home will help you make an informed decision. Before you start shopping, take a quick look at the tips you should keep in mind to select the best AC for your home. Choose the right type of AC for your needs Depending on your requirement, homes layout, and budget, you can arrive at an answer to how to choose air conditioner for home. Typically, you can pick from three types: window AC, split AC, and portable AC. A window AC, as the name suggests, is mounted onto a window as a single unit. A split AC has two units, the one mounted outside your home comprises the compressor and condenser units, while the one mounted inside, on a wall, is the blower. A portable AC isnt mounted in a specific location, and you can move it from one room to another. This one is beneficial for you if you live in rented apartments. Check the Cooling Capacity The cooling capacity of any home air conditioner is measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units). It simply means how much heat the AC can eliminate from the air in a set time period. The cooling capacity of any AC is directly proportional to this number. Getting the right fit for your room is highly important. If the BTU capacity is too less for your room, the AC would not be able to cool it properly, and if the capacity is too high, it may cool the room to quickly without any dehumidification. To determine the right fit for your room, the see the chart below: Know the Benefits of an Inverter AC As compared to a normal air conditioner, an inverter AC offers better, more consistent cooling. This type is also more energy efficient and quieter too. How? In a non-inverter AC, the compressor switches on and off several times to regulate the temperature. Whenever the compressor motor starts, the AC experiences a power spike. This causes it to consume more power in the long run. On the other hand, an inverter ACs compressor always remains on. After the desired temperature is reached, the compressor keeps running at a lower speed to maintain cooling. Therefore, it is not only more durable, but also energy-efficient. Look for Energy Efficiency Buying an energy-efficient AC has become all the more important in todays world, where power tariffs are rising as quickly as the mercury levels! To help you identify how good an appliance is when it comes to power efficiency, the BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) gives standardised Energy Efficiency Ratings in the form of stars. A rating of 5 stars is the best, and means that the AC will offer you tremendous savings on your electricity bill. So, make it a point to pick an AC that has at least 3 stars, if not 5. Other important features of air conditioners to consider: 1. Anti-bacteria filter: Removes bacteria, pollen, dust mites, and allergens from the air to create a healthy environment 2. Dust filter: Catches minute dust particles and dust mites 3. Dehumidifier: Helps remove excess moisture from the air during the rains, prevents the room from becoming damp, and inhibits growth of fungus and bacteria 4. Heater: Raises the temperature to comfortable levels during winters and eliminates the need to purchase a separate heater unit 5. Auto cleaning: Automatically removes the mould and bacteria deposits inside the blower.