The air-conditioner tonnage determines a unit's cooling capacity. Figuring out the tonnage will help you understand the unit size you'll need for your home. And although many factors will influence the size unit you'll choose, the following steps will aid in that assessment. It's easy to figure out the air-conditioner tonnage and what it means.
Instructions
1. Understand that a BTU (British thermal unit) is a measurement of how much energy it takes to raise or lower 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit (see Reources for this and other key measurements). Raising the temperature means increasing the heat energy into a space; lowering the temperature means withdrawing or removing the heat from that space. Your air conditioner's temperature changes require energy (electricity), in this case, BTUs, to accomplish that task.
2. Calculate the BTUs that would be needed to air condition a home with 1500 square feet (sq ft) of living space. Do this by using the quick formula in the Resources section. Multiply 1500 sq ft times 26 BTUs, which equals 39,000 BTUs.
3. Find the size of a refrigeration unit that would be required to supply 39,000 BTUs to a home air conditioner. Plugging in the numbers to the formula where 12,000 BTUs is equal to 1 ton of refrigeration. Then divide 39,000 by 12,000, and the answer would be 3.25 tons.
4. Realize that the 3.25-ton unit is a quick calculation for the air-conditioning system you'll need and that other factors may play a part in the actual size you'll need for your room. Although your instincts may be to choose a larger unit by raising the size to a 4 ton for this space, but a bigger the unit does not mean a better one. Larger units can quickly become inefficient in their use electricity, and it will take longer to "come up to speed" for removing the heat. The closer the unit is sized to the actual requirements, the more efficient it will be and the lower your monthly utility bill.
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