Submitted by: William I. Neil

The summer heat can be terrible for some, and even cause health problems. Thus, it is important to have an air conditioning system installed in one s house, especially when a house s located in humid areas or areas that only have two seasons. Central air conditioning may be most practical for houses with a lot of floors and rooms. But if a house only contains a few rooms, a kitchen, a sitting area, an entertainment area, a dining room and two or three bedrooms, it would be a bit impractical to install a central air conditioning system. Installing one window air conditioner on the common areas and one each on the bedrooms would be the more practical and efficient choice. Not only will the set-up cost less, but also the operational and maintenance costs will be less in the long run. In considering the costs, the cooling capacity of an A/c unit will be measured by BTU per hour or British Thermal Units. Thus, it would be best to know how much BTU of window air conditioners are capable of.

A window air conditioner is installed, as referred by its name, on a window where they can take out warm air and place it outside. Installing window set-ups can lead to draft, so they may be removed and stored when not used, especially during the winter months. Otherwise, they may be permanently installed into a wall by putting a hole in the wall where the air conditioner can snugly fit and electrical sockets or outlets can be installed to its side. The homeowner must remember, though, that a BTU of window air conditioner must be a fit to the room it will be installed in. If the A/C is too powerful in the small room, it may just make the room s inhabitants uncomfortable, not mentioning it may use more energy so it may cost more to operate.

Thus, the unit that a homeowner buys should correspond to the area it will service. The space may be measured in square meters or square feet, which is derived from multiplying the room s length and width. Thus a room that measures 20 feet by 20 feet has an area of 400 square feet. The perfect fit for a room s area and A/C s cooling capacity is as follows:

A 5,000 BTUs for a room measuring 100 to 150 square feet

An A/C of 6,000 BTUs for 150 to 250 square feetrooms

An A/C of 7,000 BTUs for 250 to 300 square feetrooms

An A/C of 8,000 BTUs for 300 to 350 square feet rooms

An A/C of 9,000 BTUs for 350 to 400 square feetrooms

Just add 1,000 BTUS for every 50-100 square feet increment. So, for the example earlier, a 400 square feet room can be cooled by a 9,000 or 10,000 btu of window air conditioner.

Further reminders are as follows:

One may reduce the BTU capacity by 10 percent if the room is shaded heavily (lots of trees by the windows, has curtains installed).

One may increase the BTU capacity by 10 percent if the room receives heavy sunlight.

An increase of 4,000 Btu/hr should be done if the unit will be used for a kitchen.

An additional 600 BTU should be added for each person occupying the room in excess of two.

About the Author: William I. Neil is an architect, providing information and directories about home improvement,

casement window air conditioner

,

wall window air conditioner

and

window mount air conditioner

Source:

isnare.com

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