Air conditioner power: what is it, calculation in kW and BTU by room area

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At buying an air conditioner the question immediately arises of how much power he should have. Defining this parameter is not as easy as it seems. It is directly affected by the area and volume of the structure, as well as other parameters. What does this mean? You will find answers to these and other questions in our article.

Content:

  1. What is the power of the unit?
  2. Necessary power of domestic air conditioner
  3. Calculation of air conditioning capacity by room area
  4. Air conditioner power 9, 12 and 24

What is the power of the unit?

First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between the concept of consumed electric power of the air conditioner and the so-called cooling power. Typically, both of these parameters are indicated on the packaging, as well as on the device. They are interconnected, but not equal. When discussing the issue of the power of the cooling apparatus, be sure to specify what kind of power in question.

Air conditioner power

So, what does this difference between these capacities consist of, we will examine further.

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Air conditioner electrical power

This is the energy that the air conditioner consumes from the electrical network of your home. In other words, this is the power that is expressed in kilowatts per hour (kW / h). It is for her that you will have to pay the bills of the communal organization.

It should be understood that the indicated electrical power describes the energy consumption during continuous operation of the cooling unit for an hour. In reality, air conditioners consume much less energy because they work intermittently. When the temperature in the room reaches a certain point - the device turns off and stops consuming electricity. If the thermal insulation of the building is good, then the coolness will last a long time.

Air conditioning cooling capacity

This is the indicator with which air conditioning cools your home. It is measured in the so-called British Thermal Units (BTU) or British Thermal Unit (BTU). One BTU equates to 0.3 ordinary electric watts (W). As a rule, the index indicates the number of thousands of BTUs. For example, if the package says “BTU 5”, this means that this unit consumes 5000 * 0.3 = 1.5 kilowatts per hour of continuous operation from the mains, which is not so much.

The higher the BTU indicator, the more energy is needed for the operation of your device, and this indicator increases linearly, but the degree of room cooling also increases.

An air conditioner with a specified power of up to 12 BTU will not require additional separate power supply because it consumes about 3.5 kW from the mains. This can be equated to the operation of the heating elements of a modern washing machine or a powerful boiler. Normal apartment wiring should be sufficient.

Air conditioning cooling capacity

Of course, you should not load one line (outlet) at the same time with air conditioning, microwave and electric oven, for example. The wires in the wall from such a load can overheat and simply burn out. Finding a cliff site will be very difficult, and eliminating a cliff is even more difficult. You have to tear down the wallpaper or open the tile, break a part of the wall, connect the wires, and then restore everything back.

Necessary power of domestic air conditioner

For domestic needs, a unit with a capacity of 30 BTU is usually enough, which equates to 8 kilowatts. Such a monster is able to effectively cool an area of ​​approximately 80 square meters. m. Devices of greater power are considered industrial and have a large set of parameters that affect the determination of effective cooling power.

Since household appliances are most often represented by split systems, the smallest possible power is 2 kW. The window version can be even more economical, with a power of 1.5 kW, but it is only suitable for a very small room.

Calculation of air conditioning capacity by room area

When calculating energy consumption, the area, not the volume of the building to be cooled, is taken into account. This is due to the fact that cold air still drops. Whatever the height of the ceilings, all the same, cooled air will accumulate on the floor of the room.

To calculate the power of the air conditioner, the following table is well suited:

sq. m 16 20 26 35 37 30 52 70 80
thousand BTU 5 7 9 12 13 14 18 24 30
kw 1.6 2 2.6 3.5 3.7 4 5.2 7 8

However, it is necessary to take into account a large number of related factors and factors:

  • the size of the family or other group of people in the room;
  • the amount of heat generated by people in the room (this depends on the amount and intensity of physical labor, and also on whether people wear outerwear);
  • distance from floor to ceiling;
  • the presence of other fuel devices and apparatus (TV, computer);
  • the amount of heat entering the windows with the light of the sun.

Most online calculators for selecting the power of the air conditioner take these parameters into account.

For example, hereinafter we present calculations for which knowledge of such parameters as:

  • coefficient from 30 to 40 W / cu. m to take into account the heat release by the room itself due to the area of ​​walls, ceiling and floor, as well as depending on the presence of solar radiation;
  • the heat generated by the owners of the house, from 0.1 kW to 0.2 kW (for an adult), depending on physical activity.
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Let’s try for example to choose a cooling device with the following parameters:

  • living area - 25 square meters. m;
  • ceiling height - 2.55 m;
  • family of 3 people;
  • computer and TV in one room;
  • windows face north.

Here is the calculation instruction:

  1. First, we calculate the heat emission of the room itself according to the formula: Area x Height x Coefficient of building heat emission. Here is the calculation: 25 x 2.55 x 30 = 1.9 kW.
  2. Further, suppose that all the inhabitants of the refrigerated space behave calmly and mostly rest at home: 0.1 x 3 = 0.3 kW.
  3. Now we include in the calculations the heat emission from the computer and the TV. The PC has a power supply with a rated power of 0.3 kW, and a TV - 0.2 kW. We assume that it is quite possible that one of the family members watches TV and someone else uses a computer: 0.3 + 0.2 = 0.5 kW.
  4. Add up all the obtained values: 1.9 + 0.3 + 0.5 = 2.7 kW.

Conclusion: an air conditioner with a declared power consumption of 2.6 kW or “nine” is suitable for us, if BTU values ​​are used.

Air conditioner power 9, 12 and 24

The table above shows that the most common household models of air conditioners are “nine” (9), “dozen” (12) and “two dozen” (24). They are intended for premises of 26 square meters. m, 35 sq. m and 70 square meters. m respectively. Other varieties with BTU values ​​are not common, although they can be found in old houses with tiny apartments or in mansions with large living area.

Choosing the right air conditioner for power is not a trivial task, because both its surplus and the disadvantage are undesirable. So knowing principle of operationBy identifying the difference between the cooling power and the consumed, and then studying the table for determining the power of the unit based on the size of the room, you can successfully cope with the task.

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