How to Size an Air Conditioner in Ohio

Purchasing an air-conditioning and heating unit depends on several factors. For Ohio, with its severe winters, a good heating system is necessary to keep houses warm and comfortable while keeping the energy bills to a reasonable price. US Air Conditioning out of Columbus, Ohio suggests that determining the size of the equipment depends on several environment factors as well as the space requiring cooling and heating. If a unit is too small, then the system constantly runs. To find the right size of air conditioner for your area, you need to make a few calculations or have original blue prints with measurements handy.

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the total size of your house with a tape measure. Going from room to room, measure and record the number of feet by width and length. Multiply the length by the width to calculate the square feet.
- 2
  Calculate the number of BTUs per square foot. Determining the number of BTUs per square foot means accounting for various factors such as the type of site, the climate and the level of insulation. Online BTU calculators easily account for these factors and estimate your BTUs per square feet. One such example is through Theheatershop.com (see Resources).
- 3
  Add in calculations for a kitchen stove and oven that add up to 17,000 British thermal units (BTUs) while cooking, which is almost 1.5 tons. Additionally, one person generates up to 200 to 300 BTUs.
- 4
  Consult the landlord, apartment owner, or original builder on the size of the house, questioning the size of already installed air conditioners and what size of air-conditioning they recommend.
- 5
  Visit an online free load calculator. Gartnerhvac.com has a free load calculator tool that uses the length and width of your entire house along with some other options to suggest an air conditioner size.
- 6
  Contact the Air Conditioning Contractors of America Ohio Chapter to find different air-conditioning licensed installers in your area and request an estimate. Keep your measurements and estimated load calculations handy to gauge pricing estimates for your area. Local heating and air installers know more about the weather in your area and what factors increase or decrease the size of the system based on the environment.

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