Life is much more bearable with an air conditioner. This handy device has long been no longer a luxury but rather a necessity without which functioning at high temperatures or in conditions of high air humidity would not be possible. That’s especially the case in warmer regions, where these units tend to work 24/7.
On the following page, find out how to ensure optimal work of your AC:
To maintain the optimal temperature in your work or living space, it is important to ensure you have a properly sized AC unit. That doesn’t refer only to its physical dimensions but primarily to its power. It’s expressed in kWh, that is, electricity consumption in watts per hour.
The higher the unit’s wattage in kWh, the larger its cooling capacity. And the bigger the room, the more wattage you need. These are only some factors that will influence the choice of air-con. You have to consider a few more things, meaning a choice of properly sized AC for your room or the whole house is a challenging task. If you don’t leave this work to professionals but decide to make the purchase yourself, choosing an AC unit should be approached very studiously.
Understanding the Importance of Proper Air Conditioning Sizing
When choosing AC size and strength, you’re probably guided by the simple logic that more is better. That’s not always true, but there are a few rules you have to follow. For instance, ACs with smaller capacities will indeed work more and use more energy to achieve optimal performance. That will lead to high utility bills as well as faster wear and tear.
However, too large an AC unit can be equally troublesome. Too many kWh for your room means the power consumption will be too high, as is the desired output. The device will go into ON and OFF cycles too often, which means frequent changes in operating mode that lead to rapid wear and frequent breakdowns.
Only a properly sized AC (whether a central unit or a wall-mount air con for a single premise) can achieve desirable results with optimal energy consumption. Considering that buying this device isn’t a small investment, you must spend the money right, that is, on a device that’ll last for many years. The choice of AC unit will be influenced by many factors that you should study carefully before buying anything.
How Big Does Your AC System Need to Be?
In general, HVAC experts from Air Conditioning Advisory Centre recommend about 0.15kWh per a single square meter. That would mean an average room of about 20 square meters would need an AC power of about 3kW. The required capacity increases as the size of the room increases, but it also changes under the influence of many other factors.
Room Size, Location, and Orientation
The first and main factor on which you will choose an AC unit for your home is the size of the room that needs cooling. You can easily measure its area by multiplying the width and length. Multiply the obtained number of square metres by 0.15kWh, and you get the optimal power of the device for a specific room.
The location of the room or house you plan to cool also affects the AC capacity. It’s not the same if you need this device for your home in mountainous areas where warm days aren’t that common or a warm and dry climate. In the latter case, you’ll most likely need units with a higher capacity than you would compute with a simple calculation that only factors in room size.
Another thing to consider is the room orientation. Perhaps the differences in this case aren’t as drastic as in the case of building location, but whether the windows in your room face the sunny or shady side can make a difference. If more sun enters the room, you will definitely need a stronger AC to cool it down than when the room is in the shade for most of the day.
Insulation
Besides the already mentioned factors, an additional thing that can make or break your choice of a properly sized device is the insulation of the building (or individual room). On this page, you can see common insulation solutions for Australian buildings.
Insulation requirement applies to the outer walls and the ceiling, because if there is no additional layer on them, the heat enters the building faster, and the cold air leaves it with ease. Simply put, it’ll take longer to cool it down.
So, in case of weak or no insulation, you need an AC device with a higher wattage. But in the case of a well-insulated room (wall and ceiling insulation), you shouldn’t force the maximum number of kWh. Instead, the lowest recommended wattage will be enough for optimal cooling.
Ceiling insulation is especially important as it plays a crucial role in maintaining room temperature and providing a comfortable indoor environment. It lowers the heat transfer between the interior and exterior of the building, thus reducing AC reliance and the need for more kWh. Eventually, it would affect optimal performance in your AC and cut your energy bills.
Speaking of insulation, it’s about time to check the condition of your windows and doors. If your carpentry is only a few years old and without visible maintenance issues, it will be a better insulator. On the other hand, if your room isn’t well-sealed, the cool air will escape through windows and doors, so your AC will have to work much harder.
Choosing the right AC for your home isn’t an easy task. You might think the only information you need is the room size, but it’s a lot more factors. Also, don’t think that a smaller AC will bring initial savings due to lower purchase costs or that a larger air con will cool your house faster. Both statements are true to some point, but not entirely. That’s why you should choose the right unit size, considering all mentioned factors.
