Air Conditioner Size: Understanding the BTU System

On your way to buy a new air conditioner? You must consider several factors before selecting the perfect Daikin AC for your place. These include the star rating, energy consumption, extra features, etc. However, one metric that leads this list is the size of the AC. By size, we do not mean the physical size of the system. Size here means the cooling capacity of your air conditioning unit. For example, in a ‘1.5-ton inverter AC,’ 1.5-ton is its size or cooling capacity.

Let us understand the BTU and tonnage systems used for defining the AC’s cooling capacity. This guide will make it easier for you to find your ideal Daikin AC.

What is BTU?

BTU stands for British Thermal Unit, a measurement of how much energy an air conditioner consumes to eliminate heat from your place within an hour. The correct calculation of BTUs ensures that the Daikin AC will provide you with efficient cooling without piling up on your electricity bill. Does all this seem confusing to you? Do not worry, we will help you understand it in simpler terms.

Your air conditioning system works by taking the heat from your space and throwing it outside. Now, this entire process requires energy consumption. British Thermal Unit is the count of this energy used during an hour of heat transfer. For example, if you pick a Daikin 12000 BTU inverter air conditioner, then it will transfer 12000 British Thermal Units of heat every hour.

Why only BTU?

You might be wondering why the industry is using British Thermal Units when we can go with other simpler terms. However, BTUs are not just limited to the air conditioning industry. It is a global unit that measures the heat needed to increase or decrease one-degree Fahrenheit temperature of one pound of water. So, BTUs are used whenever we need to calculate the rate of energy transfer in systems like furnaces, cooking devices, heating/cooling appliances, etc.

BTU and Tonnage

Other than the British Thermal Unit, tonnage is yet another term that is commonly used to define the cooling capacity of an air conditioning system. ‘Daikin 1.5 ton inverter AC’ can be taken as an example where 1.5 tons is the size of the AC. But do not worry here. You do not need to learn two separate measuring units because BTUs and tonnage are linked. To understand that, let us first look at the definition of tonnage.

“One ton of cooling is the measure of the amount of heat required to melt one pound of ice over 24 hours.”

As per the definition, one ton is equal to 12000 BTUs. So, if you are looking for a Daikin 12000 BTU inverter air conditioner, you can go with a 1-ton inverter AC. Similarly, a 2 ton AC will provide you with 24000BTU/hour of cooling.

Finding Your Ideal BTU Air Conditioner

Simply knowing what BTUs are is not enough for you. You also need to see how to find the correct Daikin BTU AC for your place. This can be easily decided with the help of the size of the place you wish to chill down. Usually, an air conditioner can cool one square foot of area in 20 BTUs. It means you can calculate the area of your room or space in square feet and then multiply it by 20. So, a Daikin 18000 BTU or 1.5 ton inverter AC will be fit for a 900-square-feet space. Similarly, a 24000 BTU or 2 ton inverter AC will be fit for a 1200-square-feet space.

However, this calculation does not stand true in every case because we did not take the ceiling height, number of windows and other such aspects into account. All these factors have to be considered before deciding on the correct BTUs required for your place. In case you get confused with the calculation, you can seek help from a professional. They will analyze your place and will recommend to you the correct size of AC.

Picking The Wrong Size

People often have this misconception that they can pick a larger-sized Daikin AC to get better and quicker cooling. This is not true. While a smaller-sized AC does not provide enough cooling, larger-sized AC unnecessarily piles up on your electricity bill. That is why it is crucial for you to properly calculate the size of the AC as per your place’s requirements and choose the one that fits your purpose.

Now you can begin measuring the size of the space that you need to cool and then explore all the advanced options available at Daikin to get through this season.