How To Figure Out Square Feet for Air Conditioning Unit

Hot temperatures during summer are an inevitable part of life throughout much of the world.

Air conditioning units make the uncomfortable weather more bearable by reducing the temperature and the humidity in the air.

Before you install an air conditioner, it's important to measure the square footage of the space that you want to air condition.

Air conditioners come in different BTUs, or British thermal units, which refer to the amount of power they have.

The more square feet you have, the higher the BTUs you will need to cool the space properly.

How to Figure Out Square Feet for Air Conditioning Unit

Measure length and width of room you want to put air conditioner in

Measure the length and width of the room you want to put the air conditioner in. Write down the measurements on a sheet of paper so you don't forget them.

Multiply length by width to get total square feet of room

Multiply the length by the width to get the total square feet of the room. For example, if the room is 10 feet long and 20 feet wide, multiply 10 by 20 to get 200 square feet.

Determine size of air conditioner needed to cool room

Determine the size of the air conditioner needed to cool the room.

A general rule of thumb to go by is each 250 square feet of space should have at least 6,000 BTUs of power.

Increase the BTU capacity by 10 percent if the room is sunny throughout most of the day.

If the room gets little or no sun, decrease the BTU capacity by 10 percent.

Increase the BTU capacity by 10 percent if the room is sunny throughout most of the day.

If the room gets little or no sun, decrease the BTU capacity by 10 percent.