How to choose the required power of the air conditioner

The choice of the power of the air conditioner is one of the most important points when buying climate control equipment. By purchasing too powerful equipment, the user pays extra money, but at the same time the entire resource is not produced. Weak equipment will work for wear, not coping with its function. How to choose the power of the air conditioner and what parameters should be considered?

What is the capacity of an air conditioner?

Since the main task of an air conditioner is to cool the air in rooms, the capacity most often means the cooling capacity. Therefore, before selecting the capacity of the air conditioner, it is necessary to measure the area of ​​the room in which it will be installed.

This indicator should not be confused with the power consumption, which is a secondary indicator when selecting an air conditioner by capacity. The power consumption is usually several times lower than the cooling power. For example, with a consumption of 0.8 kilowatts, the air conditioner has a cooling capacity of 2.5 kilowatts. This difference is explained by the principle of operation of the air conditioner: the coolant removes heat from the air in the room and transfers it through a heat exchanger (located in the outdoor unit) into the atmospheric air.

Both the power of the air conditioner and its cooling capacity can be selected based on energy efficiency. This parameter is a ratio of two values. Energy efficiency varies from 2.5 to 4 and the higher it is, the more cold the air conditioner produces with less energy consumption.

Selection of an air conditioner by capacity

To select an air conditioner in terms of power, it is necessary to calculate the optimal indicator for each specific room.

A very rough and approximate calculation says that 1 kilowatt of power (cooled) is needed for 10 square meters of area. Thus, if you have a room of 25 sq. meters, an air conditioner of 2.5 kilowatts is suitable. If the room is up to 70 sq. meters, then this choice of air conditioner capacity is more or less adequate. But for rooms with panoramic glazing, an abundance of equipment and windows to the south, such a calculation will not work.

Heat gains from each person who is constantly in the room, each piece of equipment are taken into account. There is a special coefficient for the south side.

If the room is equipped with ventilation, the volume of inflow / outflow must also be taken into account. How to choose the power of the air conditioner in such difficult cases should be consulted with a specialist.