Air Conditioning Calculations

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How do you do air conditioning calculations on the capacity of air conditioner for your
room? This calculation is important because if done wrongly, you will end up installing an
oversize or undersize equipment. An oversized air conditioner is not good as the
compressor will run and stop regularly and not able to cool the room uniformly.

It will also cause discomfort to the occupants as the dehumidfication of the room is
not properly done. On top of that, the electricity bill will be high as the compressor
turns on and off too often.

Every time the on/off type of compressor starts to run, its power consumption is 6
times higher than when it is running steadily.

The cycling on and off of the compressor will lead to shorter life span of the
compressor besides having to spend more on the unit price and installation cost.

An undersized unit will not be able to cool the room properly and more so if the
weather is hot.

Cooling Capacity

Cooling capacity for a room is defined as the heat load in a room that have to be
removed in order to achieve a certain room temperature and humidity. The typical
design is set to 24C temperature and 55% Relative Humidity.

Study shows that this combination of temperature and RH is the most conducive for
the human body. The unit used to measure heat load is BTU/hr. 1 BTU/hr is the heat
energy needed to increase 1 pound of water by 1F.

When choosing an air conditioner, usually a 1 HP (horse power) equipment is able to

remove 9,000 BTU/hr of heat. With better technology, some machines are able to
remove 10,000 BTU/hr of heat with the same capacity. The higher the listed BTU/hr,
the greater the cooling capacity.

Air Conditioning Calculations - Rule Of Thumb

Calculating the cooling capacity needed for your room is a complicated process as
there are many factors to consider. However, there is a simple rule of thumb that you
can use to estimate the required cooling capacity for your room. Use this result to
compare with the calculation done by the air conditioning contractors for your own
checking purposes.

Step 1

Find the volume of your room in cubic feet. This is done by measuring the length,
width and height of the room in feet and multiply all the three dimensions together.

Volume = Width X Length X Height (cubic feet)

Step 2

Multiply this volume by 6.

C1 = Volume X 6

Step 3

Estimate the number of people (N) that will usually occupy this room. Each person
produces about 500 BTU/hr of heat for normal office-related activity. Multiply this two
figures together.

C2 = N x 500 BTU/hr

Step 4

Add C1 and C2 together and you will get a very simplified cooling capacity needed for
the room.

Estimated Cooling Capacity needed = C1 + C2 (BTU/hr)

Air Conditioning Calculations - Other Factors

Other factors that your contractor will consider to determine the sizing of the cooling
capacity include the direction of your room. If the room is facing east or west,
additional capacity is needed as it will be exposed to the morning and evening sun
compared to a room that faces north or south.
If the lighting of the room emits a lot of heat, additional capacity is needed. If
electrical appliances that generate heat is used, additional capacity has to be factored
in.

The type of material of the room and windows are also important consideration.