There is a great diversity of air conditioner models available on the market. The main point that differs them is the power of each of them. Choosing the right wattage can really make a difference on so many levels. Find out how to determine the right power range for an air conditioner that's right for your home in Quebec.

How to make a quick calculation on the required power of an air conditioner?

The power of an air conditioner is expressed in BTU or British Thermal Unit. It is this same unit that is used to designate the power of a heat pump and that of barbecues. For air conditioners, 3,414.5 BTUs represent 1 kW/h or 252 calories.

In short, only a professional in the field of air conditioning is able to establish an accurate calculation of the power required to cover your entire home. Nevertheless, there are approximate calculations and “universal” references that you can rely on to find the right power.

The “rule of thumb” is a fairly crude, but effective method for calculating the power required for an air conditioner depending on the area to be covered. According to this method, in the case of a wall-mounted air conditioner, a system offering 12,000 BTU should be suitable for a living area of 1,200 ft².

On the other hand, if it is a central air conditioner, other factors come into account. These include the fact that the air must travel through a network of ducts, requiring you to increase the power of the air conditioner for the same area. In short, you'll need nearly 30,000 BTU's to cover 1,200 square feet enough.

A few points of vigilance concerning this calculation

Attention, there are many factors that can influence this calculation and that you must take into account. Here are a few key points:

• If the air conditioner is only used during the night, you can reduce its power by 30%. The temperature is lower during the night, which requires less power to cool the whole house;
• On the other hand, if you plan to install the air conditioner in the kitchen, it is best to plan for an additional 4,000 BTU. In fact, the kitchen is one of the hottest rooms in the house because of the presence of stoves, oven and other heat sources;
• If the room where the air conditioner is installed is very sunny, plan for 10% more power as well. Conversely, if it is in the shade all day, you can reduce the power by 10%.

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Why is it important to properly assess the power of an air conditioner before buying it?

Opting for an adequate air conditioner power is essential in many ways. Find out why it is important to properly determine the power required for your home before buying your appliance:

• If your air conditioner is too low wattage, it will run at full capacity all the time, increasing your electricity bills and reducing its lifespan;
• On the contrary, if you choose an air conditioner that is too powerful, not only will you have paid too much to buy, but the flow of cold air will be too pronounced, which will create too much of a mismatch between outdoor and indoor air, leading to health problems.

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Some tips to follow when buying and installing your air conditioner

Now that you know how much power to choose for your air conditioner, here are a few things to consider when buying and installing your unit. Follow these guidelines to ensure that your air conditioning system is fully functional and has an optimal lifespan:

• Feel free to choose an air conditioner that is more expensive, but of better quality. This will ensure trouble-free operation for years, as well as a manufacturer's warranty. Entry-level devices are unreliable and have a fairly limited lifespan;
• Install the outdoor unit of your air conditioner in a place away from the sun;
• Lower the air conditioning in the basement to make the ambient air less humid;
• If your house has many floors, it will be necessary to have air vents installed in order to optimize your comfort and save more energy;
• Check, clean, or replace air conditioning filters annually.

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A few tips to optimize the energy consumption of your air conditioner

Choosing the right wattage for your air conditioner is not enough to ensure its optimal functioning. Here are some tips that will allow you to optimize its performance in order to save energy:

• As soon as you leave a room, always close the door behind you when your air conditioner is on. This will limit the heat dissipation in the room;
• On hot days, use appliances such as the dryer, oven, and others only in the early morning or around the evening when the temperature is lower. This will prevent the air conditioner from working too long to regulate the internal temperature of the house;
• During hot weather, use fans over the air conditioner. This will avoid running it for too long and saving more money, since a fan consumes much less than an air conditioning system;
• When you operate your air conditioner, close the blinds and window curtains so that the sun's heat does not enter the rooms exposed to sunlight;
• If you are leaving your home for a long period of time, turn off the air conditioning to avoid wasting unnecessary energy.

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Use our services for all work around your air conditioning system

At Confort Prestige, we are highly qualified professionals to carry out all work around air conditioning. Among other things, you can use our services to accurately calculate the air conditioner power needed for your home. We also support you in the purchase of the best systems and we install the devices. We offer quality services and our technicians guarantee work carried out in accordance with the rules of the art.