

LeBlanc HVAC, Plumbing & Electric | Central Air Conditioner Sizing

Central Air Conditioner Sizing

Properly sizing your homes central air conditioner is crucial to your overall comfort. A/C sizing is commonly measured in tons. A ton of refrigeration is approximately equal to the cooling power of one short ton (2000 pounds) of ice melting in a 24-hour period. An A/C ton can also be converted into BTU’s (British Thermal Units). 1 Ton of cooling is equal to 12,000 BTU’s per hour. Residential air conditioners are typically sized between 1.5 and 5 tons.

What does all this mean for you?

Underestimate your cooling needs, and you could be sweating. Buy more power than you need and your living space may become cold and clammy. In the past contactors would size an air conditioner solely on square footage. Today, we perform load calculations which include additional factors such as ceiling height, local climate, existing duct design, building materials and insulation ratings.