Tonnage in AC
Have you ever been curious as to what the word “AC Tonnage” means? At Horner's Service DFW, we recognize that HVAC jargon can raise more questions than it answers. It's crucial to learn basic heating and cooling terms and concepts, whether or not you're working with an HVAC repair in Garland, TX to achieve your goals, so you can make informed decisions about your heating and cooling systems. Continue reading to learn what air conditioner tonnage means and how to easily estimate your personal AC tonnage needs.
What Does “AC Tonnage” Really Mean?
A tonnage, often known as tonnage, is the cooling capacity of an air conditioner in the HVAC industry. BTUs, or “British Thermal Units,” are used to measure tonnage. (A BTU is the amount of energy (heat) required to elevate one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit at sea level.) Each hour, a tonnage of air conditioning can remove 12,000 BTUs of heat.
Tonnage is important to consumers since it can help them figure out how big of an air conditioner & Chiller Installation they'll need to keep their house or business cool.
What Air Conditioner Tonnage Do I Require?
When shopping for a new air conditioner, figure out how much tonnage your unit will need to adequately chill your home. A simple calculation can be used to approximate this:
Multiply the number of square feet you're cooling by 25 to get an approximation of your AC tonnage requirements. This is the total number of BTUs required to chill your room. Then increase that number by 12,000 to determine the tonnage capacity of the new air conditioning Installation unit you'll need. For the best air conditioning service contact us.
This computation will provide you with a rough approximation of your requirements. There are a number of other factors that could influence the amount of air conditioner tonnage you need in your home, including:
- Existing insulation in your home
Is your home properly insulated? Cold air will be held more effectively in homes with excellent insulation, making cooling easier, less expensive, and requiring less tonnage.
- The landscape around your house
Homes that are shaded by huge trees will stay colder longer than homes in open areas, using less tonnage.
- Your house's architecture
It's usually more difficult to cool a home's second (or third) story. Ranch-style homes are typically less expensive to cool. The fewer floors there are, the less tonnage is required to cool a home.
What about AC Tonnage in Commercial Buildings?
Commercial air conditioners are usually bigger than household air conditioners, but not always by a lot. Although a restaurant or manufacturer may require greater cooling capacity than a large residence, a basic office or small shop may not.
Consider the following factors when calculating commercial AC tonnage:
- How many people generally work in the space?
- Do customers frequently enter and exit the building?
- Do you have any equipment that generates a lot of heat or that is sensitive to temperature changes?
- Do you have any significant service bays or loading docks that need to be considered?
What is the capacity of my air conditioner?
1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, and 5-ton residential air conditioners are offered. If you have a particularly large home and require a larger unit based on the calculations above, you may require numerous units to be installed. In a large home, it's not uncommon to have two central air conditioners or an air conditioner plus a secondary cooling source.
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