Choosing the right capacity
Cooling and heating capacities (sizes) are rated in kilowatts (kW). A small room might require a 2.5kW model, while a large open-plan area might need 6kW or more. It’s important to accurately calculate the required cooling or heating capacity of your new air conditioner.
Some installers and online calculators offer only a simplistic analysis and may tend to recommend a larger capacity than you really need. A proper calculation takes all the room’s details into account:
The size of the room: length, width and height. The type of room: living room, open-plan living room and kitchen, bedroom, etc. The size and orientation of the windows and glass doors. A large north or west-facing window can let in a lot of heat in summer. Shading and curtains on the windows. Insulation of the floor, ceiling, and walls.
The local climate.
Try the size calculator on fairair.com.au by the Australian Institute of refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH).
Choose a model with equal or slightly greater capacity for the room. For example, if you calculate the room needs a 6kW model, then look for an air conditioner with rated cooling capacity in the range 6kW to 6.5kW (roughly). It’s probably a safer bet to get a model slightly above the required capacity than slightly below it, as a little extra grunt may help in extreme temperatures. But don’t go too much above the required capacity.
Models too powerful for the room size may run frequent short cycles to achieve the target temperature – which is like tapping the accelerator in your car to maintain speed instead of applying steady pressure. This can result in the room getting too cold or hot, inadequate dehumidification (i.e. not drying the air enough. making the room feel less comfortable), increased power usage and running costs, and wear and tear on the system.
Underpowered models may have to run more often at maximum output, dry the air too much and you’ll similarly suffer excessive wear.
Source: www.choice.com.au
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