Quality air conditioning is a vital part of any HVAC service. One key metric in ensuring you have a great air conditioner is a BTU. What exactly does this acronym mean, and why is it important?
BTU Defined
To determine the efficiency of a unit, an appropriate measurement is needed. A British Thermal Unit, or BTU, measures the amount of energy an air conditioner expends to expel heat. More specifically, the energy consumption within one hour of time is measured.
Air conditioners make up the bulk of HVAC installation in Flat Rock and beyond, but a unit is only as good as its ability to get the job done: removing as much heat as possible from your residence in the shortest time.
The Importance of the Perfect BTU Match
If you’re considering a Trane installation in Flat Rock, some knowledge of BTUs will be very useful. BTU tallies the total units of heat being absorbed and sent outside, gauging the cooling effect an AC has on your home environment. A higher BTU level means more powerful cooling and bigger energy consumption. But a high-BTU unit may not be ideal if you have a smaller residence with less square footage.
The more powerful unit will use more unnecessary energy, turn on and off more frequently, and could even lead to excessive heating because of its impact on the compressor’s functionality. If you have a unit with insufficient BTUs to properly cool a larger residence, the AC will have to work overtime, worsening your heating woes and your energy efficiency. Then you may unfortunately find yourself searching for “HVAC repair near me.”
The Role of BTUs
BTUs are not used with air conditioning alone. Around the world, any time you are talking about an object or appliance that heats or cools, you’ll likely find a reference to BTUs. Heat pumps, furnaces, and more take advantage of this useful measurement tool. For an AC unit specifically, you can get a better idea of its BTU level by knowing its tonnage.
In this case, ton refers not to weight but to cooling capacity. One ton equals about 12,000 BTUs. If you have a one-ton unit, you can estimate this unit has roughly a 12,000 BTU measurement. Another conversion you may find useful is BTU-to-kilowatts: an indicator of how much electricity the AC utilizes. Multiplying your BTU by 0.000293 gives you this number, which you can then use to determine your daily or monthly AC-related electricity consumption.
Schedule an HVAC service appointment with the skilled team at Champion Comfort Experts today. Whether you need a BTU estimation or you have a unit needing installation or repair, call us for superior service you can trust.
