All About BTUs & Why This Measurement Matters

The Benefits of Becoming BTU Literate

If you are looking to purchase or replace an air conditioner, you’ve likely stumbled across the acronym BTU. At Aire Serv of Nashville, we realize that many home and business owners may not know what this acronym stands for. BTU is short for British Thermal Unit. Despite its name, it is the standard unit of measurement in America when gauging the amount of energy an air conditioner expends while removing heat over the course of an hour. Don’t let the technical sound of the acronym intimidate you: BTU is a valuable metric that can help you determine the optimal air conditioner size for your property!

In fact, it would be naïve to purchase and install a brand-new air conditioner while ignoring its BTU rating. Understanding how to read the BTU rating will help you ensure your new AC unit has enough power to sufficiently cool your home, thereby providing maximum comfort. We realize BTUs can sound a bit tricky at first. This blog will help you navigate you through the ins and outs of BTU ratings. We promise BTU ratings are not as complicated as they seem. After this breakdown, you’ll be able to more intelligently compare the air conditioners on the market to find the right choice for your needs.

BTU 101: The Basics of British Thermal Units

To fully understand the benefits of BTU readings, one should have a basic overview of how air conditioners work. Don’t worry: You don’t need to learn the complex inner mechanics of an HVAC unit. We’re simply talking about learning the fundamental process.

We’ve all heard that energy cannot be created or destroyed. An air conditioner follows this logic. It doesn’t replace hot air – it simply transfers it from indoor spaces to outside. At the same time, an AC unit relies on coils and fans to substitute this displaced heat with cooler air – distributing it via ductwork. Thus, when an air conditioner removes/transfers heat, it is essentially moving energy.

The BTU reading measures how much energy output your air conditioner undergoes during this process. Therefore, a rating of, say, 15,000 BTUs simply means your air conditioner has absorbed, transferred, and released that amount of British Thermal Units over the span of an hour.

Why We Use BTUs

BTU measurements apply to more than your air conditioner. It is the standard international metric for measuring the amount of heat released while raising or lowering the temperature of one pound of water by 1° Fahrenheit. As a result, BTUs also apply to furnaces, heat pumps, and other HVAC appliances.

Because HVAC experts use BTUs to measure heat loss and gain, the metric has become a common way to gauge an air conditioner’s capacity and performance. Therefore, understanding BTU ratings will help you pinpoint the perfect AC unit for your daily demands.

Choosing the Right BTU Rating for Your Business or Home

There are many downsides to buying an air conditioner with a BTU rating that is too high or too low for your square footage.

A unit with excess BTUs will:

• Endure wear and tear – An air conditioner that constantly turns on and off can deteriorate quickly.
• Diminish comfort – An AC with a high BTU rating can cause the compressor to turn off prematurely, leaving behind a hot and humid indoor environment.
• Raise your energy costs – Excess BTUs mean your AC will run for a shorter period and cycle on/off more frequently.

A unit with inadequate BTUs is equally problematic. It will:

• Rarely satisfy your thermostat’s demands – An AC that lacks the capacity to cool a space to its desired temperature will run continuously and waste energy.
• Increase electric bills – Your AC unit will gradually become less efficient if it expends extra energy to cool your property’s square footage.
• Wear out quickly – Never turning off can add stress to an AC unit.
• Create uneven temperatures – There are bound to be areas/sections that feel warmer than others if there is not enough cool air to satisfy the thermostat.

Knowing the proper BTU rating for your property size is essential to maximizing energy efficiency, durability, and comfort. Comparing BTU ratings to your property’s square footage will help you buy an air conditioner that enjoys a long and self-sufficient lifespan – adequately cooling your space while reducing energy expenses.

Our team is ready to help determine the ideal BTU rating for your property. You can always use this online calculator to perform some quick calculations to figure out the ideal BTU range. You can also rest assured knowing Aire Serv of Nashville is just a call away if you have any confusion or questions!

Don’t be shy: Schedule an appointment today by calling or completing our online form.