An AC unit with too high of a BTU rating will cycle on and off more frequently, eventually cooling your space excessively.
If your air conditioner has a bigger BTU rating than the room size needs, it will cycle off too quickly, waste energy, and will not adequately dehumidify the space. So a higher BTU than needed is definitely not recommended.
The problem with over-sizing is that it will cause short cycling, which isn't good for the compressor, and will also dramatically increase indoor humidity. Which makes for an uncomfortable environment.
More is not better. A unit with too many BTU's, will cool the room fast, but leave the room humid. Too few BTU's will never cool the room down and the unit will run incessantly. To be sure you're making the right decision, call us to get answers about air conditioner sizes and efficiency.
If you purchase an air conditioner with a higher BTU than needed, you will waste a lot of excess energy and the air conditioner will cycle off too quickly. Thus, an air conditioner with a higher BTU will not cool a room faster.
You also don't want to buy a model that's too powerful for a room. Sure, a 12,000-BTU air conditioner will cool a small space (150 square feet or less) quickly. But it might cool it too quickly, preventing it from removing some of the ambient humidity from the room and leaving the room damp.
A BTU or British Thermal Unit is the measure of heat energy that comes from a thermal unit and an Imperial Gallon is 10 pounds in weight. Therefore, a BTU is 1/10 of an Imperial Gallon or one pound of water at sea level and a BTU will raise water temperature one degree Fahrenheit.
Whether you are talking about an air conditioner or a heating device, you will often also see a mention of BTUs per hour which directly correlates to a kilowatt-hour in terms of energy usage. More BTUs produced per hour will generally cost more in terms of electricity usage compared to a device with a lower BTU output.
If your AC is too big, it will cool down your home too quickly, and the cycle will shut off before the drip pan is full.
Getting a central air conditioning unit or heat pump with too few BTUs for a home your size isn't much better, and can also result in the need for AC troubleshooting. Your air conditioner may never stop running because it's trying to reach a temperature in a large space that it just can't cool.
—An over sized air conditioner will be less effective. Air conditioners remove both heat and humidity from the air, but if the unit is too large, it will cool the room, before it has a chance to remove the humidity. This will leave your room feeling damp and clammy.
Not necessarily. A bigger unit might lower the temperature faster, but short cycling consumes more energy and can raise your utility bills. The constant on-off cycle requires more power than a unit running at a steady pace. Humidity Issues: An air conditioner doesn't just cool your home—it also removes humidity.
If your air conditioning system is too big, it cannot completely cool your home. This means that you'll have hot or cold spots throughout your home. An AC system that is too large doesn't run long, so the cool air can't be equally distributed through your home. This causes some areas to be cool while others are warm.
Since an oversized AC is too powerful for your home, it will quickly cool your home then shut off, which can raise your energy bills and wear out your AC (from all the starts and stops).
The Department of Energy states each 12,000 BTU incremental should be enough to cool 400-500 square feet, but with proper sealing and insulation in a home, that AC unit could cool up to 1,000 square feet per 12,000 BTU. Your local Carrier dealer can calculate the exact AC size and tonnage your home needs.
An oversized AC unit will cycle on and off too quickly, failing to properly dehumidify the air, leaving your home feeling clammy and uncomfortable. On the other hand, an air conditioning unit that is too small will struggle to cool your space effectively, running continuously and driving up energy costs.
Using an oversized AC in a small room can lead to several downsides. Firstly, oversized units cycle on and off frequently, leading to inefficient operation and increased energy consumption. This results in higher electricity bills and unnecessary wear and tear on the system.
An AC unit with too high of a BTU rating will cycle on and off more frequently, eventually cooling your space excessively. On the other hand, AC units with too few BTUs will need to run constantly to reach the target temperature, which may add strain to the system.
If you're wondering whether a central air conditioner is a lot more energy savvy than window types then the answer, quite simply, is yes. Central air conditioning systems are more energy-efficient than window air conditioners, meaning you'll save money on your monthly energy bill.
BTUs measure the energy output of your AC system. It takes about 20 to 35 BTUs to cool each square foot of space. Higher BTUs cool a room faster, but boost humidity and wear your unit down.
The Temperature Outside
Most central air conditioners can cool a moderate-sized (3 to 4 bedroom) home by about 5 degrees every 3 hours. This means while it can take no more than a couple hours to lower the temperature to a comfortable range in the fall or autumn, it can take much longer in the summer.