How to Size a Portable Air Conditioner
- 1). Measure the area of the room. For square rooms, square the length. For rectangular rooms, multiply the length time the width.
- 2). Estimate the capacity size for your portable AC unit using a chart that is readily available online (see Resources). For example, a room of 100 square feet would need about 6,000 Btu.
- 3). Adjust your estimate for the structure of the room. If it gets significant sunlight, add 1,500 Btu. If it gets negligent sunlight, subtract 1,000 Btu.
- 4). Adjust your estimate for the use of the room. If it will be used as a kitchen, add 4,000 Btu. If more than two people will live in the room, add 600 Btu for each person above the second living in the room. For example, if five people were sharing a room, you would add 1,800 Btu.
