How to Determine the Right Air Conditioner Capacity (Horse Power) for your Home.

Once considered a luxury, an air conditioner (AC) is now regarded as one of the necessities for many households in Nigeria, especially for a family with children and elderly people. When the weather is extra hot, it is just impossible for everyone to have a restful day and feel comfortable even with the ceiling fan at full speed.

Thus, to create a more comfortable environment for the whole family, installing AC units inside the bedrooms and living room is a great idea. A good air conditioner system will not only cool the home but help control humidity as well. Air conditioners serve a multitude of purposes, making them an extremely important appliance in the home or workplace.

One thing to note is that your air conditioner’s efficiency heavily depends on the space it will cool. Getting a bigger or smaller air conditioner is not necessarily better. An air conditioner unit too big for the size of your room is likely to turn on and off more frequently and in effect, consume more energy in the process and even make more noise.

On the other hand, an air conditioner that is too small for the size of your room never stops running as it will continuously work to reach your desired temperature level. However, it won’t have enough power to do this. If your room is heavily shaded, getting an air conditioner with a lower HP would be the best.

If your room gets too much direct sunlight, consider getting an air conditioner with a higher HP so that it can cool your room efficiently. And so on, long story cut short is that getting the right Air conditioner for your home can be a strenuous task. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the information out there to find the right AC for your home.

However, the one feature that you need to get right is the CAPACITY. Many homeowners are unclear about which type of AC is the best, how much horsepower would their AC need in a specific room, and several other important things you should know before buying an AC.

In this post, we would be mentioning some of the important tips that will help you choose the best AC unit for your home.

Calculate the Size of the Air conditioner.

To choose what size air conditioner is right for you, you need to first calculate the size of the home spaces served by the air conditioner, in square feet. Only the right size of an air conditioning unit or system will efficiently and effectively keep you and your family comfortable. Air conditioners that are too big to use more electricity and leave the air in your house with excess humidity.

Air conditioners that are too small do not cool your home to a comfortable temperature. And so getting the perfect size for your home would not only let you save a lot on electricity bills but also allow you to enjoy the best cooling experience ever. First, you have to measure the square footage of the room that you will air condition.

Use a tape measure to measure the length and width of the room. Simply multiply the length times the width of the room or area to be cooled. An air conditioner too large can be overkill. This is because an air conditioner that is too large will cool more quickly, but that may impede the reason for running the air conditioner in the first place.

An air conditioner not only cools a room, but it also extracts the moisture from the air (humidity) that makes all of us feel hot and sticky. Although the air may be cooler, if the unit doesn’t run long enough, the moisture cannot be extracted from the air properly. It would be like being outside camping on a cool, clammy, foggy night.

An air conditioner that is too small would never get the job done and so it is very important to know the size of the home spaces to be served by the air conditioner. Remember, too little is never enough and too much of a good thing can be bad.

What Room Space/ Building type.

After getting the appropriate dimensions and size of the space or building to be conditioned, you have to put into consideration the building type. The type of building may also determine the type of air conditioner you will buy. In your calculation, consider If no wall or door is separating the space where you want to cool from an adjoining room, ensure this factor is included in the calculation.

To cool a building with a lot of rooms, it is recommended to use a central air conditioner rather than buying lots of units of Windows or Split unit air conditioners. Getting a central air conditioner would be a cheaper expense than getting several windows or split unit air conditioners. The cost of maintenance is also less.

A Window unit air conditioner or a split unit air conditioner would fit perfectly into smaller spaces. If it is the Window unit air conditioner you wish to buy, measure the dimension of the window. Ensure that the dimension of the air conditioner will fit into your window dimension with little or no difficulty. Installation for the Split Unit Air conditioner is even easier.

A Floor standing air conditioning unit would be perfect for very large halls and restaurants. They have very large capacities and can ensure the adequate cooling of very large spaces. One or two of these Floor standing air conditioning unit positioned at strategic places would give you an effective cooling experience.

What Type and Use of Air conditioner.

If you want to cool your room properly, always choose the right air conditioner type. There are different types of air conditioners in the market today. You need to determine the type of air conditioner that you need. I would just mention the commonest ones you are likely to see or hear about in the market.

1). Window unit air conditioner.

These air conditioner models are usually cubic but are increasingly taking more attractive shapes. With this model of air conditioner, the fan and the condensing unit are in one piece. It usually requires a hole or provision in the wall as big as the air conditioning unit.

This type of air conditioner is cheaper than its Split Unit counterpart, it is also not as common as the Split unit air conditioner. Installation and maintenance are way easier though, as all of its parts are contained in one unit. They come in different capacities ranging from small to large; 1.96Hp up to 4.72Hp.

They are amongst the cheapest models of air conditioners in the air conditioner market. The price for the window unit air conditioner ranges from N65,000 to N200,000+.

See here for more information to check out our Window unit air conditioners.

2). Split Unit Air conditioners.

Split Air conditioners came as a modification to the windows unit. They are called split because its component is split into two. It has a part called the indoor unit and the other part which is the out-door unit. The two split parts are connected by drilling a hole through the wall. The indoor unit comprises the electronic chip, a remote sensor, and the blower.

The outdoor unit of a split-type air conditioner mainly comprises the compressor and all other machinery. The compressor is the part of the air conditioner that makes the most noise, and so you get to enjoy that silent operation because it is located away from the house.

Split air conditioners allow the installation of air conditioning without blocking off your Windows. The split air conditioners are considered the best choice for offices as well as the bedrooms where pin drop silence and a peaceful environment are highly desired.

Although the Split unit models are more expensive than the Window unit models, they are quite affordable too. Price varies depending on the capacity (HP) of the air conditioner. Price starts from as low as N69,000 and can get as high as N500,000+.

See here to browse through our range of Split Unit Air conditioners.

3). Floor Standing Air Conditioners.

The floor-standing air conditioners (or portable air conditioners) models are mounted on the floor. Though they are called portable air conditioners, they are bulky. Their portability is a result of not being fixed (or attached) to a wall or window. Their position can easily be changed at any time. Some may even come with wheels to make movement easy.

Floor Standing air conditioners are designed in such a way that they fit well into any room, hall, or office. Most standing air conditioners come with remote control, hence, they are easy to regulate. Floor standing air conditioners allow you to quietly cool specific areas of your business without disrupting your customers or your design.

They are pretty expensive but very efficient. Price ranges from N150,000 to N2,000,000+.

See here for more information to check out our Floor standing unit air conditioners.

4). Ceiling Air Conditioners.

They are mounted on the ceiling with the vents facing the ground. From the top, they can circulate air more efficiently. Ceiling cassette air conditioners come in high capacities and are designed for larger rooms. Due to its design nature and bulkiness, they require expert installation.

They are the most expensive of all the models of air conditioners. They are used only in very big buildings and complex with multiple, with proper maintenance they can last for up to 10years. In the long run, the initial cost is worth it. Price ranges from N400,000 to N2,500,000+.

See here to browse through our range of Ceiling Air conditioners.

Capacity (Horsepower) of the Air conditioner.

Before investing in an air conditioner you would have to consider its Horsepower. The size of the room would also greatly determine how much capacity you would need. Measure the room area and this, in turn, will determine the capacity of the Air conditioner to use. The larger the room space the more capacity required from the AC.

After knowing the room space size, you need to determine the capacity of an Air conditioner to efficiently and effectively cool and condition the required space. An air conditioner with a larger capacity used for a small space will cool its target space too soon leading to intermittent on/off switching of the AC. This has negative wear and tear on the AC parts.

Also, a big air conditioner will consume more electricity than required unnecessarily increasing your energy bill. BTU (British Thermal Unit) is the capacity rating commonly used in countries like the United Kingdom. HP (Horsepower) is what is used in Nigeria. Horse-power is used to describe the air conditioner's capacity.

The HP rating of an air conditioning system is about the power of the compressor of the AC. In layman’s terms, it is how powerful the air conditioner is i.e. how much cooling it can provide. The more powerful the compressor of an air conditioner, the greater its capacity to cool (or remove heat from) a given space.

The capacity of your air conditioner depends on a couple of factors not just the size of the space to be conditioned. Some of those factors are:

* Climate.

* Outdoor humidity.

* Ceiling height.

* Number of people in the house.

* Time of operation.

* Insulation level in the house. And so on.

Popular air conditioner HP capacities in Nigeria are 1 HP, 1.5 HP, and 2 HP. A small room of about 12 square meters (130 square feet) or less requires about 1 HP. A medium-sized room of about 18 square meters (200 square feet) or less will require about 1.5 HP. A large room of about 30 square meters (325 square feet) or less will require 2 HP.

Conclusion.

To sum it up, buying an air conditioner requires a lot of deliberation. Assess your needs thoroughly and keep in mind these points for making the investment last. Keep in mind that your budget would also go a long way in determining what type of Air conditioner you get. Price is always a dominating factor in buying anything in life. Prices of air conditioners increase as capacity and number of features increase.

If you have a small room, you would most likely spend less but if you want all these fancy features then be prepared to spend some extra cash. At Zit Electronic Online Store, you can be sure of getting the best Air conditioner to suit your cooling needs. We sell them at the best price in Nigeria.

We make sure that you get your money's worth with every purchase you make.