An air conditioner is an important appliance to have at home to save you from the summer heat. It is often a matter of concern to many people to find ways to determine the right size of air conditioner for their homes.
Ac size for 2200 sq ft:
The common size of air conditioner recommended for a 2200 ft area is usually within 4 to 5 tons. However, professionals use BTUs to determine the right size for the AC. It depends on a lot of other things. Generally, a 2200 sq ft house may require a unit rated within 40000 to 60000 BTUs.
It is important to find the right size of AC for an area to get the best result with a minimum cost and the most efficiency.
A larger unit doesn’t always give the desired output. Also, there are cons to having both a larger and smaller AC than what’s actually required for the area.
Most people would recommend going for a 4 to 5-ton air conditioning unit for a 2200 sq ft home. But, as the choice depends on a lot of other factors, for some areas, a 3.5-ton air conditioner can also do a good job to cool down a 2200 sq ft house.
If you live in a cooler area and your home’s position allows less sun and more shades, you may not need a larger unit for your home.
The most common metric loved by professionals to help choose the right size for an air conditioner is BTU. It is an acronym for “British thermal unit”, which is the measurement of the energy required to remove heat from an area.
In general terms, a higher BTU means the air conditioner can remove heat better to cool down a larger space. But, a high BTU doesn’t necessarily have to be what your room requires.
There are a lot of other factors that influence the size of your AC. In general terms, a 2200 sq ft home may require 40,000 to 60,000 BTUs.
How do I calculate what size air conditioner I need?
The most common rule that people apply in choosing the right size air conditioner is adding 20 BTU per square foot. According to this rule, you will need 44,000 BTUs for a 2200 sq ft house.
Now, when it comes to the ton, one ton is equivalent to 12,000 BTUs. This means you will need a 4 to 5-ton unit for your 2200 sq ft house.
A 3.5-ton air conditioning unit can offer 42,000 BTUs, which is less than the BTUs required for a 2200 sq ft house. A 4-ton air conditioning unit can offer 48,000 units. So a 4-ton unit may work better for your house.
But the decision depends on a lot of other things. Especially, the insulation and position of your house are very important when it comes to picking the right size.
For some 2200 sq ft houses, even a 3.5-ton air conditioning unit can provide full support. So you must consider some other aspects related to your house other than BTUs when you’re trying to choose the right size air conditioner for your house.
What type of Air Conditioner is best for a 2200 sq ft space?
You can use different types of ac in your place. Let’s find them out.
Central air conditioner:
Central air conditioner units were widely used before as they can generate 2 to 6 tons and sometimes even more cooling output. However, these units are quite costly and can be a hassle to install.
The installation cost also leaps in the budget. You may have to spare almost the same amount as the unit costs for the whole process of installation. You will need ductwork for these units.
Split air conditioner:
The ductless split air conditioner units have taken over the reign of central air conditioner units. They have improved quite a lot throughout the last decade making them the most wanted units for both big and small homes.
Since these are ductless, the installation process is quite simple. With a bit of technical knowledge, you can also install the unit yourself. So there will be no or very little cost for installation.
Things to consider before choosing an AC size for a 2200 sq ft home:
There are a lot of things to consider before choosing an AC size for any specific area. While the square footage of the area plays the most important part, some other factors that you should consider are as follows.
Climate:
The climate of an area is one of the most important things to take into account while choosing an AC size.
If you live in a warm area, you may need to use the AC for more than just during the summer months. An AC with a higher SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) rating may be more suitable for such areas.
Sun exposure and shade:
The amount of shade and sun exposure is another important factor. If your house is west facing and receives a lot of sunlight, it may take longer for the air conditioning unit to cool the house.
On the contrary, houses that are north or east-facing receive less sunlight and are normally a lot cooler. Similarly, if your house has plenty of shade, it will be less job for the air conditioning unit to cool it down.
Home Exterior:
You should consider the type of materials used in the house. Also, the color is important. These factors affect heat absorption and reflection.
Number of windows:
The number of windows in the house is another important factor. If there are too many single-paned windows in your room, the air conditioning unit can’t work as efficiently as it should.
Single-paned windows cause more energy loss compared to double or triple-paned and film-coated windows with low emissivity.
Insulation:
The insulation of your house has a great impact on the efficiency of your air conditioning unit.
It determines the capability of your home to keep heat out and stay cool for a long time. If your house has good insulation, your AC will have to work less.
Height of the ceiling:
The regular height of a ceiling is 9 feet. But some houses have ceilings higher than that which increases the amount of required BTUs. You have to take that into account.
Heat generating appliances:
Heat generation appliances generate heat that takes longer to cool down compared to cooler areas. The number of heat-generating appliances and their positions in the house should be taken into consideration.
Number of people:
The number of people living in the house should be another deciding factor in choosing the right AC size. If there are more people in the house, the air conditioning unit will have to work harder.
Air Conditioner Cost for 2200 sq ft:
The price of an air conditioner as well as the cost it may cause to run a 2200 sq ft area depends on a lot of things. It is not possible to get the exact numbers, but we can estimate the numbers to get an idea.
AC price:
The air conditioner’s price can differ a lot depending on the tonnage and brand. The average price for a 4-ton air conditioning unit can be between $3700 to $3800.
The average price for a 5-ton air conditioning unit can be between $3800 to $4000. However, a 3 to 3.5-ton AC can cost you anywhere between $3400 to $3700.
Running cost:
The running cost can vary depending on your area. If you live in a hot area, the runtime for the unit increases and so does the running cost. However, there’s a formula that you can use to get an idea.
First, find out your air conditioner’s total ampere rating and the power plug rating, and then multiply these two.
Then, divide the number by 1000 to get the kilowatt per hour. Multiply this number by the per kilowatt cost of your area and you’ll get an estimate for the running cost per hour.
Generally, the per hour running cost of a 4 to 5-ton air conditioning unit can range in between $0.53 to $0.79 per hour.
You can multiply the per-hour cost by the number of hours you are planning to run the AC per day which will give you the running cost per day. Multiply this by 30 to find out the running cost per month.
Final thoughts
The right size of air conditioner for a 2200 sq ft home can be between 4 to 5 tons. Even though most people use BTUs to determine the right size, it depends on a lot of other factors including the climate and position of your home. Generally, it can be anywhere between 40,000 to 60,000 BTUs.