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Home & build

Air conditioner sizing calculator

Cooling capacity for a room, adjusted for sun and occupancy.

What this calculator does

Air conditioner sizing works out cooling capacity for a room, adjusted for sun and occupancy. Enter your own figures above and the answer updates as you type: nothing is fixed in the code, so the result reflects exactly the numbers you supply.

The formula this calculator evaluates is printed under the tool and explained below, so you can check the working by hand or reuse it in a spreadsheet.

The formula

FormulakW ≈ floor area × 0.15 kW/m² (adjusted for ceiling height, aspect and occupants)

The inputs explained

FieldWhat to enter
Room length (m)A number, measured in m. Starts at 5.
Room width (m)A number, measured in m. Starts at 4.
Ceiling height (m)A number, measured in m. Starts at 2.4.
Sun exposureChoose from Shaded / south facing, Average, Sunny / west facing.
People usually in the roomA number. Starts at 2.

Worked examples

Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.

How the answer changes with room length

Every other input is held at the calculator’s starting values while room length varies. Select any row to load that scenario into the calculator.

How the answer changes with room length
Room length (m)Cooling capacity neededIn BTU/hourFloor area
2.51.50 kW5,11810.0 m²
3.752.25 kW7,67715.0 m²
53.00 kW10,23620.0 m²
7.54.50 kW15,35430.0 m²
106.00 kW20,47240.0 m²
159.00 kW30,70860.0 m²