When choosing an air conditioner, most people and HVAC contractors consider the unit’s BTUs and area to be cooled. This is done to ensure that you are getting an AC that will cool your home properly. However, this does not give you the full picture of what your energy costs will be. Here are a few things that will help you understand how many watts of electricity your air conditioner will use.
Three Ways to Check How Many Watts Are Used
There are three basic ways to determine how many watts an air conditioner will use. You can look on the unit’s spec sheet to see how many watts it uses. This number is typically found next to the numbers for the unit’s amps and volts.
If you know the air conditioner’s amps and volts, you multiply those two numbers together to obtain the number of watts used. You can also calculate how many watts are used by dividing the unit’s number of BTUs by its EER rating.
Examples of Air Conditioner Watts
Here are a few examples of ranges that you might see in wattage with various-sized air conditioners:
- 5,000 BTU may use between 417 to 625 watts.
- 8,000 BTU may use between 667 to 1000 watts.
- 10,000 BTU may use between 1,000 to 1,500 watts.
- 15,000 BTU may use between 1,250 to 1,875 watts.
Other Factors to Consider With AC Watts
If you want to keep your cooling costs low, your best bet is to shop for an air conditioner with a higher SEER rating. The higher the SEER rating, the more energy efficient the system is. But other factors can affect how many watts your air conditioner uses to keep your home cool. If your system is not running efficiently because it is in poor condition or its filter is dirty, it will use more energy as it struggles to cool.
You also need to make sure that your system is professionally serviced at least once a year to keep it running efficiently. In Peoria, AZ, and surrounding areas, contact [company_name] for all your heating and air conditioning repair, maintenance, installation needs. We also offer duct cleaning, indoor air quality solutions, and appliance repair.
