Air conditioners are crucial in keeping us calm and avoiding frustrating heat scenarios. But they vary, and knowing the specific room size for each model or type can be beneficial.
Placing or installing air conditioners in their appropriate room sizes will aid efficiency in operation; you’ll also enjoy productivity.
Thus, this article will give you deep insights into the suitable room size for your 8000 BTU air conditioner to cool adequately.
Independent of the affecting factors, the room size for your 8000 BTU air conditioner ranges from 250 square feet to 400 square feet. But to be specific, any 350-square-foot room size will be suitable for your 8000 BTU air conditioner to cool efficiently. To your knowledge, approximately every 20 BTUs equals a square foot of room space.
8000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Room Size
Portable air conditioners operate disparately compared to other ACs like the window; they don’t cool rooms efficiently.
And because of this, your 8000 BTU portable air conditioner can merely cool rooms of about 200 square feet, provided the rooms have standard ceiling height (8 feet).
Below is tabulated information on other BTU capacities and their corresponding room sizes.
| BTU Cooling Capacities for Portable Air Conditioners (BTU) | Room Sizes |
|---|---|
| 13, 000 | 550 square feet |
| 12, 000 | 400 square feet |
| 10, 000 | 300 square feet |
You can never compare an 8000 BTU window air conditioner with a portable one; it is evident in their suitable room sizes.
While 8000 BTU window ACs cool rooms about 350 square feet, 8000 BTU portable ACs cool rooms that are just 200 square feet.
The reason for the disparity is that they both have different BTU ratings. For example, the window air conditioner uses the ASHRAE rating, while portable ACs use the DOE SACC rating.
Initially, they both used the same rating, that is, the ASHRAE.
But recently, the Department of Energy came up with an idea stating that when portable ACs release warm air from rooms, they always pull some back into the room.
The department suggested that since portable ACs aren’t as effective as window ACs, they shouldn’t have the same BTU rating.
And ever since then, portable ACs have used the DOE SACC rating, which is half of the ASHRAE rating in terms of quality.
I always advise homeowners not to get portable ACs. As it is right now, tower fans are better than portable ACs, though not in all scenarios but in most. Windows ACs, on the other hand, are more effective and noiseless.
But if you’re willing to withstand the commotion and want to step the comfort in your room a bit, you can go for portable ACs.
Unlike other air conditioners with heating components outside, portable ACs have theirs inside. That is, the compressor motor and condenser coils; this makes heat removal difficult.
8000 BTU Window Air Conditioner Room Size
With normal cooling conditions, the suitable room size for your 8000 BTU window air conditioner to cool is 350 square feet.
Although, note that many factors can affect this accuracy, so it can’t necessarily be the same in every situation.
Manufacturers have designed this air conditioner type to cool rooms that are 350 square feet, but many things can come into play.
For instance, if your room is about 10 feet from the ceiling, the suitable room will no longer be 350 square feet but 280 square feet. And the reason is because of the increase in volume.
But if you wish to maintain the 350 square feet room size, you may need to get a window AC with a bigger capacity of about 10,000 BTU.
Conversely, the room size will increase if your room has a much smaller floor-to-ceiling height. It’ll increase because there’s a lesser volume.
So, for instance, let’s say the floor-to-ceiling height is 6 feet; the room capacity for the 8000 window AC to cool will be 465 square feet.
Thus, one may ask, what is the proper floor-to-ceiling height for my 8000 BTU AC to cool my 350-square foot room?
The appropriate ceiling height is 8 feet; that’s the standard height. Below is tabulated information on other ceiling heights and their corresponding room sizes, as in the case of an 8000 window BTU AC.
| Ceiling Height | Room Size |
|---|---|
| 7 feet | 400 square feet |
| 9 feet | 310 square feet |
Compared to its counterparts, the 8000 BTU window AC is very efficient and easy to work with; it cools rooms more effectively.
What Room Size Does an 8000 BTU Air Conditioner Cool?
350 square feet is the appropriate room size for effectively cooling an 8000 BTU air conditioner.
However, many factors can affect the room sizes of different BTU capacities. A few include the ceiling height, room insulation, and room type.
#1. Ceiling Height
There are standards for ceiling heights(height from floor to the ceiling), but depending on the structure of different houses, they can vary.
Typical ceiling heights are about 8 feet; with this height, everything, including the room size and BTU capacity, remains the same.
But with an increasing or decreasing ceiling height, the needed BTU capacity will also increase or decrease.
For example, if your room’s ceiling height is 12 feet, you’ll need an AC with a bigger BTU capacity.
Conversely, if it’s about 4 feet, the room will appear too small, and consequently, there’ll be a pump of moisture back into the air.
#2. Room Insulation
The insulation of your room can go a long way in affecting the kind of AC you need. Well, insulated rooms tend to need smaller room sizes.
So if your room is well insulated, you won’t need an AC with as much BTU capacity as the room size requires.
But many factors can affect your room insulation too. Some include the insulation materials and the gap between the ceiling, doors, and windows.
#3. Type of Room
The room type where you’re or you want to install the AC can affect what capacity AC you’ll need.
For instance, you’ll need an AC with a higher BTU capacity in the kitchen. Rooms that produce heat will need more BTU capacity ACs that will work harder than usual.
Apart from cook rooms, rooms that face the west or east are susceptible to sunlight during summers.
And in such cases, too, such rooms will require larger ACs. BTU capacities that correspond with room sizes aren’t always ideal.
8000 BTU Air Conditioner; What Room Sizes?
The regular room size for your 8000 BTU Air conditioner is 350 square feet, while the room ceiling height is 8 feet.
But when the ceiling height is 10 feet, the room size is 280 square feet. Additionally, in rooms with a ceiling height of 6 feet, the room size increases to about 265 square feet.
Therefore, the room size for an 8000 air conditioner depends on the room ceiling height.
How Many BTU Do I Need to Cool a 20×20 0r 12×12 Room?
A 12×12room usually requires a 5000 BTU cooling capacity, mainly when a few people use the room.
But when the number of occupants is much, the cooling capacity will increase to about 6000 BTU.
And also, if the room isn’t direct to sunlight or heat, the cooling capacity will reduce to about 4500 BTU.
20×20 rooms, on the other hand, require ACs with cooling capacities of close to 12,000 BTU.
But if the room is open to heat or sunlight, you may need to consider getting something slightly higher, though it’ll still cool.
On the contrary, conceding that the room has enough shade, a slightly lesser capacity will be okay.
Summary
Any room size within 250 to 400 square feet will be okay for your 8000 BTU cooling capacity AC. It just depends on factors like the type of room and its insulation.
And if you want a good choice of air conditioners, get a window AC instead of the portable one.
