British thermal units (BTUs) are an important measurement regarding the effectiveness of air conditioning. They precisely measure thermal energy, particularly the energy necessary to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit while at sea level.
What Are BTUs and Why Should You Care?
With HVAC systems, the measurement is used to show how much heat energy can be put into or taken out from the air by a heating or cooling unit. Precisely, it is the measure of how much heat energy can make a change of 1 degree Fahrenheit in the temperature of 1 pound of water. In scientific terms, the exact amount of energy to make this temperature change is about 1,055 joules.
What Are BTUs in Relation to the Comfort of Your Home?
A critical principle of air conditioning is matching the amount of BTUs removed from the air by your HVAC unit to the square footage of your home. If your air conditioner does not have an adequate BTU measurement, it simply will not be able to cool your home as needed. That will likely lead to you progressively turning down the setting of your thermostat, which will overwork your air conditioning unit and require more maintenance and more frequent replacement.
Meanwhile, if your air conditioning unit can remove too many BTUs, it will cool your home too fast. It will then struggle to keep a certain temperature. By turning on and off so many times, the compressor of your unit will become overburdened. This shortens the longevity of your equipment and raises your maintenance costs. That is why BTUs are so important to take into account when purchasing a new HVAC unit.
The experts at Jesse Heating & Air Conditioning can help with all your Decatur- and Champaign-area heating and cooling installation and maintenance needs. We can handle your installation and repair needs at all hours of the day, and we can even service fireplaces and perform a heating and air performance audit for your home. Call us today!
