If more than two people occupy your apartment, add 600 Btu for each additional person. If the room your AC is in is extra sunny, increase Btu by 10 percent.

You can customize the size you need by factoring in these aspects of your space, according to Energy Star: Assuming you have the standard 8-foot ceilings, you need about 20 Btu for each square foot of living space-for example, 8,000 Btu can cool a space of 400 sq. Generally, you can figure out how powerful an air conditioner you need by combining the square footage of each room, then looking for an air conditioner with enough Btu (British thermal units) to cool your space. If the unit is in the main living area, placing a fan outside your bedroom door may also help direct cool air into it. If you have ceiling fans, you can use them to help circulate the cool air (set them to rotate counterclockwise in summer, to force the air down and make you feel cooler). It gets trickier the more rooms and hallways you have. That depends on a lot of factors, like just how small are we talking about, and how many rooms are there? If it's a studio apartment, one AC can easily get the job done. How do you properly dispose of an old AC?.What should you do with the AC come winter?.What if the AC falls out of the window? (Asking for a friend.).How do you make sure the AC is securely installed?.Can you install an AC in a window over a fire escape?.Does the AC require its own designated electrical outlet?.Do window ACs fit in any kind of window?.

Do you need permission to install a window AC?.

Is one AC sufficient to cool a tiny apartment?.

To jump to a specific question about installing a window air conditioner in an apartment, click on it here: Our air-conditioner tests show that performance varies quite a bit, so we can help you avoid a dud. And check out CR's air conditioner ratings and recommendations. Below are answers to some key questions-like whether you need permission first and whether it's okay to put one in the fire escape window-so you can avoid the mistakes I've made, no matter where you live.īefore you buy a window AC, make sure it's the right size for your room. I've installed window air conditioners in a number of apartments, and let me just say, there's definitely a learning curve.

Flats instal the new for windows