Room A/C Buying Guide

Buy the right size | Compare efficiency ratings and operating costs | | Operate your room air conditioner efficiently

Room air conditioners offer an efficient cooling option for rooms that can be closed off from the rest of the home.

That's why FPL offers these easy and effective tips to help you use room air conditioners to help keep energy costs down.

FPL offers solutions to help you

• buy the right size room air conditioner
• compare efficiency ratings and operating costs, and
• operate your room air conditioner efficiently.

Buy the right size

Many people buy an air conditioner that is too large, thinking it will cool better. But an A/C that is too large will cool the room before it has a chance to remove humidity. A properly sized room A/C may run longer, but will cool and remove humidity better. That's why FPL offers this calculator to help find the room air conditioner size that's right for you.

Room A/C Size Estimator

	What size room unit do I need? Size of area to be cooled by room A/C:   (Area length x area width) select up to 150 sq. ft. 150 to 250 sq. ft. 250 to 300 sq. ft. 300 to 350 sq. ft. 350 to 400 sq. ft. 400 to 450 sq. ft. 450 to 550 sq. ft. 550 to 700 sq. ft. 700 to 1000 sq. ft.   Which best describes area to be cooled: North side of home, or heavily shaded  West side of home, or very sunny   East of South side of home   Number of people usually in the area to be cooled: select 1 2 3 4 5 6   Check if area to be cooled includes a kitchen:   Estimated room A/C size: BTUs per hour   * Note: For best results, select a unit with cooling size (BTU per hour) closest to, but not larger than, estimated size.

Compare efficiency ratings and operating costs

When shopping for a room air conditioner, compare energy efficiency ratings (EER) on the yellow EnergyGuide tags. Or simplify shopping by asking for units with the EPA Energy Star label:

• The higher the EER, the lower the cost to cool.
• A unit with a high EER may cost more to buy, but the extra cost will pay for itself over time through lower energy bills.
• A simple way to buy an efficient unit is to look for those with the EPA's Energy Star label. All EPA Energy Star units are high efficiency, and have an EER of 10.7 or higher.

• electronic controls, which provide more precise temperature control and consistent comfort,
• built-in clock to start cooling before you get home or heating before you wake
• a unit with a heat pump cycle, especially for units also used for heating homes in central and north Florida.

Operate your room air conditioner efficiently