What is the cooling capacity of a 1.5 ton air conditioner?

When choosing a new air conditioner for your home, it’s important that you pick one with the right cooling capacity to match the room that you intend to use the AC in. This will not only ensure quick and effective cooling, but also let you strike the right balance between price and your requirements. Additionally, picking an air conditioner which is too small for your room will put additional load on the appliance, which could cause it to deliver inadequate cooling while using too much electriity, or worse, malfunction entirely.

Cooling capacity of a 1.5 ton AC explained

Air conditioner cooling capacity is usually measured in tonnage, and different tonnage ratings can be used to measure how effectively an AC will be able to cool rooms of a certain size. While you can get air conditioners with a capacity of under 1 ton, most mainstream options are commonly found in capacities of 1 ton or 1.5 tons. You can also get larger capacity air conditioners for your home, but the typical size of rooms in Indian homes are usually served by 1.5 ton ACs at most.

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In scientific terms, the cooling capacity of a 1.5 ton AC is 18,000 Btu/h (British thermal units per hour), and refers to the amount of heat transfer required to freeze approximately 1.5 short tons (approximately 1,360kg) of liquid water at freezing point into ice in 24 hours. In the case of home air conditioners, this is only meant to refer to the amount of heat transfer needed to cool a room of a certain size effectively.

Ideal room size for a 1.5 ton AC

Depending on the height of the ceiling and the number of people in the room, a 1.5 ton AC is usually powerful enough to quickly and effectively cool a room which is approximately 130-160 square feet in size. However, depending on conditions, you could also manage with a 1.5 ton AC in a room up to 200 square feet in size. 

In most cases, if your room is smaller than this, you might be able to make do with a 1 ton AC. This also depends on whether you’re getting a window AC or split AC, as window air conditioners are usually able to cool rooms more effectively than split ACs of the same capacity.

However, there are certain other factors to consider when choosing the capacity of the air conditioner for your home, which means that you may need a 1.5 ton AC even if your room is a bit smaller than 130 square feet.

In the following situations, it may make sense to go from a 1 ton to 1.5 ton AC, even for a smaller room.

1. Your floor-to-ceiling height is on the higher side (12 feet or more)

2. You live in a hot weather area where temperatures exceed 35 degrees celsius regularly

3. You receive direct sunlight in the room, or you’re on the top floor of a building and thus face direct sunlight on the roof of your room

4. You have a lot of metal furniture in your room, which absorbs more heat

5. Your room has heat-producing equipment such as high-end computers or appliances such as refrigerators

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Take some time and thought to understand your cooling needs, and try to pick an air conditioner of the right capacity to ensure that you get both effective cooling and an appliance that services you reliably for many years. Also, we recommend seeking expert advice from AC installation and service professionals before making a decision.