Skip to main content
Lifestyle

Air Conditioner BTU Sizing Calculator

The first question when shopping for an air-con: how many BTU (or HP) does this room need? Plug in floor area, ceiling height, occupants and climate and the tool runs the HK Electric "Smart Living" / EnergyStar Manual J rules of thumb to give you a BTU/h target, the equivalent kW of cooling, the HK-style horsepower rating and the closest off-the-shelf size (5 000, 7 000, 9 000, 12 000, 18 000, 24 000 BTU and so on).

Recommended BTU/h

9 000

BTU/hour

Closest off-the-shelf rating

9 000 BTU

Equivalent horsepower
1.0 HP
Cooling capacity
2.64 kW
Room volume
37.5 m³

Treat the result as a starting point. Window count, insulation, building orientation and electrical supply also matter — confirm with the brand’s Manual J spec sheet before buying.

Formula

BTU/h = area × base × ceiling factor × sun factor + occupants bonus + kitchen bonus Base (BTU/h per m²): temperate 350 ┃ subtropical (Hong Kong) 600 ┃ tropical 800 Ceiling factor: ceilings above 2.5 m → ×(1 + (h − 2.5) × 0.1) Sun factor: shaded ×0.9 ┃ normal ×1.0 ┃ west-facing ×1.1 Occupants bonus: +600 BTU/h for each person beyond two Kitchen bonus: +4 000 BTU/h Horsepower: 9 000 BTU/h ≈ 1 HP (Hong Kong AC trade convention); kW = BTU/h × 0.000 293

Frequently asked

My bedroom is 15 m² — how many HP should I get?

At 600 BTU/m² for Hong Kong, 15 m² × 600 = 9 000 BTU/h, which is the standard 1 HP split. That is enough for two occupants, normal sun. Upgrade to 1.5 HP (12 000 BTU/h) if the room faces west or opens into a living area.

How do "1 HP" / "1.5 HP" / "2 HP" map to BTU/h?

The HK trade approximations: 1 HP ≈ 9 000 BTU/h (~2.6 kW cooling), 1.5 HP ≈ 12 000 BTU/h (~3.5 kW), 2 HP ≈ 18 000 BTU/h (~5.3 kW), 2.5 HP ≈ 22 000 BTU/h, 3 HP ≈ 24 000–28 000 BTU/h. Real outputs vary by about ±5 % between brands — confirm via the energy label.

Is it better to oversize the AC for extra cooling?

No. An oversized unit short-cycles — the compressor stops before it can dehumidify the air, leaving the room cold and clammy and wasting electricity. EnergyStar recommends staying within ±10 % of the calculated load; this tool already builds in roughly 10 % headroom when rounding up to a standard rating.

Can I use this tool for Singapore, Taipei or other tropical / subtropical cities?

Yes. Pick "subtropical" for Hong Kong, Taipei, Shenzhen, Tokyo summer or Shanghai; "tropical" for Singapore, Bangkok, Hainan or Manila where it is hot and humid year-round; "temperate" for most of Europe, Canada or mainland Japan. The per-m² baseline switches automatically.

Related tools

Tip & Service Charge Calculator

Hong Kong service charge, extra tipping and bill-splitting in one tool.

Electricity Bill Calculator

Estimate monthly bill using the latest CLP / HKE tariff.

Fuel Cost Calculator

Estimate the fuel cost of a trip from distance, vehicle consumption and fuel price (one-way or round-trip).

Bill Splitter (round-up edition)

Enter the bill, service charge, tip and party size to get each person’s share — then round each share up to the nearest $1 / $5 / $10 / $20 / $50 to make cash collection painless.

Discount Calculator

Enter the original price and a percent off (or fixed amount off) to see the final price, money saved and effective discount.

Cooking Measurement Converter

Convert between cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, millilitres, ounces and grams — for following overseas recipes or halving / doubling portions.

Unit Price Comparison Calculator

Compare two products by price-per-unit (per g, kg, ml, L or each). Enter price + amount + unit for each — see which is cheaper and by how much.

Hourly ↔ Salary Converter

Convert hourly wage to monthly / annual salary or back — with customisable hours per week and weeks worked per year. Works for part-time, freelance and salaried jobs.

Dog Age Calculator (Dog Years to Human Years)

Estimate a dog's human-equivalent age from its actual age and size (small / medium / large / giant), with both the classic "×7" rule and modern research curves side by side.

Pizza Order Calculator

How many people, how hungry, and how many slices per pizza? Get the exact number of pizzas to order — no leftovers, no shortages.

Tile / Flooring Calculator

Enter room dimensions and tile size to estimate the number of tiles needed (including a configurable waste allowance) — for floor or wall jobs.

Paint Coverage Calculator

From room length, width and height, door and window area, paint coverage per litre and the number of coats, estimate how many litres of paint you need.

Coffee Brew Ratio Calculator

Pick a brew method (pour-over, French press, cold brew or espresso) and a desired output, and get the exact coffee dose and water weight to match the recommended ratio.

Wallpaper Rolls Calculator

Enter the room size, roll dimensions and pattern repeat to get the number of wallpaper rolls to order (with pattern-match waste included).

Smoking Cost & Quit-Savings Calculator

Enter cigarettes per day, price per pack and years smoked — see your total spend and how much you could save by quitting.

Roof Pitch Calculator

Convert any roof rise / run into the X-in-12 pitch notation used by builders, plus the slope angle in degrees, slope percentage and the rafter-length multiplier.

Concrete Slab Volume Calculator

Enter slab length, width and thickness with a waste factor and get the concrete volume (m³, yd³, ft³) plus the approximate number of 25 kg, 40 kg or 80 lb pre-mix bags required.

Stair Stringer / Step Calculator

Enter total rise and a target riser height to get the number of risers, actual riser height, tread depth, stringer length, pitch and a side-by-side compliance check against the IRC, IBC and UK Approved Document K.

Wedding Anniversary Year Calculator

Enter your wedding date to see the anniversary number, days until the next one, and the traditional / modern gift theme (paper, silver, gold…).

Oven Temperature Converter (°C / °F / Gas Mark)

Convert oven temperatures between Celsius, Fahrenheit and British gas marks, with descriptive labels (slow / moderate / hot / very hot).