How many amps does a 5,000 - 18,000 BTU air conditioner draw? (amperage) (2023)

How many amps does an air conditioner use?

current (in amperes or "amplifierin short) The amount of electricity required to operate an air conditioner is directly proportional to the air conditioner's impact on your electricity bill.

example:Some owners are interested in the number of amperes5000 BTUAir conditioning is used. Of course you still do6.000, 8.000, 12.000, 15.000,y18 000 BTUDevices that use more than 5,000 BTU amps.

The table below lists the amps (in BTUs) drawn by the various sizes of air conditioners. Below the table, you will find the factors that determine the amperage needed, the air conditioner amperage graph, and how the amperage of the air conditioner is calculated.

Table: How many amps do window, portable and mini-split air conditioners draw?

As you can see from the table above, window and portable air conditioners can draw anywhere from 3.52 amps to nearly 20 amps.

Let's put these numbers on the air conditioning ammeter:

Air conditioning ammeters (5,000 BTU to 18,000 BTU)

In the amperage chart above, we have plotted the estimated maximum amperage, which is estimated to draw between 5,000 and 18,000 BTU AC.

Example 1:You can see that a 5,000 BTU unit (window air conditioner or portable air conditioner) draws just over 5 amps.

Example 2:how many amps do you need to make12,000 BTU Mini Splitto wear? On the ammeter of the air conditioner, we see that it draws about 13 A.

Example 3:An 18,000 BTU unit draws nearly 20 amps.

How to calculate the amperage needed for an air conditioner?

We typically select air conditioners based on their efficiency (measured in British Thermal Units, or BTUs for short). You can seeAC units are sized mainly based on the area here.

If we want to know how many amperes the alternating current consumes, we have to do the calculation in two steps:

1. From BTU to electrical power in watts.
2. From watts to current in amperes.

For this we can use two equations:

Air conditioning capacity (BTU) = EER/P (watts)(equation 1)

EER is an energy efficiency rating that can usually be found on the specification sheet for AC devices from 5,000 to 18,000 BTU. On average, EER is between 8 and 12. These numbers are also used to calculate the current ranges in the table above.)

P (in watts) = V (in volts) * I (in amps)(Equation 2)

The power of any electrical device is calculated by multiplying the voltage by the current. Most AC devices up to 15,000 BTU operate on 115 volts. So, if we know P (the wattage we calculated using equation 1), we can calculate how many amps the air conditioner draws by combining the two equations as follows:

I (Amps) = A/C Capacity (BTU) / (EER x V (Volts)

Example 1: A 5000 BTU window air conditioner with an EER of 10

Let's take a small 5000 BTU unit with an energy efficiency factor of 10 as an example. We also know that the potential at the outlet is 115 V. This is how we calculate the current needed to power the device:

I (amps) = 5000 BTU / (10 x 115 volts) = 4.35 amps

The more efficient an air conditioner is, the less energy it uses. So we will pay less for electricity and still get 5000 BTU of cooling. The most energy-efficient window air conditioners have an EER greater than 11. As you can seeThe best window air conditioners are here.

Example 2: A 10,000 BTU portable air conditioner with an EER of 12

more effectivePortable air conditioners can achieve an EER of 12even more. For this example, let's use a 10,000 BTU portable AC with an EER of 12 powered by 115. Here's how we calculate how many amps a 10,000 BTU air conditioner draws:

I (amps) = 10,000 BTU / (12 x 115 volts) = 7.25 amps

We see this AC unit draw 7.25 amps to provide 10,000 BTUs of cooling power. For comparison, the 5,000 BTU AC unit in Example 1 provides 5,000 BTU cooling power at 4.35 amps.

The most energy efficient unit in example 2 (12 EER) provides 100% more cooling capacity than the 5000 BTU unit in example 1 (10 EER).

However, it does not consume 100% more electricity. In fact, it draws 67% more power, resulting in 100% more cooling. Therefore, it is more profitable.

The only difference is the Energy Efficiency Rating (EER).

you can see an exampleThe generator is needed to power the 5000 BTU air conditioner here..

A particular example: a battery-operated air conditioner consumes significantly more electricity

one ofThe smallest and most convenient air conditionerBattery operated. The limitations of batteries are obvious: they cannot generate high potentials. Therefore, we are not dealing with 115V. On the contrary, battery powered air conditioners use a parallel connection to generate 24 volts.

The best battery-powered unit yet, the Zero Breeze Mark 2 delivers 2,300 BTUs of cooling power at just 24 volts potential.

This means you need 27 amps to power the entire AC unit. With this in mind, the current is higher than that of an 18,000 BTU (approximately 13-19 amps) portable air conditioner.

Tips for buying cost-effective air conditioners

In short, you always want to invest inThe highest EER ratingAs can be seen by comparing Example 1 and Example 2, a higher EER can significantly reduce the electricity consumption of an air conditioner.

If you have questions about how many amps your air conditioner draws, you can check the spec sheet or send us the specs in the comments below and we'll do our best to help you figure it out.