After you’ve determined your air conditioner budget, there are a few key things you want to consider before buying a unit. Trust me, you do not want to purchase an AC only to find out it doesn’t fit correctly in your window or cool the size your room.
Measure the size of your space
Save yourself a headache by determining which room your AC will be installed in and measuring its square footage before purchasing. This will help you figure out which BTU you need (more on that below) and allow you to make sure your window fits all the requirements for the AC unit to be properly installed.
BTU, or British Thermal Units, measures how much energy an air conditioner uses to cool your home. The number will generally relate to how much square footage the AC can effectively reach. It’s a technical term, but what you need to know is that the higher the BTU, the more space the AC can cool and the more energy it’ll use.
Measure your window
This might seem obvious, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to measure your window and compare it to the minimum and maximum window dimensions compatible with your unit. You may need to get an extender for some models, so it’s important to determine that before you hit add to cart.