Heat Load Estimator to support the
Fresh or Freezing Toolbox

For educational use

Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE

Use the calculator to estimate the heat load of a residential room and help you decide on the size of the air conditioner needed.

You will need to enter measurements for the floors, doors, windows and walls.

You will also need information about the type of materials used for the external walls, window shade, number of people using the room, ceiling insulation, lights and appliances.

The recommended air conditioner size will be automatically estimated once you have completed the entries.

Back

View saved calculation

Back

Step 1: The window has...

Back

Window direction information

Back

Step 1: Window direction

Delete

Which direction does the window face?

Back

Step 1: Window area

Back

Step 1: Windows

Cooling load (watts)

=

Total window area

=

m²

Add more windows
Go to step 2 >

Back

Air Conditioner Heat Load Estimator Information

Enter your client's name, contact details, the room being measured and the job number (if known) then enter the measurements or information requested at Steps 1-8.

The application will complete the calculations for the room's sensible cooling load and required thermal cooling capacity based on the information you enter. It will then provide an estimated minimum air conditioner size in kilowatts. This information can be emailed to your workplace.

Sensible cooling load is the interior heat gain in a space due to heat convection, conduction and radiation from outside and from people and appliances. The total measurement for each of these factors is multiplied by 1.3 to give the thermal cooling capacity in watts. To calculate kilowatts, this number is then divided by 1000.

This gives the minimum wattage required for an air conditioner to effectively work in the measured space.

Home

Air Conditioner Heat Load Estimator

Delete

Project details

Email

References

Back

Step 8: Number of people

What is the usual number of people in the room?

Back

Step 7: Lights and appliances

Back

Step 4: Internal wall area

Back

Step 4: Internal walls

Wall area

= length x height

=

m²

Add more walls

Cooling load (watts)

=

Go to step 5 >

Back

Floor information

Square and rectangular areas are calculated by using the formula: area = length x width.

Triangular areas are calculated by using the formula: area = (base x height) / 2, or area = ½ (base x height). The height of the triangle is perpendicular to its base, intersecting the base at a right angle as shown in the example below.

You may need to add the areas of different irregular shaped areas before entering the total area. For example, take the measurements for the blue carpeted area (25m²), the measurements for the red carpeted area (12.5m²) and add them together (25m²+12.5m²= 37.5m²). Enter 37.5m² as the total measurement for the carpeted floor area.

Back

Step 2: External wall area minus window area

Back

Step 2: The wall is...

Back

Step 2: External wall area

Back

Step 2: External walls

Add more walls

Cooling load (watts)

=

Go to step 3 >

Back

Step 5: Floor

Delete

What is the floor area?

Go to step 6 >

Back

Doors information

Back

Step 3: Door area

Back

Step 3: Doors

Delete

Add more doors

Door area

= length x height

=

m²

Cooling load (watts)

=

Go to step 4 >

Back

Ceiling information

Ask the owners or tenants about the room's insulation.

If the room is part of a multi story building and has another room above, it is considered to be insulated.

Square and rectangular areas are calculated by using the formula: area = length x width.

Triangular areas are calculated by using the formula: area = (base x height) / 2, or area = ½ (base x height). The height of the triangle is perpendicular to its base, intersecting the base at a right angle as shown in the example below.

To calculate total area, you may need to add the areas of different irregular shaped areas. For example, take the measurements for the blue ceiling area (25m²), the measurements for the red ceiling area (12.5m²) and add them together (25m²+12.5m²= 37.5m²). Enter 37.5m² as the total measurement for the ceiling area.

Back

Step 6: Ceiling

Delete

What is the ceiling area?

Home

About

Fresh or Freezing Air Conditioner Heat Load Estimator

Toolbox to Mobile Project

Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE

E-learning Projects and Online Development (ePOD)

This is a Queensland E-learning Innovations project outcome developed by Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE and Scott & Associates Consulting, with seed funding from the national training system's e-learning strategy, the Australian Flexible Learning Framework

Flexiblelearning.net.au

Copyright

This product has been produced on behalf of the national training system. It was funded under the 2010 Australian Flexible Learning Framework administered by the Commonwealth of Australia.

The views expressed in the copyright work do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth of Australia. This work is copyright and licensed under the AEShareNet Share and Return Licence (AEShareNet-S Licence). The onus rests with you to ensure compliance with the AEShareNet-S Licence and the following is merely a summary of the scope of the Licence.

When you obtain a copy of material that bears the AEShareNet-S Licence mark by legitimate means you obtain an automatic license to use, copy, adapt and/or redistribute this work. If you develop enhancements of the material, you agree that copyright in any enhancements vest automatically in the original copyright owner.

Conditions for the licence can be found at http://www.aesharenet.com.au/S4/. Queries regarding the standard AEShareNet-S Licence conditions should be directed to the AEShareNet website at http://www.aesharenet.com.au/help/support/.

In addition to the standard AEShareNet-S Licence conditions, the following special conditions apply:

The licence is limited to Australia and New Zealand.

You are entitled to charge a cost recovery fee for distribution or communication of the original work only if you are an educational provider and use the material within your organisation or use the material for the services of your organisation. Otherwise no fee may be charged.

If you Develop an Enhanced Version of the material for:

commercial distribution; you must provide a copy of the Enhanced Version and the proposed pricing for the Enhanced Version to the Commonwealth at least twenty (20) Business Days prior to distribution.
non-commercial distribution (eg cost recovery); notification is not required.

Use of this work for purposes other than those indicated above, requires the prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and notification of the distribution of Enhanced Versions should be addressed to Training Copyright, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, GPO Box 9880 Canberra City, ACT, 2601 or email copyright@training.com.au.

Disclaimer

The Commonwealth, through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, does not accept any liability to any person for the information or advice (or the use of such information or advice) which is provided in this material or incorporated into it by reference. The information is provided on the basis that all persons accessing this material undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content. No liability is accepted for any information or services which may appear in any other format. No responsibility is taken for any information or services which may appear on any linked websites.

Contact us