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What is SACC?

If you’re in the market for a new air conditioner, you’ve probably seen the letters ‘SACC’ on the packaging. To understand what this means for your air conditioner, you must understand the three letters ‘BTU’.

What Does BTU Stand For?

BTU stands for British Thermal Units and is a way of measuring energy. One BTU refers to the amount of energy that’s required to increase the temperature of a pound of water by 1° F.

What do BTUs Mean for your AC?

When it comes to air conditioners, size matters. Too small of a unit will continuously run and not adequately cool a room, whereas, too large of a unit will cycle off too quickly, not properly removing moisture from the air, and may even freeze. It also leads to higher energy bills!

To determine the right size, refer to the BTU rating: the higher the BTU, the bigger the room the unit can cool. Use our sizing guide to help you get an idea of what size unit you may need:

  • 100 up to 150 sq. ft. = 5,000 BTUs per hour
  • 150 up to 250 sq. ft. = 6,000 BTUs per hour
  • 250 up to 300 sq. ft. = 7,000 BTUs per hour
  • 300 up to 350 sq. ft. = 8,000 BTUs per hour
  • 350 up to 400 sq. ft. = 9,000 BTUs per hour
  • 400 up to 450 sq. ft. = 10,000 BTUs per hour
  • 450 up to 550 sq. ft. = 12,000 BTUs per hour
  • 550 up to 700 sq. ft. = 14,000 BTUs per hour

What is SACC?

SACC stands for Seasonal Adjusted Cooling Capacity and is the standard for portable air conditioners. It is a rating in BTU/hour that represents the weighted average performance of a portable AC in a number of test conditions, some of which may be more extreme than the average use case, which is then adjusted to account for the effect of infiltration air and duct heat transfer.

Previously, portable ACs were rated similarly to other styles of air conditioners using the ASHRAE standard. As there is a difference between stationary and portable units, SACC was introduced to better reflect the energy efficiency of each model. While the SACC BTUs are lower than the previous ASHRAE BTUs, the models remain unchanged.

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Blog content inspired by Perfect Aire and BHI.

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