How Many Tons of A/C Are Needed for a Mobile Home?

Cooling Capacity

• Air conditioners are rated by their cooling capacity, regardless of whether the air conditioner is a window unit or a central unit. The current method of describing cooling capacity is stated in British Thermal Units (BTUs). A BTU is a measure of the energy required to increase the temperature of 1 pound of water by 1 degree Fahrenheit. An older but still commonly referred to method of sizing air conditioners is the ton. A ton of cooling capacity is equivalent to the cooling effect of 1 ton of ice melting over a 24-hour period: 12,000 BTUs is the rough equivalent of 1 ton of cooling capacity.

Square Footage

• A primary factor in determining how many tons of cooling capacity you need for your mobile home is the amount of square footage you need to cool. You can figure your square footage by multiplying the length times the width of each room in your home and adding the results. A mobile home with that is 28 feet wide by 56 feet long would contain 1,568 square feet. This home would require an air conditioning unit with approximately 30,000 BTUs, or 2 1/2 tons of cooling capacity, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

Location

• The geographic location of your mobile home can have a significant effect on the size of air conditioner you need. The U.S. Department of Energy categorizes geographic locations of manufactured housing by sizing groups, rated from lowest cooling requirements to highest cooling requirements. A mobile home in a county with a lower sizing group number would require a smaller air conditioner than a mobile home with the same amount of square footage that is located in a county with a higher sizing group number.

Energy Star

• Newer, Energy Star-rated air conditioners are more efficient than older air conditioners. The U.S. Department of Energy notes new Energy Star models are at least 30 percent more efficient than comparable units installed in 1993. A mobile home may be able to use an Energy Star-rated air conditioner of up to 2 tons capacity less than a comparable non-Energy Star unit.