I gathered the amps of more than 100 models of window air conditioners that run on 115V and 230V to find out what is the average amps of a window air conditioner by cooling capacity.
There are certainly more than 300 models of window air conditioners in the market. To get the average amps of a window air conditioner within a reasonable time, I decided to focus on the top popular window air conditioner brands so that most people will benefit from it.
When I was gathering data, I noticed that most window air conditioners draw similar amps despite they are produced by different manufacturers.
How Many Amps Does a Window Air Conditioner Use?
Window air conditioners mostly need either one of the two voltages; 115V and 230V. Generally, small window air conditioners with not more than 12,000 BTU of capacity are using 115V while the bigger ones are using 230V.
Average Amps of a 115V Window Air Conditioner
From more than 100 models of window air conditioners, I separate out the window air conditioners that use a voltage of 115V. Next, I categorize them by their cooling capacity. Then, I sum up the amps of each window air conditioner and divide it by the total units of the window air conditioner to get the average amps for each category of cooling capacity. Below is the average amps of a 115V window air conditioner by cooling capacity:
| Cooling Capacity | Average Amperage |
|---|---|
| 5,000 BTU | 4.2 Amps |
| 6,000 BTU | 4.7 Amps |
| 8,000 BTU | 6.5 Amps |
| 10,000 BTU | 8.2 Amps |
| 12,000 BTU | 9.5 Amps |
As you can see, a 115V window air conditioner draws drastically different amps than a 230V window air conditioner. Thus, you need to check and double-check if it is 115V or 230V to avoid catastrophic mistakes on the electrical wiring. Sometimes, the information on e-commerce platforms may not be accurate while the manufacturer’s specification sheet often is the most accurate one.
Average Amps of a 230V Window Air Conditioner
After separating out the 115V window air conditioners, I left with the window air conditioner that uses a voltage of 230V. Similarly, I find out their average amps for each category of cooling capacity. Below is the average amps of a 230V window air conditioner by cooling capacity:
| Cooling Capacity | Average Amperage |
|---|---|
| 12,000 BTU | 4.9 Amps |
| 18,000 BTU | 7.4 Amps |
| 25,000 BTU | 12.5 Amps |
You may have noticed that I didn’t include 7500 BTU, 15000 BTU, 24000 BTU and etc. because these are odd capacities which not many window air conditioners are produced with that kind of capacity. I include only the most common capacity so that it is useful for the majority of people while I don’t need to spend hundreds of hours finding other models that are less common.
Range of Amps of a Window Air Conditioner
I’ve shown you the average amps of a window air conditioner by cooling capacity. However, if you are estimating for multiple units of window air conditioner, you can refer to the following table where I list down the amps range of a window air conditioner by cooling capacity and voltage:
| Cooling Capacity | Voltage | Amperage Range |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 BTU | 115 V | 3.8 – 5.0 Amps |
| 6,000 BTU | 115 V | 4.3 – 6.5 Amps |
| 8,000 BTU | 115 V | 5.8 – 8.8 Amps |
| 10,000 BTU | 115 V | 7.3 – 10.0 Amps |
| 12,000 BTU | 115 V | 8.6 – 12.2 Amps |
| 12,000 BTU | 230 V | 4.8 – 5.0 Amps |
| 18,000 BTU | 230 V | 7.1 – 8.4 Amps |
| 25,000 BTU | 230 V | 11.3 – 13.0 Amps |
In the above table, I listed the lowest and the highest amps found in my database of window air conditioners. These amps do not regard any weightage. They are the least and the most amps have taken directly from my database.
Certain window air conditioner models draw exceptionally high amps than others. For instance, all Midea U-Shaped series window air conditioners draw about 30% more amps than most of the other window air conditioners with the same cooling capacity.
Average Amps of a Window Air Conditioner in Heating Mode
When a window air conditioning operates in heating mode, it draws significantly higher amps. Thus, we should take into consideration the higher amps when sizing for cables and breakers. Following are the average amps of a window air conditioner in heating mode:
| Cooling Capacity | Voltage | Average Amperage (Heating Mode) |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 BTU | 115 V | 9.1 Amps |
| 12,000 BTU | 230 V | 15.1 Amps |
| 18,000 BTU | 230 V | 15.7 Amps |
| 25,000 BTU | 230 V | 22.5 Amps |
I noticed that a window air conditioner draws about 2-3 times more amps when running in heating mode compared to operating in cooling mode. If you are sizing the cable and breaker for a dual-mode window air conditioner, you should use the higher amps to ensure both the cable and breaker can handle it when you need to get some warmth.
Factors that Affect the Amps of a Window Air Conditioner
The amperage of a window air conditioner is always a variable. It is never a constant number. The amps of a window air conditioner are affected as follow:
- A window air conditioner draws more amps when the outside temperature is higher.
- A window air conditioner draws more amps when it is dirty.
- A window air conditioner draws more amps as it aged.
- A window air conditioner draws more amps if the room is warmer.
The amps stated on the specification sheet of a window air conditioner may not be the exact amps that you’ll get when you operate the window air conditioner because when the manufacturer measures the amps, the operating condition of the window air conditioner is different from yours.
Window Air Conditioner Amps per 1,000 BTU
With more than 100 models of window air conditioners, I got a pretty good multiplier for us to quickly estimate the amps of a window air conditioner across all cooling capacities.
As a rule of thumb, you can use 0.8 amps per 1,000 BTU to estimate the amperage of a 115V window air conditioner. For a 230V window air conditioner, you may use 0.44 amps per 1,000 BTU to estimate the amperage.
However, do keep in mind that the rule of thumb is just for estimation purposes. If you are deciding the cable and breaker size for a window air conditioner, you should refer to the exact amps from the specification sheet of the window air conditioner.
This article was originally published on aircondlounge.com. Actions will be taken for unauthorised republication of this article.
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