In the dining room, add 4,000 BTU’s
Room cooling systems are rated by the number of BTU’s, or British thermal units, of heat that they can remove per hour. Contrary to what you might think, it doesn’t make sense to run out & buy the most powerful unit you can find… You could wind up spending much more than you need to, upgrading to the highest efficiency you can afford, however it is a nice investment; In undoubtedly tepid temperatures, you need an efficiency rating of 10, but 9 will do in milder temperatures, however to calculate the number of BTU’s you need, measure the room you’re cooling & multiply by 35, but a room that is 12 x 12, or 144 square feet would need a unit with a capacity of around 5,000 BTUs to keep it cool. If you’ve got a shady window to install the unit, you can lower that number by 10 percent… For a sunny window, add 10 percent. In the dining room, add 4,000 BTU’s. Most room cooling systems can be plugged into a official 110V 15 or 20 amp circuit as long as it’s not shared with any other major appliance. Make sure to measure the window you are installing in before you buy, while it should come with expandable filler panels, you will need weather stripping & tape to seal the unit to the window & keep the heat from leaking in, and have some spare lumber & screws handy in case you need to build up the window frame or sill to accommodate the unit. Most importantly, have a neighbor help you, but even small cooling systems are heavier than they look & you don’t want to drop it out of the window.