Free calculator

AC / BTU sizing calculator

In a sealed grow room, every electrical watt becomes heat the AC must pump back out: lights, fans, pumps, and especially the dehumidifier, which returns all its power to the room as warmth.

Heat sources

Result

Includes a 1.2× safety factor

Cooling capacity needed
3,071BTU/hr
= 0.26 tons = 0.9 kW of cooling
Raw heat load
750W
Nearest standard unit: 5,000 BTU/hr. Mildly oversized is fine; grossly oversized short-cycles and dehumidifies poorly.

This covers equipment heat only. Sun-exposed rooms, hot climates, poor insulation, or heat-throwing gear in adjacent spaces add load a full Manual-J calculation would catch. If the room is vented rather than sealed, the exhaust fan removes much of the light heat first.

Venting instead of sealing? Size the exhaust fan → Curious what the AC adds to the bill? Electricity cost →

How many BTUs do I need to cool a grow room?

Add up the wattage of your lights and equipment, convert to BTU/hr at roughly watts × 3.41, then size an AC unit with headroom for ambient heat gain and duct losses. Undersizing is the most common mistake, since grow lights run a near-constant heat load unlike a bedroom AC that cycles off. Enter your equipment wattage above for exact BTU/hr and tonnage.