Quite right Bill, I've just looked at a catalog and seen a 1-ton (12000 BTU) A/C unit that draws 11.5 amps @ 120V. Oops!
I just took the straight watts-to-BTU/hr conversion which would be valid for HEATING, but not for A/C. We don't have much need for A/C over here, so I guess I just wasn't thinking hard enough -- Sorry folks.
According to my data, you put an EER (Energy Efficiency Rating) on your A/C units, which works out as BTU/hr (of COOLING power) divided by input wattage.
So electrical power would be BTU / EER.
Obviously the exact figure would then depend upon the EER, but from the listings I have somewhere around 9 to 10 seems to be typical for a 15,000 BTU unit. That would result in a current of around 12.5 to 14A @ 120V, plus a little for power factor.
Sound better?
[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 05-10-2002).]
