How long should it take for an AC to cool a house?

Air conditioners require time to effectively lower the temperatures in a space, fortunately, they can be aided in cooling slightly faster and efficiently.

Air conditioners make it a little more bearable to deal with various heat conditions indoors. Hot and humid weather makes air conditioners necessary for keeping the air in a home cooler and the occupants inside comfortable.

Air conditioners do use electricity and this can be a cause for concern for people with units or those considering getting units. It is always preferable when an air conditioner does not take long to cool a space as that makes it more efficient.

Air conditioner cooling time for a household

Running an air conditioner, no matter the type of unit, requires that you switch the unit on and wait for it to regulate the temperature.

These systems do not simply cool a space immediately when you switch them on, but they need some time to start up and get to a point where people within the space start to feel the difference in the temperature in the air.

This can be worrisome for people who prioritise saving energy, but as long as the unit is working efficiently, it will cool eventually.

How long should it take for an AC to cool a house?

The answer to this question differs depending on the circumstances of a particular home as well as the air conditioner itself. Unfortunately, not all air conditioners were designed to produce immediate cooling effects.

It takes a certain amount of time for an air conditioning unit to start reducing the temperature in a home, and the amount of time also depends on certain conditions at the time.

Factors such as the size of the house, how hot it is outside and inside, as well as the cooling power of the air conditioner all play a role in how long it takes an air conditioner to cool spaces.

Most air conditioners can cool a room to a desired temperature in about 10 to 30 minutes. Air conditioners cool spaces down per degree and with newer air conditioners and well-maintained units, it can take about 18 minutes to lower the temperature in a room by one degree.

If you are looking to cool your home and lower the temperature from 80 degrees to 72 degrees, you are looking at a waiting period of approximately two to three hours before your house reaches 72 degrees, bearing in mind that this can be longer at times when the conditions are particularly bad and when it is extremely hot and humid outside.

Fortunately, there are ways to help your air conditioner cool slightly faster and still work efficiently.

Sizing your air conditioner correctly affects cooling time

This is why it is always stressed that you ensure you that you have the right sized unit to effectively cool your home in the given time period.

If your air conditioner is not the right size or is too small, in this case, it will fail to cool your home in the time it should take it, especially if your space is much bigger than the unit is equipped to cool effectively.

This results in the unit overworking itself to cool. Furthermore, inconsistent temperatures will eventually lead to higher running and performance costs as a result of inefficiency.

Improper insulation or a lack of adequate insulation

Having an air conditioner requires that you pay attention to your home and anything that can affect the performance of the air conditioner negatively.

Before even installing the unit, you should consider doing a full-house check of your house’s insulation and attending to it can make a huge difference for when you get the unit installed and it works efficiently and cools in the time it should.

Improper insulation or lack of quality insulation makes it easier for air to enter and escape the room you are trying to cool, thus making it more difficult for the air conditioner to cool the space timeously.

The condition of your air conditioner contributes to cooling time

The benefits of regularly maintaining your air conditioner or having a professional check it can save you from so many problems such as delayed cooling times that end up consuming too much electricity, and, in turn, leave you with high electricity bills.

The importance of maintaining an air conditioner can never be stressed enough as the state of it also affects the rate at which it cools down your house or space.

If components such as coils, air filters, and the refrigerant, amongst others, are not in good condition, this will affect the cooling duration as well.

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