ZoneBtuBTU per head, per room, per orientation — not one number for the house.

What size mini split does a 300 sq ft bedroom in Roswell, GA need?

300 ft² bedroom in Roswell, GA
9,000BTU/hr
7,146 BTU/hr of load at 23.8 BTU/ft² — the figure for 1,937 cooling degree days
300 ft² bedroom in Roswell, GA9,000 BTU/hrHead size to buy7,146 BTU/hrCalculated load6,000 BTU/hrWhat the 20 BTU/f…
Head size to buy9,000BTU/hr
Calculated load300 ft² × 23.8 BTU/ft²7,146BTU/hr
BTU per square foot hereinterpolated from Roswell's 1,937 cooling degree days23.8BTU/ft²
What the 20 BTU/ft² rule givesthis room needs 19% more than the rule says6,000BTU/hr
Summer design temperature92°F
Winter design temperaturea mini split heats too — this is the number that decides whether it can carry the room alone21°F
Summer day–night swinga moderately humid climate17°F
Days at or above 90°F33days/yr
Oversize from the size stepa big step — read the note26%

Notes

  • The "20 BTU per square foot" rule is a Midwest number. Roswell runs 1,937 cooling degree days, which works out to 23.8 BTU/ft² — so for this bedroom the rule is 19% short. A single national figure has to be wrong somewhere, and this is where.
  • Bedroom: the room where oversizing hurts most — quiet, low load, long runtimes wanted.
  • 9,000 BTU/hr is 26% above the load, and the gap between head sizes is wide — the next size down is 6,000. In a single room that matters more than it would on a central system: there are no other rooms to absorb the excess capacity. If the room is well insulated and shaded, the smaller head is usually the better buy, and modern inverter compressors modulate down far better than they modulate up.
  • Roswell is moderately humid — summer nights stay within 17°F of the day's high, the signature of humid air. A meaningful share of this head's work is removing moisture, and it only removes moisture while it is running. This is the climate where an oversized head produces a room that reads cold and feels clammy.
  • Do not forget the winter side. Roswell designs to 21°F. A cold-climate rated head will hold most of its capacity there, but a standard one will not — ask for the capacity at 21°F in writing.
  • Where these numbers come from. Marietta / Dobbins Air Force Base, 19 km from downtown Roswell, daily records 2015–2024. Design temperatures are calibrated against published ASHRAE values at eight airports and land within about 2°F of them.

The short answer

A 300 square foot bedroom in Roswell, GA needs a head of about 9,000 BTU per hour. The calculated load is 7,146 BTU/hr.

Where that number comes from

Roswell, GA runs 1,937 cooling degree days a year, which puts the room at 23.8 BTU per square foot rather than the 20 BTU/ft² the generic charts use. Applied to this room the rule gives 6,000 BTU/hr.

The winter half of the question

Roswell, GA designs to 21°F. A mini split is a heat pump, and its heating capacity falls as the outdoor temperature drops — the nameplate is measured at 47°F, not at the temperature you actually need it.

Sizing a single room is not sizing a house

There is no other room to absorb a mistake. An oversized head short-cycles, never runs long enough to dehumidify, and leaves the room cold and damp.

Nearby sizes

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