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

What size mini split does a 600 sq ft bedroom in Moore, OK need?

600 ft² bedroom in Moore, OK
15,000BTU/hr
14,439 BTU/hr of load at 24.1 BTU/ft² — the figure for 2,027 cooling degree days
600 ft² bedroom in Moore, OK15,000 BTU/hrHead size to buy14,439 BTU/hrCalculated load12,000 BTU/hrWhat the 20 BTU/f…
Head size to buy15,000BTU/hr
Calculated load600 ft² × 24.1 BTU/ft²14,439BTU/hr
BTU per square foot hereinterpolated from Moore's 2,027 cooling degree days24.1BTU/ft²
What the 20 BTU/ft² rule givesthis room needs 20% more than the rule says12,000BTU/hr
Summer design temperature97°F
Winter design temperaturea mini split heats too — this is the number that decides whether it can carry the room alone11°F
Summer day–night swinga fairly dry climate22°F
Days at or above 90°F67days/yr
Oversize from the size stepwithin the normal step4%

Notes

  • The "20 BTU per square foot" rule is a Midwest number. Moore runs 2,027 cooling degree days, which works out to 24.1 BTU/ft² — so for this bedroom the rule is 20% 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.
  • 15,000 BTU/hr sits close to the load, which is where a mini split works best. Inverter equipment is happiest running long and slow at part load; it is the short, hard cycles of an oversized head that leave a room cold and damp.
  • Moore is dry — nights fall 22°F below the afternoon high, which only happens when there is little water in the air. Latent load is small, so nearly all of the head's capacity goes into temperature. A slightly undersized head is forgiving here: it simply runs longer.
  • Do not forget the winter side. Moore designs to 11°F. A cold-climate rated head will hold most of its capacity there, but a standard one will not — ask for the capacity at 11°F in writing.
  • Where these numbers come from. Will Rogers World Airport, 12 km from downtown Moore, 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 600 square foot bedroom in Moore, OK needs a head of about 15,000 BTU per hour. The calculated load is 14,439 BTU/hr.

Where that number comes from

Moore, OK runs 2,027 cooling degree days a year, which puts the room at 24.1 BTU per square foot rather than the 20 BTU/ft² the generic charts use. Applied to this room the rule gives 12,000 BTU/hr.

The winter half of the question

Moore, OK designs to 11°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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