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

What size mini split does a 800 sq ft bedroom in Warner Robins, GA need?

800 ft² bedroom in Warner Robins, GA
24,000BTU/hr
19,993 BTU/hr of load at 25 BTU/ft² — the figure for 2,408 cooling degree days
800 ft² bedroom in Warner Robins, GA24,000 BTU/hrHead size to buy19,993 BTU/hrCalculated load16,000 BTU/hrWhat the 20 BTU/f…
Head size to buy24,000BTU/hr
Calculated load800 ft² × 25 BTU/ft²19,993BTU/hr
BTU per square foot hereinterpolated from Warner Robins's 2,408 cooling degree days25BTU/ft²
What the 20 BTU/ft² rule givesthis room needs 25% more than the rule says16,000BTU/hr
Summer design temperature97°F
Winter design temperaturea mini split heats too — this is the number that decides whether it can carry the room alone23°F
Summer day–night swinga fairly dry climate22°F
Days at or above 90°F85days/yr
Oversize from the size stepa big step — read the note20%

Notes

  • The "20 BTU per square foot" rule is a Midwest number. Warner Robins runs 2,408 cooling degree days, which works out to 25 BTU/ft² — so for this bedroom the rule is 25% 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.
  • 24,000 BTU/hr is 20% above the load, and the gap between head sizes is wide — the next size down is 18,000. 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.
  • Warner Robins 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. Warner Robins designs to 23°F. A cold-climate rated head will hold most of its capacity there, but a standard one will not — ask for the capacity at 23°F in writing.
  • Where these numbers come from. Middle Georgia Regional Airport, 45 km from downtown Warner Robins, 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 800 square foot bedroom in Warner Robins, GA needs a head of about 24,000 BTU per hour. The calculated load is 19,993 BTU/hr.

Where that number comes from

Warner Robins, GA runs 2,408 cooling degree days a year, which puts the room at 25 BTU per square foot rather than the 20 BTU/ft² the generic charts use. Applied to this room the rule gives 16,000 BTU/hr.

The winter half of the question

Warner Robins, GA designs to 23°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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