Power & Heat Load Calculator

Add equipment racks and devices to calculate total power draw, heat output, current, circuit requirements, and cooling needs for a room.

Room Summary

Total Power

0 W

Heat Load

0 BTU/hr

Cooling Required

0 tons

Current @ 120V

0 A

Current @ 208V

0 A

20A Circuits Needed

0 @ 120V / 0 @ 208V

How This Calculator Works

This calculator estimates the electrical and cooling requirements for AV equipment racks and rooms.

  • Heat Load (BTU/hr): All electrical energy consumed by equipment is ultimately converted to heat. The conversion factor is 1 Watt = 3.412 BTU/hr.
  • Current Draw (Amps): Calculated as Watts / Voltage. Both 120V (standard US outlet) and 208V (three-phase) are shown.
  • Cooling Tonnage: One ton of cooling capacity = 12,000 BTU/hr. This is the standard unit for HVAC sizing. The value shown is the additional cooling needed to offset heat from AV equipment alone.
  • Circuit Count: Based on 20A branch circuits derated to 80% for continuous loads per NEC Article 210.20, giving 16A of usable capacity per circuit. The count is rounded up.

Device entries are automatically saved to a shared library powered by Firebase. All users of this tool benefit from devices added by others. Use the "Device Library" button to manage saved entries.