BTU & Tonnage
A BTU (British Thermal Unit) is the standard unit for heating and cooling output; one 'ton' of air conditioning capacity equals 12,000 BTU per hour. Tonnage and BTU ratings describe how much heating or cooling a system can produce, not how efficiently it does it.
Why this matters to you
Bigger isn't better — an oversized system short-cycles (turns on and off rapidly), which wastes energy, wears out equipment faster, and leaves your home clammy in summer because it never runs long enough to remove humidity properly.
Halton Hills note
Halton Hills housing stock ranges from century farmhouses to new-build Georgetown subdivisions, so a rule-of-thumb square-footage estimate is far less reliable here than a proper room-by-room load calculation that accounts for insulation, windows, and orientation.
Have questions about sizing & capacity for your home?