Sensible Heat Ratio

Sensible Heat Ratio is a technical term that is useful to engineers when designing a system. It is a measurement of the Sensible BTU Per Hour that represents the energy of the unit being used to remove the heat in degrees from the air in the indoor space. This is the thermometer reading indicating the degree temperature in the room.

The Latent BTU Per Hour represents the energy of the unit being used to dehumidify or remove moisture from the room air. This Latent Heat BTU Per Hour is derived as follows:

Model	Total Cooling BTU per hour *	SHR Sensible Heat Ratio * @ 67 WB & 95 Ambient	Sensible BTU per hour	Latent BTU per hour **
Carrier 52PQ312 Heat Pump	12,000 BTUH	Mult. x .72% =	9712	3388
Carrier 52PQ312 Heat Pump w/DEHUMID II	11,200 BTUH w/DEHUMID II	Mult. x .61% = w/DEHUMID II	6832 w/DEHUMID II	4368 w/DEHUMID II

* Data from Manufacturers
** Subtract Sensible BTU from Total for Latent Heat BTUH

Note: A lower Sensible Heat Ratio (SHR) means higher latent (moisture removal energy) BTU per hour of the unit. Engineers can compute the additional pints per hour moisture removal that is being removed from the air in the space, but in general the increase in dehumidification is 30% more than most standard air conditioners or heat pumps.

The SHR or Sensible Heat Ratio is as important as the total BTU per hour when selecting a packaged terminal air conditioner or heat pump.