The cooling capacity of a device is a parameter that indicates the ability of a cooling system (e.g. heat pump, air conditioner or refrigerator) to reduce the temperature and maintain it at a given level in a room or system. This metric is usually measured in kilowatts (kW) or British thermal units per hour (Btu/hr). It indicates the amount of heat energy that a unit can effectively remove from a room in a given time. In the context of cooling efficiency, cooling capacity is used to determine how well a unit performs at cooling. Selecting a unit with adequate cooling capacity is critical to ensuring a comfortable indoor climate, especially in hot weather or in environments where a specific temperature level must be maintained for process or product storage. Cooling capacity is directly related to the energy efficiency of the unit: the higher the efficiency, the less energy is required to achieve the desired cooling effect. Metrics such as EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio for cooling) and SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio for cooling) help to assess how efficiently a device utilizes the electricity consumed to create the cooling effect.