Common Portable Cooling Terms Defined

Purchasing the right portable air conditioner or swamp cooler is easy when you have the right information. Here are some common cooling terms you'll come across when shopping for an AC or evaporative cooler:

Air Cooler: Another term for an evaporative or swamp cooler. This type of device uses simple evaporation of water to cool the air.

Auto-Evaporative: A type of technology utilized by many portable air conditioners and involves evaporating condensed water and exhausting it through a main venting hose and through a window, drop ceiling, or wall. A portable AC unit with auto-evaporative technology (such as the NewAir ACP-1300E) does not need to be frequently emptied (unless used in an extremely humid climate).

Cooling Capacity: Measures the cooling power of a portable air conditioner; most commonly stated in BTUs.

EER: An acronym for "Energy Efficiency Ratio." This measures how energy efficient an air conditioner is at a specific level (usually 95° F), and can be calculated as a ratio of BTUs to the power input in watts. The higher the EER, the more energy efficient the portable air conditioner.

For more cooling and HVAC terms, see our cooling glossary.