Why Buy a Portable Air Conditioner?

1. Are you hot and uncomfortable?
   
   Need to find the right portable air conditioner for your home? Portable air conditioners can be used to cool many different spaces, to make any room in your house more tolerable and appealing. From a living room to a bedroom, portable air conditioning units can be useful.
   
   

2. How is the amount of cooling power I need determined?
   
   Portable air conditioners are rated in BTUs (British Thermal Units). A BTU is the amount of heat used to raise the temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. An easier way to define BTU is the measure of the amount of heat an air conditioner can remove from the air over a specific amount of time. Proper BTU for your home is essential because bigger is not always better. A portable air conditioner without enough cooling capacity will struggle to keep your space cool. To maximize the unit's efficiency, you need to decide on a portable AC that gives a little more cooling power than what your home requires; it is always better to have more than not enough. We have provided a chart so that you can match measurements of your space to the proper BTU rating and purchase the correct portable air conditioner for your needs. There are also a few guidelines you will need to consider:

• Reduce your required capacity by 10% if your room is heavily shaded.

• Increase your capacity by 10% if your room is very sunny.

• Add 600 BTU to your capacity for each additional person (beyond two people) that regularly occupy the same room.

• Add 4,000 BTU if the room is the kitchen.

3. How are portable air conditioners rated?

   When it comes to efficiency, portable air conditioners are rated by EER (Energy Efficiency Rating) which is calculated by dividing the BTU by the wattage. When choosing an air conditioner, the more expensive unit with the higher EER rating is the better choice. For example, compare two air conditioners with the EER of 8.3 and 10. Assume you plan to use your air conditioner for about five months out of the year, for 8 hours a day. Also assume that the cost of kilowatt-per-hour is $0.10. The difference in usage is 200 watts, therefore every five hours, the less expensive unit, with 8.3 EER, will consume 1 extra kWh and cost you $0.10 more than the more expensive, unit with 10 EER.
   
   

4. What maintenance do portable air conditioners require?
   
   Portable air conditioners, also known as alternative cooling, expel their heat by means of a five foot exhaust hose that can be routed through your window, a window exhaust kit, or a ceiling. The window kit is not permanent and can be moved from room to room. Air conditioners naturally dehumidify because they cool the air by means of a compressor, collecting water into a container that eventually must be emptied. There are very few portable air conditioners on the market that are auto-evaporative. These models vent moisture similar to a dryer hose.

See All Portable Air Conditioners