Portable AC Review: NewAir AC-12000E

With the summer months quickly approaching, many consumers may be thinking of turning to air conditioners for comfort. However, instead of having to pay sky-high electric bill this summer, why not spot cool with a portable air conditioner instead?

Because portable ACs are fully mobile, compact, and require no permanent installation, they provide excellent supplemental or spot cooling in homes or offices both with and without existing central systems. In fact, for those residing in condominiums or apartment buildings, installing traditional air conditioners may not be feasible due to size or building constraints. Therefore, instead of suffering through the summer, a portable air conditioner may be your best bet to beat the heat.

Portable ACs allow you to conveniently and cost-effectively take control of indoor temperatures, and when used correctly, they may provide you significant energy savings. Portable ACs, like window or central air conditioners, utilize the refrigeration cycle to lower temperatures and also act as dehumidifiers because they remove condensate from the air. Therefore, they are best suited for areas with higher humidity levels.

Unlike window units which pull air from the outdoors to cool a room, portable ACs use indoor air. This warm air is dehumidified and the collected condensate is either collected in a bucket or tank, or in more advanced portable air conditioners, the amount of resulting liquid can be removed or reduced through the use of self-evaporative technology. In addition, portable air conditioners will also require venting hot air through an exhaust hose that extends outside a window, through a drop ceiling or through a wall, but this can be accomplished with a window kit that is usually included with the portable AC.

With that said, there are so many different models of portable ACs on the market, and you may feel overwhelmed when shopping for one. We tested a variety of portable air conditioners and rated them in terms of size, cooling efficiency, and features, and one of the best models we found was the NewAir AC-12000E portable air conditioner.

At First Glance
Compact and equipped with casters for easy portability, this portable air conditioner was surprisingly space-saving and weighed 50 pounds (unlike some other models which we found to be extremely bulky and obtrusive). The sleek silver finish on this portable air conditioner gave the unit a stylish appearance that easily complimented the interior of our product editor’s 900 square foot studio apartment.

Cooling Capacity
The NewAir AC-12000E offered an impressive 12,000 BTUs of cooling power – making it one of the most compact models in its BTU class. In fact, when the unit was initially tested, we were wary of its BTU ratings since many manufacturers often over-exaggerate this measurement as a way to promote their products. However, the NewAir AC-12000E really delivered in terms of cooling power. The manufacturer also stated that this unit would be perfect in rooms up to 400 square feet in size, and this was true. The NewAir AC-12000E did an amazing job of cooling the apartment’s 300 square foot bedroom (and could probably cool a room significantly larger than ours).

Auto-Evaporative Technology and More
Another great feature of the NewAir AC-12000E was the fact that it utilized auto-evaporative technology. Since most of the condensed water removed from the air was expelled through the main exhaust hose, this dramatically cut down on the amount of water that had to be emptied from the tank. Furthermore, other impressive features included a very high energy-efficiency rating of 14.46 EER; a clear and vivid electronic display panel with remote controlled operation; and built-in emergency condensation container that prevented damage. Finally, in terms of sound levels, the NewAir AC-12000E produced less than 54 decibels, making it much quieter than the sound of normal conversation (60 decibels) and perfect for bedroom use.

Overall, at $389.95, the affordable NewAir AC-12000E portable air conditioner exceeded our product team’s cooling expectations and boasted a number of features normally found in more expensive models.