How to Pick and Choose Your Own Portable Air Conditioner

Here at Air Conditioner Home, we try to make finding the portable air conditioner you want quick and easy, so we've compiled a list of products that we find to be most popular and useful.  We hope this will help you in your search and with taking proper care your new portable air conditioner, but do feel free to call us toll free at 800-734-0405.

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What should I look for when buying a portable air conditioner?
To start with, one of the most important things to look at when choosing a portable air conditioner is the power rating or EER. Quite often, people mistakenly assume more power is always better because if it gets too cold, you can always turn the air conditioner down. However, experts will tell you to pay close attention to your home's floor plan and insulation in order to get the right number of BTUs. Otherwise, you could find yourself with a portable air conditioner with excess condensation and other aggravating problems.

After deciding on your BTU rating, much of the decision comes down to your own preference. A portable air conditioner's number of exhaust hoses or if you want oscillating or fixed louvers are purely a matter of choice. Deciding what you want depends on several factors, including the space being cooled, how long you intend to keep the air conditioner on at one time, and whether there are dedicated personnel who are allowed to adjust it as needed. Some companies are concerned about noise levels as well and, therefore, pay special attention to the sound created by each portable air conditioner.

Are there any other considerations for choosing a portable air conditioner?
Consumers have many different levels and brands of portable air conditioners to choose from these days. Many of these are evaporative, which means there are no water tanks to empty. Still, other portable air conditioners require you to drain the internal water tank every 12 hours to several days. The type of portable air conditioner you choose may depend greatly on where you intend to exhaust it. For instance, if you are going to exhaust the air conditioner through the attic or a drop ceiling, you would not want moisture to be exhausted with the hot air so you would not use the evaporative type. However, if you are exhausting the portable air conditioner through a window, the evaporative type would be a good choice.

You might also want to consider the modes of operation you will require. Portable air conditioners dehumidify the air and can also be used as fans. Some units can be used as dehumidifiers (separately from the air conditioning function) and/or heaters.

Another consideration is picking the control type that fits your needs. You can choose electronic controls, which offer features such as remote control, louvers that can be set to swing automatically, or advanced programmable timers. You may also choose the manual control type of portable air conditioner, which is simpler to operate and can restart cooling process after a power outage without human intervention.

Finally, consider the energy efficiency ratio (EER) rating and sound level in your decision to choose a specific portable air conditioner as well. The higher the EER, the more efficient the portable air conditioner is. The lower the decibel level, the less noise the air conditioner will make.

Can you explain BTU ratings?
All air conditioners, including portable air conditioners, are rated in British Thermal Units (BTU). The greater the BTU, the more cooling power the portable air conditioner has. The following are general guidelines for the maximum room size to BTUs that are typically recommended for portable air conditioners:

• 7,500 BTU: 150 square feet

• 9,000 BTU: 250 square feet

• 10,000 BTU: 300 square feet

• 12,000 BTU: 400 square feet

• 13,000 BTU: 450 square feet

• 14,000 BTU: 500 square feet

These guidelines can sometimes vary from one portable air conditioner manufacturer to another when it comes to maximum suggested room size because of different factors that can reduce the effectiveness of portable air conditioners.

Here are a few factors that might increase or decrease the BTUs required in a portable air conditioner:

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

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

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

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

We recommend the following portable air conditioners:

For more information on portable air conditioners, see our Portable Air Conditioners page.

See Our Complete Selection of Portable Air Conditioners!