How To Choose A Portable Air Conditioner

Are you thinking about buying a portable air conditioner? If you live in areas that are experiencing above normal heat, you may finally be ready to make the investment. Or, you may have dragged it out your old air conditioner only to find that it doesn’t work or work well enough to cool the space that you have. So, what do you buy? How much do you spend? This article should answer those questions.

If you live in an area where this type of heat isn’t typical or where in a space for which a full-blown, central air conditioning system isn’t practical, your search gets directed to either window or portable AC unit. Portable air conditioners range from around $100 to $2500. In order to know what to buy and how much to spend, let's explore the "which one" and "how much" questions with 3 sets of numbers: BTU, SF and dollars.

How much cool do I need?
Generally, the greater the area and higher the ambient temperature, the more powerful an air conditioner you need. Air conditioning is measured in BTU (British thermal units). At the lower end, spaces under 200 square feet (a 14X12 bedroom is 168SF), a 6000BTU air conditioner might suffice. Cooling 500SF puts you in the 12,000BTU range. Manufacturer recommendations may vary, but that's the ball park.

Before shopping, measure room areas you want to cool. Jot down ceiling heights and location of windows. To suit your particular needs, a portable air conditioner may be ideal. If you need colder air, window air conditioners might be worth considering. If you'd end up buying a pile of air conditioners to cover the space you need to cool, a central air conditioning system might be more appropriate.

What is my budget, now and later?
The price of portable air conditioners runs roughly parallel to cooling power. A lower BTU air conditioner of 5,000BTU can retail for around $500. You can find these at nearly half the price from reputable sellers. A 13,000BTU portable, suitable for residential purposes, is at the higher end, retailing for around $2600. Shop online before you buy. 50% discounts or higher are not uncommon. Commercial or office portable air conditioners can get into 5-figures.

Perhaps a bigger concern is the cost to run it. Clearly, the fewer hours it runs and the lower number of days you run it during the year, the less it will cost. If you think you're saving with a less efficient/lower cost model, think again. They are designed to shut off at a target temperature. If it has to work harder to get it to that temperature, it will run longer. Compare Energy Efficiency Ratings (EER) for the air conditioning solution you decide upon. Compare apples-to-apples, though. Comparing a portable air conditioner of 10,000BTU to a 15000BTU window air conditioner is not apples-to-apples.

Gather your BTU, SF and dollar numbers then shop around. The best portable air conditioner for you is the one that provides the level of cooling you need fits your budget.