Portable Air Conditioners

When a house doesn't have a central air conditioning system, homeowners often choose to install portable or "room" air conditioners. Some of these units are designed to mount in a window opening; others are freestanding units. Both types are usually sized to cool a single room. Portable air conditioners range in size from around 5,000 — 10,000 BTU.

More advanced portable AC units will have an ENERGY STAR rating. Some units also have convenient features like remote control, sleep modes and timers.

Although a portable AC unit is the most affordable way to cool interior space, this approach to keeping cool has some significant disadvantages. For starters, even the quietest of these portable units makes more noise in the room than a central AC system. Installing a window-mounted unit will block some of the view and create an unsightly protrusion on the home exterior. It's also important to remember that a portable air conditioner is designed to cool a single room. By the time you pay to install portable AC units in multiple rooms, your cost approaches what you'd pay for a central air-conditioning system that can keep the entire house cool.

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