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What is the Best Portable Air Conditioner?
The best portable air conditioner for you is one that gives you the features you need at a price that you are comfortable with. One of the following units should give you all you need at the right price.
Our Top Choice
Wynter’s Portable Air Conditioner packs a whopping 14,000 BTU. For those who might want to spend a little less without losing all the goodness, the
Whynter Eco-friendly 8000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner is a good and cheaper alternative. It is also easy to install in smaller spaces like data closets/server rooms.
Whynter Eco-friendly 14000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner With Humidifier
Features
Whynter has a reputation for making great air conditioners. The Whynter 14,000 BTU Dual Hose follows in that tradition and comes reasonably priced at $465.99 (manufacturer’s suggested retail price). This powerful and portable eco-friendly unit comes with a built-in dehumidifier that absorbs up to 101 pints of moisture per day.
It has other useful features like…
- Special Leakage Current Detection and Interruption Plug. This reduces the threat of fire caused by arcing faults as it detects such issues in the power supply cord automatically and responds accordingly.
- Patented Auto Drain system. This recycles moisture from the air into cool air, controlling condensation. This makes it suitable for long continuous use as you won’t have to bother about removing collected water frequently.
- Dual Hose Exhaust system. It produces better airflow and increased cooling efficiency.
- Auto-restart function. It restarts the unit automatically with your previous settings intact after a power outage.
- 24-hour programmable timer
- Odor-neutralizing carbon filter and washable pre-filter. Ensures you always enjoy clean cool fresh air.
- CFC-free. The environment is protected since it uses a refrigerant that is safer for the ozone layer.
- Four multi-directional casters for easy movement from one room to another.
- Three operational modes: Fan, dehumidifying and air conditioner.
- Easy-install kit that can be modified to fit special openings.
- Easy-to-use remote control and control panel with LCD display.
- Complete thermostatic control keeps temperature between 61°F and 89°F.
The Whynter 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner is a series of three models: ARC-14S, ARC-14SH and ARC-143MX.
All three models have the standard features listed above. But while the ARC-14S and ARC-14SH each have a dehumidifying capacity of 101 pints per day, the ARC-143MX has a lower capacity of 91 pints.
The ARC-14SH stands out with its heater mode. That is, it is a cooling/heating unit. The heater has a heating capacity of 13,000 BTU.
Construction and Design
Whether you opt for the platinum and black or all black unit, you get a well-built unit that is made to last. The LCDI (Leakage Current Detection) system is a design feature that will save many homes. It reduces the risk that a homeowner is exposed to with arcing faults. It detects them automatically (if they exist) in the supply cord and protects the unit (and your home) from fire.
Performance and Ease of Use
This unit is designed to cool an area of up to 500 square feet and it does that efficiently at low noise levels (under 56 dBA). The auto drain function makes life easy for you. You don't have to empty a drainage tank or bucket several times a day like other portable air conditioners. Some customers empty theirs just once every 4-5 days. That's how efficient the Auto Drain function is.
The multi-directional casters make it very easy for you to roll your unit from one room to another.
Best Value
This is an efficient portable air conditioner that blends in well with surrounding decor. This AC comes with excellent features for your convenience. It sells for under $300. However, if you are in the search for a
cooling\/heating combo unit from LG, we recommend the LP1415SHR.
LG 8,000 BTU Air Conditioner With Auto Restart and Auto Evaporation System
Features
LG Electronics is a brand that is synonymous with high quality appliances and they’ve maintained that theme in the LP0814WNR 115-volt Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control. At the price ($299.99 – Manufacturer’s suggested retail price), you are getting great value. It has an in-built dehumidifier that removes 2 pints of moisture per hour.
Following are its other features:
- Auto restart
- “Water full” indicator
- Auto evaporation system
- Remote control
- Programmable 24-hour on/off timer
- Led display panel
- Thermostat control
- 2 fan (only) speeds
- 2 cooling speeds
- Easy-roll casters
- Washable air filter
- Window installation kit
Construction and Design
With a sleek and contemporary design, this portable air conditioning unit blends in with your interior décor. It doesn’t matter whether you need it in your living room, bedroom, workspace or in all of them at different times, it just blends in. And, you don’t have to worry about moving it around. It was built with that in mind. It’s easy-roll caster wheels make movement over most floor surfaces smooth.
Performance and Ease of Use
This unit cools up to 200 square feet and does so at noise levels of 55 dBA. Its in-built dehumidifier can handle up to 2 pints of moisture per hour (that’s 48 pints per day). This should serve your dehumidification needs and saving you the extra expense of a standalone humidifier. That is unless you live in an environment that has a high humidity level.
Enjoy continuous use without bothering to remove any water, thanks to its auto evaporation system. Decide what the temperature should be even when you are NOT there with the 24-hour on/off timer and have your settings restored after power outages thanks to its auto-restart function.
We have chosen this unit for review because it simply stands out among combo portable air conditioners. But if you want a less expensive unit then the
HPN12XCM Portable Air Conditioner (also from Haier) gets our full recommendation.
Haier Combo Heating/Cooling Portable AC Unit with Auto Evaporation And 24-Hr Timer
Features
Haier are a well-known company who create products for your home that are both practical and stylish. If you have shopped with Haier before you’ll know that they aim to create products that are as environmentally friendly as possible, meaning no guilty conscious when it comes to your home necessities.
Now while other portable air conditioners just cool the air on those hot days, the Haier HPN14XHM Combo Unit does more. It also heats up your room on those winter nights making its suggested retail price of $570 a bargain. And, it does NOT just do the bare minimum of cooling/heating, it comes loaded with features.
- 2 cooling/fan speeds – different speeds helps you set the unit for personalized comfort.
- Permanent mesh filter
- Digital time/temperature display
- Condensate drain
- Different modes
- Programmable 24 hr timer – determine when you want the unit to come on or off within a timeframe of 24 hours.
- 4-way air direction
- Full function remote control
- Quick install window kit
- Auto evaporation technology – you don’t have any bucket to empty as this function evaporates water automatically.
- Easy roll casters – moving your ac from one room to another can’t get any easier with these casters.
Construction and Design
Dehumidify, cool and fan modes mean you can create the “climate” you want in your room by either cooling, dehumidifying or circulating air just the way you want it. You determine the direction of airflow and can direct it to the particular area you want, thanks to its 4-way air direction.
Installation of your air conditioner is an easy affair with the Quick install window kit. This kit fits into most windows (double hung and sliding).
Performance and Ease of Use
This air conditioner from Haier “conditions” the air all through the year, from hot summers to chilly winters. It is a combo unit that has a cooling capacity of 14,000 BTUs and a heating capacity of 11,000 BTUs. It has a big dehumidifying capacity of 110 pints per hour. Add the LCDI/AFCI power cord and you know that your unit and home are protected from fires due to arcing faults.
You don’t have to worry about losing your settings during power outages. The auto restart function saves your settings and restores them when power comes back on.
You don’t need to spend large sums on a standalone unit as this air conditioner comes with a dehumidifier built in. And we are talking serious capacity here, 110 pints per hour (that’s how much moisture it can remove from your room).
This air conditioner cools and dehumidifies your room optimally. We have selected this unit for review because customers just love it. If, however, you want
a more powerful unit from Honeywell, the MN12CES (with 12,000 BTU cooling capacity) comes highly recommended.
Honeywell Portable Air Conditioner, 10,000 BTU Cooling, LED Display, Single Hose
Features
With a sleek and modern design, this 10,000 BTU portable air conditioner from Honeywell can cool an area between 350 and 400 square feet. In addition, it dehumidifies your room.
But that’s just the beginning, it also comes with these great features:
- 3-in-1 technology
- 3M electrostatic filter
- Fan-only function
- Four caster wheels for easy mobility between areas
- Auto-evaporation system allows for hours of continuous operation with no water to drain or bucket to empty.
- Flexible exhaust hose
- Easy-to-install window venting kit
We’ve chosen to feature the white Honeywell AC Unit, however this model also comes in black, or black & silver and still with these same great features!
Construction and Design
The use of washable electrostatic filters means that tiny dust particles are trapped using electrostatics, giving you cleaner air. Furthermore, you don’t have to choose between having clean air and buying new filters repeatedly as these are washable. Take them out for cleaning about once every month and you keep enjoying clean air without spending an extra $40 or so every time you need a clean (new) filter.
The electronic panel on this unit comes with an advanced “feather-touch” control. This gives you easy control of any function you want to turn on/off (Touch a button and the function starts in less than three seconds).
Performance and Ease of Use
One of the problems with most air conditioning units is the fact that you have to empty water that gathers in a drainage tank or bucket (from condensation) periodically. But with this unit’s auto-evaporation system, you don’t have to worry about that. It simply expels condensate moisture through the included air exhaust hose.
Once you can find an outlet for the unit’s exhaust hose (and, of course an electrical plug), you are good to go. With its easy installation kit, you don’t need a professional’s help to set it up.
If you want a portable air conditioner that does the job without too many bells and whistles, then this is it. The Shinco YPL3-10C is the most affordable of all the units reviewed on this page but it does pack a lot of power and useful features. If you want a
unit that can cover a wider area, then the Shinco YPN gets our recommendations.
Shinco 10,000-BTU Portable AC Unit with Self-diagnosis Function And “Over-cold Protection”
Features
Although a relatively unknown name in the world of portable air conditioners, Shinco has made a strong entry with its low-cost, high-value products. Their 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner is making a strong point with its “self-evaporative system” that means you don’t need a drainage tank for your air conditioning unit.
It comes with other features including:
- Self-diagnosis function
- “Over-cold protection” with three minute restart delay
- Anti-freeze function under cooling
- 2-Speed cooling and fan
- 4-way air direction
- 2-filter design
- 4-way casters
- Easy to read LED display
- Remote control
- Digital controls
- Four-way casters
Construction and Design
The 4-way casters make for easy movement of this unit in any direction. This makes moving the unit from one room to another a painless task. The digital controls enable you to make precise adjustments to the temperature and the recycling of condensed water makes for increased cooling efficiency.
Performance and Ease of Use
The Shinco 10,000 BTUs has the capacity to cool a room of up to 300 square feet. Its “self-evaporative system” means you don’t need a drainage tank. It recycles condensing water, using it to cool the condenser. This improves cooling efficiency in addition to making the chore of emptying water collected from condensation non-existent.
Furthermore, its “anti-frozen” feature ensures that internal parts are protected from freezing.
How Do I Choose the Best Portable Air Conditioner?
How do you cope in those hot (and sometimes humid) summer days? You need an air conditioner to keep your room at optimal temperature which is basically a fancy way of saying: "My room’s temperature is just the way I like it." But what about those days that are much colder than you expected? In this case, combo air conditioners are more suitable for you as they can actually combine both cooling and heating in one appliance if that's what you prefer.
But what if someone would say: "hey guys, I live in an apartment and, you know, landlord/tenant agreements forbid me from breaking the walls. So am I left out of the fun?" Not exactly, you can use window air conditioners which fit into existing windows. However, what if you can’t use those too because of housing rules?
If this is your situation then don’t worry, folks like you are our focus here. We are talking about portable air conditioners, the compact and mobile type that sits on the floor (or if small enough, on table) and can be used in your living room in the day and moved to your bedroom at night.
There are a few things you need to take note of when picking your portable air conditioner. First of all, consider the space you’ll be using it in. It is also important to note whether you’ll use it in multiple rooms (in this case, you need an appliance with greater mobility) and whether you have a preference for a compact unit that cools your room on summer days and provides heat on winter nights. You also need to decide if you intend to buy a standalone dehumidifier or you want a portable A/C that has that feature built in.
Let’s take a look several important aspects you need to know when shopping for mobile air conditioning units.
Price
Before making a purchase, you need to think about the amount you are willing to spend on an air conditioner. There are low end mobile A/Cs and there are high-end ones. The more the features and functionality, the more you get to pay, but you will also feel more comfortable in your house throughout the entire year.
For example, expect to pay more for a machine that has a dehumidifier and expect to pay even more if you want that feature on a cooling and heating combo air conditioner. But that said; whichever you pick from our reviewed appliances, you are sure to get excellent quality products which come from reputable manufacturers.
Prices for such products range from around $250 for low-end ones to $600 for high-end floor air conditioners. Obviously, during our research we stumbled upon a multitude of cheap portable air conditioning units, but we decided to ignore them because they are usually poorly built and can deteriorate in a few months. On this review, we focused only on decent portable air conditioners that offer good value for money, so keep reading.
Features
Portable air conditioners come with many very useful options these days. These features are important because they directly influence your experience and the way you use your portable A/C. One thing you want watch for is whether there are multiple operation modes such as variable fan speeds (high, medium and low), fan-only mode, dehumidifying mode, sleep mode and energy-saver mode.
Let's take a look at some of the other features provided by these products, so you can make a better decision when ordering your own mobile air conditioning unit.
- Programmable timer
- Remote control
- Self-evaporating design
- Carbon air filter
- Filler panels (for closing gap in window)
- Wheels or casters for mobility
- Oscillating louvers
Construction and Design
Mobile air conditioners are generally lightweight, but you have to pay attention to mobility features as well. For example, you might want to get a portable A/C with casters and wheels if you plan to move yours from one room to another (up and down the stairs, maybe).
Pay attention to the window kit. It makes a big difference as it determines how efficiently your portable air conditioner “exhausts” hot air. This ensures that hot air doesn’t leak back into the room you are trying to cool.
Also, don't forget the noise level of your air conditioner. It is important, especially if you are a “light sleeper”. Anything below 52 dB (Decibels) is quieter than a conversation between two adults, so use this to gauge an acceptable noise level for you.
Performance and Ease of Use
What would you call a compact air conditioning unit that does every other thing but does NOT, well, “condition” the air? Another waste of money! Therefore, it is important that you pay close attention to things such as cooling area (size of maximum area it can cool), BTU/hr Cool (that’s an A/C’s power to cool your room) and airflow rate.
Now after you’ve got the main functions down, you also need to check for energy efficiency ratio (EER). This will determine how much it will cost you in energy bills: The higher the energy efficiency ratio, the lower your energy consumption (and the lower your energy bills).
You may also want to look at its dehumidifying capacity (That’s how fast it can suck out moisture from a room). This is important if you live in a humid environment.
And don’t forget to take into account the weight and mobility if you intend to move it from one room to another.
Get the Best Portable Air Conditioner of 2021!
We believe that you are now better informed and have NO doubts about which mobile air conditioning unit is best for your current needs and offers you the best price to value ratio.
Our Top Choice
Whynter Eco-friendly Portable Air Conditioner
Best Value
LG 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Haier Portable Air Conditioner/Heater Combo
Honeywell 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
Shinco Room Portable Air Conditioner
Portable Air Conditioner FAQs
What is the best portable air conditioner on the market?
The best portable air conditioner on the market may vary from one person to another. While others focus so much on the features, others want the price to be just right. However, it would help if you always tried to strike a balance between the features and price. That’s how you will get the best possible value on a portable air conditioner.
How does a portable conditioner work?
A portable air conditioner works through a mechanism that enables it to lower room temperature and remove humidity. It extracts hot and humid air from the room using a fan. Once inside, the air passes over the condensing coils and gets cooled down. That’s made possible by the transfer of heat to the refrigerant. The device then vents the cold air back into the room. It also gathers moisture from the air and vents it outside. The cycle goes on, ensuring that the air in your home remains cold and less humid.
How do you vent a portable air conditioner without a window?
You can vent a portable air conditioner through the door. Some come with kits that make it possible for you to vent air without a window. Since the venting hose is usually short, you have to place the portable AC unit close to the door. If you need to leave the door always closed, then you could vent a portable AC through pet entry points. Or, you could create an entry point through the wall. If that’s not an option, then the ceiling or dryer vent would do the trick.
How do you install a portable air conditioner?
To install a portable air conditioner, you need a dedicated window kit. Slide the window open and fit it with the sealing plate. Make sure to completely seal off any gaps between the adapter and the window—cardboard or plywood act as perfect sealants. Connect the hose to the AC unit, followed by a connection to the window unit. Finally, plug in the AC unit and start using it.
Why is my portable air conditioner not cooling?
Your portable air conditioner might not be cooling due to a lack of power. If that’s the issue, turn the power back on. Also, it could be that the timer has kicked in and stopped the AC unit. Or, the unit has achieved the temperature you had set and shut down automatically. Another reason for a failed portable AC is lack of airflow due to a clogged filter.
