WITH the summers seemingly getting hotter as the years go on, for many living in hotter states, a simple desk or tower fan won’t cut it.
The best portable air conditioner will cool down your room or space with ease, offering a comfortable temperature with minimal hassle or expense. We’ve rounded up some of the best models worth considering.
How to pick a portable air conditioner
The most important thing to consider when buying a portable air conditioner is the size of the room you’re trying to cool down, be that your home office, bedroom, or lounge.
The more BTUs (British Thermal Units, the measurement of cooling power) an air conditioner packs, the bigger the room you can put it in. Some units with 8,000 BTU, for example, can effectively lower the temperature of a room measuring 150 square feet but could struggle with a bigger area, while some models packing 14,000 BTU claim to be able to manage the temperature of rooms measuring 750 square feet.
That means the first thing you should do is figure out the size of the room in which you’re looking to install the air conditioner. However, there are other considerations — what’s your budget? Do you want your AC to have any other features, such as wifi or voice-control compatibility? These are all things to think about when picking the best portable air conditioner for your home.
1. Honeywell 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier, and Fan
- Honeywell 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, Dehumidifier, and Fan, $599.99 from Best Buy – buy here
Weight: 70.5 lbs
Power: 14,000 BTU
Noise level: 54 dBA
Honeywell is an established name — thanks to the fact that it’s involved in such a large number of industries (including aerospace, engineering, and computing) it’s one of the biggest 100 companies in the US.
And with this portable air conditioner, you can tell that Honeywell has some sophisticated tech: despite the fact that it’s one of the most powerful units on this list, packing 14,000 BTU (making it capable of cooling a room of up to 700 square feet), it’s also one of the lightest; only two models we’ve included are lighter, and they’re both less powerful.
Although it’s not cheap, at $599.99, you get three appliances for the price of one, as the AC doubles up as a dehumidifier and fan.
READ MORE:
- Best cooling mattresses
- The best subscription boxes for men
- The best cooling mattress toppers
- Where to buy sea moss in the US
2. Whynter ARC-14SH
- Whynter ARC-14SH, $485.99 from Amazon – buy here
Weight: 80 lbs
Power: 14,000 BTU
Noise level: 52 dBA
This model, by Whynter, is adored by experts, with Good Housekeeping naming it its favorite portable air conditioner of 2022. The publication’s testers were especially enamored with its “year-round versatility”: the thermostat can be set from 61° to 88°, and it’s also suited to more humid climes thanks to its secondary function as a dehumidifier.
It’s also moderately quiet despite being one of the most powerful units on this list, and with a $150 saving on Amazon, it also represents pretty good value for money.
Having said that, though, it is the heaviest beast on this list, at 80lbs — so if you’ve got intentions of moving it around the house, you best be ready for a workout.
3. Black+Decker 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
- Black+Decker 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner, $349.99 from Amazon – buy here
Weight: 52.9 lbs
Power: 8,000 BTU
Noise level: 51-53 dBA
If you’re looking to cool down a smaller home office or bedroom, or perhaps a college dorm room — anything up to 150 square feet — then you probably don’t need to be spending the best part of a thousand dollars on a portable air conditioner.
This model from Black+Decker is great if you live in a smaller place (perhaps a city apartment), with an 8,000 BTU output. It’s also the most truly portable air conditioner on this list, weighing just 52.9lbs. That’s roughly the same as a small-to-medium dog, and nine fewer pounds than the next-lightest on this list (Fridigaire’s model).
Dehumidifier and fan functions increase the value for money this model offers, and it also comes with a remote control, making it perfect if you’re a lazy college student.
4. DeLonghi Pinguino PACEX390LN
- DeLonghi Pinguino PACEX390LN, $649.95 from DeLonghi – buy here
Weight: 79.94 lbs
Power: 14,000 BTU
Noise level: 53 dBA
Designed for larger rooms (up to around 700 square feet) the DeLonghi Pinguino PACEX390LN packs a 14,000 BTU punch, though claims to be 17% more efficient than the model it replaces. It’s also just half as loud as the outgoing unit when it’s in max cooling mode.
Like a number of other models in this list, it’s a 3-in-1 model, allowing you to use it as a dehumidifier or fan as well as a portable air conditioner. Other snazzy features include a remote control and programmable timer — meaning you can come home to an already-cooled home.
And in order to ensure you can use it for a number of years without it getting dirty, DeLonghi includes a Silver Ion washable filter, which prevents mould and mildew from growing inside the AC.
5. Midea Smart Portable Air Conditioner
- Midea Smart Portable Air Conditioner, $518 from Walmart – buy here
Weight: 78.66 lbs
Power: 13,500 BTU
Noise level: 57.5 dBA
If you’re obsessed with the idea of having a fully-connected “smart home”, or you just want a model with all the bells and whistles, then look no further than the Midea Smart Portable Air Conditioner.
Designed for rooms of a size up to 450 square feet, this model has 13,500 BTU of cooling power, and is marketed as 4-in-1: it can act as a heater, dehumidifier, and fan as well as an AC.
However, its selling point is the fact that it comes packed with features such as smartphone and voice-control compatibility, meaning you can link it up to your Alexa or Google Assistant for ultimate ease of use.
It is worth noting, though, that this model is one of the loudest and heaviest units on this list.
6. Frigidaire Portable Room Air Conditioner
- Frigidaire Portable Room Air Conditioner, $331.99 from Amazon – buy here
Weight: 62 lbs
Power: 10,000 BTU
Noise level: 49 dBA
The Frigidaire Portable Room Air Conditioner has the prestigious title of being the joint quietest model on this list — at 49 dBA, it’s literally as quiet as a library, and if you opt for the 14,000 BTU version (which retails for $529) then that goes down to 48 dBA. In
Other impressive features include a clean air ionizer, which reduces the number of harmful airborne particles being circulated, and an Auto Swing Louver, which allows the AC to reach more angles of the room.
Available in 10,000 BTU, 12,000 BTU, and 14,000 BTU guises, this is also an extremely versatile model.
7. Haier 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner
- Haier 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner, $405.60 from Amazon – buy here
Weight: 76.3 lbs
Power: 10,000 BTU
Noise level: 52 dBA
Like the Frigidaire, the Haier comes in a variety of guises, ranging from an 8,500 BTU model designed for rooms of 250 square feet to a bells-and-whistles 14,000 BTU model made to be compatible with smart homes.
It also has the now-familiar 3-in-1 air-con/fan/dehumidifier combo, although with one useful difference: there’s an auto-evaporation feature, which under most conditions will get rid of any water the unit collects without the need to empty it.
It’s also easily installed into double-hung or sliding windows with no cutting required and comes with an easy-to-use remote control.
8. Della Smart Air Conditioner
- Della Smart Air Conditioner, $579.96 from Amazon – buy here
Weight: 75 lbs
Power: 14,000 BTU
Noise level: 49 dBA
If you want a smart AC for a huge room — perhaps an office or studio apartment — then this is definitely the best portable air conditioner for you. Della’s Smart Air conditioner claims to be able to cool spaces measuring 700 square feet, and it does so without making a fuss: it’s the joint-quietest model on this list.
Thanks to the easy-to-use Della app, you can control the AC using your smartphone (although as far as we can tell it doesn’t have the voice control compatibility of the Midea smart fan), and like the Haier, it has self-evaporation technology, meaning you don’t need to empty water from it.
This model has more than 500 5-star reviews on Amazon at the time of writing, with people especially praising how easy the Della is to install and how quiet it is.
Do portable air conditioners work?
If you can’t afford to install a hi-tec permanent air conditioning system, or if you’re a renter or student, a portable air conditioner is probably the best method of cooling your home. Although it’s true that a portable air conditioner probably isn’t as effective as a window air conditioner, if they’re correctly installed, they can still make a room much more comfortable to be in.
There is also debate about how portable they truly are — they tend to be at least 50 pounds and (to the surprise of some buyers) you still need to put a hose out of a window to get rid of the hot air from inside the room. It is possible to move them (with a bit of effort) but it’s worth considering.
How to vent a portable air conditioner without a window
Realistically, you are not going to get the same cooling effect from your portable A/C without a window to help get rid of the excess hot air. However, it’s true that some rooms don’t have windows.
Your next best option is probably going to be to vent the AC out of a door, although if the door leads to another room (rather than the outdoors) this will also impact the effectiveness of the unit. You’ll likely also have to buy a specialized vent kit that can be fitted to the door.
If you’re in an office, then it’s also possible to vent the AC out of the ceiling, as long as you have a drop ceiling.
How to drain a portable air conditioner
When air cools, it tends to create condensation inside your AC. While some of this condensation is disposed of through the window hose (in fact, some models claim to be able to evaporate all of it), many units will require you to occasionally drain them.
Luckily, it’s not a difficult process, and depending on how humid your home is, you might not have to do it too frequently. A helpful video from air quality experts Sylvane is available on youtube here.
