As you may already know, I’m a big proponent of spot cooling with portable air conditioners.  Using a portable unit to cool just the room you’re in is a smart choice because it prevents you from cooling your entire house using your more costly central system.  Furthermore, a lot of portable air conditioner manufacturers are doing what they can to design more energy-efficient models in this energy-conscious age.

In any case, while looking through my local energy company’s website the other day in order to find a rebate for a refrigerator, I found out that they also offer incentives for purchasing energy-efficient portable room air conditioners.  For purchasing a qualifying model on their list, you get a $20 rebate.  The portable air conditioners they recommend all have an EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) of at least 11.9, which is considered excellent for a portable air conditioner.  Take a look at the list here.  Judging from the list Southern California Edison provided, it looks like the only brands that qualify are DeLonghi, Sunpentown and NewAir right now.

After doing some additional research, I’ve found that Pacific Gas & Electric up in Northern California has a similar program, as well as well as conEdison in New York.  So before you go shopping for your new portable air conditioner, check with your local electric company to see if they’re giving out rebates on qualifying units.

I recently received a NewAir AC-10000H from the manufacturer and found it to be a great unit for those looking to cool/heat a small room.  Overall I liked its performance and ease of use.  It was able to cool my living room (approximately 250 square feet) and was quitter than other units I’ve used in the past (my roommate thought it was a bit loud, though).   The unit comes with a remote control plus a dehumidifier function that can be used on its own.  I also tried using the heater function and can say that it works as advertised.

Positives:

• Powerful 10,000 BTU unit
• Good price (less than $350 shipped – look for current specials online)
• Works as a standalone dehumidifier
• Cools and heats

Negatives:

• Can be a bit noisy for some

The NewAir AC-10000H portable air conditioner can be found on different websites such as Air & Water, Sears, Amazon and more.

Prevent Heat Gain
One of the most effective ways to make your home feel cooler costs you nothing and involves keeping heat from building up in the first place. The primary source of heat gain can often be attributed to sunlight that’s absorbed by your home through the walls, windows, and roof. Other sources can come from heat-generating appliances (ovens, stoves, microwaves) and air leakages.  You can prevent heat gain by reflecting sunlight away from your house, shading and blocking the heat, removing built-up heat, and reducing heat-generating sources in your home.

Ceiling Fans & Evaporative Coolers
Ceiling fans and evaporative coolers are energy efficient cooling solutions because they cost less to install and run as standard air conditioners. Ceiling fans have the ability to lower the air temperature by approximately four degrees, and evaporative coolers use one fourth the energy of conventional air conditioners.

Whole House Fans
If you’re looking for a lower-cost, natural alternative to an air conditioner, whole house ventilation may be the solution. Installing a whole house fan costs only a fraction of traditional air conditioners and operating costs may be as little as 10 percent of the cost of operating an air conditioner.  When the fan is turned on, cooler air from the outside is drawn into the house trough open windows and doors, and warmer air is pushed out of the house through ventilation spaces in the roof or gable end walls. This air movement cools your house by replacing hot air with cooler air; by flushing out hot air; and by creating a gentle breeze that cools occupants.

One of our friends has been doing this for the past 3 summers and has seen a good decrease on his electricity usage year over year.

When he first moved into his Southern California home 2 years ago, he found that he couldn’t keep his 1,800 square foot house cool enough with his ancient central system. In his upstairs home office alone, he had 2 computers running at all times, overhead lighting and a giant window located near the ceiling, leaving the second story of his house scorching in the middle of summer. During the hottest months of the year, if he tried to cool his house using only his central system, one side of his house would always be several degrees than the other. So to eliminate hot and cold spots in his house, he decided to purchase a 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner to supplement his existing system.

The portable unit he purchased cost approximately $500, and to him it was a great purchase because he was able to even out temperatures and save money on his electricity bill at the same time. The portable air conditioner didn’t require permanent installation, and he’s able to move it from room to room when it gets really hot. Having the portable air conditioner moved to his bedroom at night keeps him cool while the occupied portion of his house is set to 80 on his thermostat.

Since his initially investment, he claims he’s seen a drop in his bills by at least 15% year over year and the portable air conditioner is paid for.

Most portable air conditioners will range anywhere from $250 to $600, and more cooling power also equals a higher price tag, so choose a model based on what your specific needs are. As a general rule, match up the square footage of your room with the right BTU rating:

10,000 BTUs = 250 square feet
12,000 BTUs = 350 square feet
14,000 BTUs = 450 square feet

Keep in mind that if your room or area is near a large window or kitchen, you’ll have to size up, so your mileage may vary.

The tiny NewAir AC-10000E has 10,000 BTUs of cooling and is ideal for rooms no larger than 200 square feet.  I found that the 12-hour timer, programmable temperature settings, and remote control made it easy to control temperature settings, while the Energy Efficiency Ratio of 11.6 will help me save money on electricity costs (hopefully!).  The include window kit was pretty easy to use and I was ready to hook the unit up in my bedroom in about 10 minutes.  I found that the NewAir AC-10000E portable air conditioner was pretty quiet, but my only qualm with this machine was that it didn’t seem to have an auto-start feature for power outages (not really a big deal unless you’re using it for a computer service room or something).  If you have a slightly larger room, the Soleus LX-120 12,000 BTU portable AC unit (*est. $380) will probably do the trick for about a hundred dollars more.

Because the NewAir AC-10000E supposedly came out a few weeks ago, there are very few reviews of this portable air conditioner.  I was a little hesitant in buying something with little to no information available, but given that this unit was incredibly compact, it was really the only choice I had for my tiny 700 square foot studio apartment.  Currently I’ve only found 2 stores that carry it – Air-N-Water.com and Air-Conditioner-Home.com.  Both retailers have it on sale for $299, but with a little research, I think you can get it for less with a discount code or something.

I ended up buying my AC-10000E from www.air-n-water.com, and it arrived on my doorstep in a few days, so I was happy with the service.  Overall, I’d rate this portable air conditioner an 8/10.  While it isn’t the strongest unit you can buy, the fact that it’s as small as most room dehumidifiers makes it awesome.

AC-Reviews.com provides you with air conditioner reviews and ratings from top brands such as NewAir, Soleus, Amcor, Haier, Royal Sovereign, and more. 

You’ll find lots of easy-to-follow information about portable air conditioners, window air conditioners, split air conditioners, and other air coolers here.