Although it seems like this site was briefly put on hiatus, I’m back into the swing of things. To celebrate, we have a brand new product review for this month!

As you’ve read on this blog before, portable air conditioners are quickly becoming increasingly popular due to their convenience. For those who live in small apartments or condos without central air, a portable AC can be a godsend in the summer heat. But what you also need to know is that portable air conditioners aren’t able to provide as much cooling power as a central or even a window system. So if you’re looking for a lot of cooling and are OK with having a window unit installed in your home, a window air conditioner is the way to go.

Back in late August, one of our good friends from Northern California renovated his modestly sized 1,200 square foot condo. Because the temperatures never get too crazy up there, he didn’t see the need to get a central system installed. Instead, he opted for a less expensive window air conditioner for his living room. He ultimately chose the Crosley CAE15ESR, a 15,000 BTU window air conditioner, and I was there to help him install it.

The Crosley CAE15ESR air conditioner looks like a no-frills window unit, but don’t let its looks fool you: this window air conditioner cooled pretty well and came with a lot of nice features. It’s suitable for a decent sized room of about 700 square feet max (around 600 square feet is probably recommended) and it’s pretty quiet. It’s also Energy Star rated. As with most window air conditioners, there may be some concerns about durability, but my friend hasn’t reported any issues yet (it’s been about 2 months). We did appreciate things such as the automatic temperature sensor, full function remote control and sleep mode.

Pros:
• Cools up to 700 square feet
• Energy Star rated
• Lots of cool features

Cons:
• Not too aesthetically pleasing

The Crosley CAE15ESR retails for about $450 and can be found at retailers such as Sears and Air & Water, Inc.

Additionally, window air conditioners are very easy to install, as they all come with installation kits. In about 20 minutes, they can be installed and ready to go! They take up very little space, since they install into windows. Thus, window coolers actually vent the exhaust outside. Like with portable air conditioners, this makes the units more efficient. However, a feature unique to window air conditioners is that they don’t come with extra tubing, which actually ends up saving you even more energy.

Many times, window air conditioners include the use of an air filter and/or a dehumidifier. An air filter helps capture dust and other allergens for fresh and clean air. Dehumidifiers help remove excess moisture in the air, giving you more control over the humidity levels in your home or workshop. Both work together to prevent mold growth and improve breathing conditions for allergy and asthma sufferers.

As featured on www.air-n-water.com, the NewAir AC-14000E seems mostly to be just a new and improved version of the NewAir AC-12000E, which I reviewed earlier. The main differences are the size and the BTU rating. According to Air & Water, the AC-14000E covers a good 450 square feet with its 14,000 BTU capacity, while the AC-12000E cools only 350. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the more powerful unit could actually cover an even larger area. The portable AC provides cool air that is sure to drop the temperature by at least a few degrees in just minutes. It is MUCH cooler than the 12,000 BTU unit.

Additionally, the AC-14000E is actually smaller in width than its predecessor, so it looks a lot sleeker. However, the unit is indeed louder, just like Unplggd mentioned. On the other hand, though, I don’t think it’s really that loud. It seems about right for a 14,000 BTU unit! But by far my favorite part about this unit is its blue LED screen with electronic controls. It’s extremely easy to use, and it even comes with a remote! Even for a hefty price like $529, I think it would be worth it – but only if you have an area that’s at least 450 square foot in size. Getting this unit for a smaller area would just waste energy. You can find this unit at online retailers such as Air & Water Inc.

I am actually very amazed at how great the Penguino works. It provides really cool air and functions as a portable air conditioner, dehumidifier, and fan all in one. It uses the new R-410A refrigerant, which means that the unit is much safer and much more efficient than others that use the R22 refrigerant (which has been declared an ozone depleter, actually). Additionally, this unit installs really easily – it comes with a window bracket and an exhaust hose! And by reading the manual provided by www.air-n-water.com, I recently found out that it comes with a “sleep mode” that gradually reduces the power and turns off by itself. This is a great feature that I think will come in handy once temperatures start reaching 90 degrees.

However, the unit is a little larger than I expected, but it’s not terrible. I just had to find some space where we could place it without anything obstructing the air flow.

If you’re interested, you can take a look at the PAC-A120E 12,000 BTU portable air conditioner from Delonghi at the Wal-Mart website. It’s also up on Air & Water.

• Find out how much physical space you have. This step is crucial because you will need to know the type of air conditioner you need according to where you’re going to place it. If you don’t have much room, but you still want to cool down larger areas, you will need a portable AC with a higher BTU rating. Similarly, if you want to cool down smaller areas, you can get either a window AC or a portable one. Of course, you can always use a central air conditioner, but those cost more to install and maintain.
• Find out what your budget is. Depending on the brand you want and the size you need, you’ll have to pay a different price. As previously mentioned, the cost also depends on the type of air conditioner you buy. Don’t forget about maintenance costs, either. Normally, central ACs can be a pain to get fixed, while portable ACs can be much more economical.
• Find out how much area you need to cool down. Simply find out the square footage of your room, home, garage, or even industrial workshop and check out the portable air conditioner BTU chart. From here, you can tell how many BTUs your air conditioner should have. If you miscalculate or simply get the wrong size, you can be wasting a lot of money operating a unit that isn’t right for your personal space.

Websites such as Air N Water (where I’m getting this information from) have special layouts on their sites to guide you through the process, as well. On the sidebars, you’ll see that they have separate categories for BTUs, brand, type, and even cost. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

At first glance, the AC-12000H doesn’t seem too different from the Soleus unit. In fact, it really isn’t. However, it actually does most of the same functions better than the LX-120. The NewAir portable air conditioner, like the LX-120, cools down rooms with its 12,000 BTU cooling capacity. It also operates quietly. But where the NewAir model surpasses the Soleus one is its functionality. The AC-12000H features 4-in-1 technology that includes an air conditioner, a dehumidifier, a fan, and a space heater.

Additionally, the NewAir portable air conditioner is much more eco-friendly than the Soleus LX-120. Instead of using the old R22 refrigerant, the AC-12000H relies on the R-410A refrigerant that uses less energy and causes no ozone damage. As a result, the power consumption for cooling decreases from 1350 W to 1141 W. It also uses auto-evaporative technology, which reduces the amount of condensate and eliminates the need to constantly empty the tank! This is mostly convenient for people who, like me, hate getting up and wasting energy every half hour to remove the condensate.

The only downside to the AC-12000H is its price. It costs $439, which is a little pricey. But I guess the price isn’t really that bad, since you end up saving tons of money throughout the year from the energy-saving benefits. Plus, you get to protect the environment from ozone and pollutants!

You can easily find the NewAir AC-12000H on Air & Water’s website.

Our editors praised the LX-120 portable air conditioner and heater for its performance and ease of use. With its 12,000 BTU cooling capacity, it’s able to cool down a room of up to 200 square feet. We also found that it was way quieter than most portable air conditioners. The Soleus LX-120 also comes with a remote control plus a dehumidifier function that can be used separately.

But what really makes this portable air conditioner great is the fact that it’s suitable for year-round use. It doubles as a 1350 watt space heater so you can use it in the winter in a chilly room or office. However, the one caveat about this unit is the price. At just under $400, this AC isn’t cheap. Nevertheless, given the quality of the unit, we think it’s worth the price.

The Soleus LX-120 is available via online stores such as www.air-n-water.com.

My home generally gets pretty chilly in the fall and winter, and I like using a portable space heater to stay warm in whatever bedroom I’m in.

When used safely and as a supplemental heat source, an electric space heater lets me keep a small area toasty without having to make the rest of my house feel like a sauna. Portable heaters come in a variety of sizes and fuel types, so choosing the right one generally boils down to the area you’re trying to heat and personal preference. Here’s an overview of some of the most popular space heater types:

Radiator Space Heaters

These are shaped like the traditional fixed kind and are filled with a type of oil that’s heated by electricity. Because oil retains heat well, these heaters are pretty energy-efficient. They actually give off warmth even after they’re switched off. Radiator heaters usually cover a small area, so they’re best for small bedrooms and personal spaces. I find that while they’re quiet and save energy, they don’t provide heat quick enough.

Quartz / Infrared / Radiant Heaters

These heaters use electromagnetic energy to heat objects and people rather than the air. They’re also pretty energy-efficient for this reason and because they don’t have fans, they’re relatively quiet. A lot of people tend to like these heaters because they literally heat up in seconds, but the glowing elements are a little off-putting, to be honest.

Fan Forced Space Heaters

These space heaters have built-in ventilators which blow air over heated metal coils. Although these are kind of noisy, they provide instant gratification. I have an inexpensive unit I purchased for less than $20 at Lowes and it’s still going strong. Because I’m a light sleeper, I definitely wouldn’t use this at night. The fan can get pretty annoying.

The NewAir ACP-1000E was purchased from Air-Conditioner-Home.com.

Portable ACs often serve as an alternative to window or wall air conditioners or as a supplement to central cooling systems. They’re ideal for apartment buildings that don’t permit window units or for homes with windows that cannot accommodate permanently installed window AC units. Installation doesn’t require any heavy lifting, and because these portable AC units are usually mounted on rolling casters, you can theoretically move them from room to room. Nonetheless, installation does require that you place the unit close to a window because you’ll need to run the exhaust hose outside.
Despite a large number of units on the market, we actually found relatively few portable AC reviews and comparisons. Most credible reviews actually come from owners.

My parents were actually shopping around for a portable air conditioner for my brother’s dorm room a few months back. They were able to find quite a few models under the $500 range, but there was little to no reviews on many of the products we saw. They eventually settled on the DeLonghi PAC A110L and bought it Lowe’s based on the few reviews they did find.
So far it works fine and looks great, but it was a little bit on the pricey end (a little over $500 with tax). I really wish there were more consumer resources for portable air conditioners on the lower end.