Having a portable air conditioner is great if you want to make your room temperature more comfortable.
Without a doubt, most of us sleep much better in comfortable temperature. Air conditioner also helps relieve stress during the hot summer months.
A portable air conditioner is ideal for exactly when you need it because it is small, compact and portable. When you don’t need it, you can easily store it in the corner or under your bed.
If you are looking for one, you are in the right place because we are going to review 10 of the best portable air conditioners on the market:
- LG HC9900WD 9,500 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
- 4 pounds
1 x 13.6 x 14.2 inches
9,500 BTUs.
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Black + Decker BPACT08WT Portable Air Conditioner | Best Overall |  |
| Honeywell MO08CESWK Compact 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner | Budget Pick |  |
| LG LP1217GSR 12,000 BTU Graphite Gray Portable Air Conditioner | Upgrade Pick |  |
1. Black + Decker BPACT08WT Portable Air Conditioner
The Black and Decker BPACT08WT is ideal for small rooms. It’s 8,000 Btu air conditioner whose temperature is adjustable and can help to regulate to your preferred temperature. You can chose from low and medium cooling modes, making the choice more personalized and easier to control.
The air delivery is vertical, or as follows: up and away from the floor and ceiling. Besides the air direction, the Black and Decker portable air conditioner has three levels of fan speeds to help you control the amount of air that is let out of the unit.
This unit is ideal for a small bedroom or apartment, and has a convenient carrying handle to help when you are moving it around. It also has a remote control so you have easy access to control the temperature and fan levels easily.
2. LG LP0817WSR 8,000 BTU White Portable Air Conditioner
Pros:
- Portable, 8,000 BTUs, and 5,000 watts of dehumidifying power – great for heating or cooling small to medium rooms
- Sturdy design and compact size for maximum portability
- Can be used as a fan and dehumidifier
- Has two modes: heating and cooling
- Has a auto-restart system to restart the system at the current temperature
- Can cool a room up to 200 sq. ft.
- Comes with a comfort control thermostat to set the desired temperature
- Digital display for easy monitoring of temperature and humidity
- Comes with a remote control, which allows you to change the settings from across the room
Although the LG LP0817WSR 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner is one of the best small air conditioner units on the Amazon market, it is still not an overall very good product. As we have previously mentioned, the product has received over 3,600 reviews from users with a compiled rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars. While large portions of the reviews showed positive feedback from convenient and functional features, other portions of the reviews showed negative feedback that I personally found to be very unsettling. This negative feedback was caused by many different problems that seemed to have been experienced by multiple users. Multiple users complained about how loud the air conditioner unit is and how it is too loud to be considered functional in a bedroom or an office setting.
3. Haier Portable Electronic Air Conditioner
Of all the air conditioners we reviewed, the Haier is one of the few that support remote control. Housed in a unit that is just more than 4 feet in height and a little over 2-feet deep, this Haier portable air conditioner boasts of a 12,000 BTU cooling capacity.
Setting up the air conditioner unit was fairly simple, although it did require a little more effort than expected. However, it was still easy enough to be done by an amateur. The unit doesn’t just cool the room. It also allows you to switch into fan mode, which helps circulate air and lower the temperature without the need to cool the air itself.
The unit can be set to cool as low as 60°F, which is pretty decent for air conditioners. There’s also an auto-drain feature which turns the unit off when the water reservoir approaches 80% capacity. We also love the programmable timer, which you can set to turn on the unit in one hour intervals.
4. Whynter ARC-122DHP 12,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner and Heater
5. Honeywell MO08CESWK Compact 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner
If you’re looking for an alternative cooling option that doesn’t require A/C ducting, this compact air conditioner may be the one for you.
The Honeywell MO08CESWK Portable Air Conditioner easily cools your bedroom, kitchen, breakfast area, hotel room, RV, and more. It’s not only a good option for rooms with 8:1, it’s also works great for rooms that are 10 x 12 feet, which is quite impressive.
This unit is very inexpensive, but it’s also easy to use and easy to set-up. You can change the settings to adapt to your preferences for the temperature outside. This also makes it easier for you if you have multiple rooms to cool.
6. EdgeStar Ultra Compact 8,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
The EdgeStar portable air conditioner is the perfect choice if you have a small room that needs some cooling. This small air conditioner can cool up to 200 sq. ft. Weighing just 46 lbs., it’s an easy window (or wall) mounted AC unit to set up.
This air conditioner is vent-free and has 3 fan speeds, 2 cooling settings, and 2 humidity settings. The unit is also very quiet and can be used when the baby is sleeping.
Even though this unit is really small, it can still cool off up to 334 sq. ft. and has the ability to work in rooms as large as 400 sq. ft. That’s equivalent to a 175 sq. ft. window and a 150 sq. ft. door.
7. Friedrich ZoneAire PH14B Portable 4-In-One Air Conditioner/Heater/Dehumidifier/Fan
Based on our research, the Friedrich PH14B is the best portable air conditioner on the market. This unit is ENERGY STAR certified, and the heating function will also earn you a tax credit. Plus, it has excellent air-circulation with an evaporative dehumidifier, a fan, and two cooling speeds.
We really like this portable air conditioner/heater because it offers you 4-in-1 features in an affordable, well-designed unit. It has a simple control panel where you can easily adjust the temperature and fan speed. Plus, it has a remote control for added convenience.
One thing to remember is that this portable air conditioner only has one vent. So if you live in a home with two separate rooms, you’ll need to have separate vents for each room. This is great if you only have one room you need to cool down, and you want to use this to both cool and to heat your home. The unit comes with a filter panel, which makes it fairly easy to clean.
8. LG LP1217GSR 12,000 BTU Graphite Gray Portable Air Conditioner
Pros:
- Easy to maintain
- Doesn’t require a window
- Powerful cooling
- Works quickly
- Includes a remote and a built-in timer
- Quiet unit
Cons:
- Takes too much space
- Needs to be plugged in to do the job
- A little noisy
One can easily achieve a cool environment with this LG cooler. It is ideal for small to medium rooms and has a 12,000 BTU energy efficient cooling capacity. This unit has a compact design that will definitely make it stand out in your home. It is also user-friendly and easy to install according to the manufacturer.
It comes with two fans and a remote control, as well as a built-in timer and a leg swing for more mobility. You can set the timer to a specific time or to a continuous run, so if you want to keep it on for a few hours or overnight, you can do so. It is also easy to clean, and comes with a filter that you can hand wash when the time comes.
9. Honeywell MM14CCS 3-in-1 Black&Silver Portable Air Conditioner
This Honeywell-made unit is one of the best small portable air conditioners on the market, with plenty of features to make it a winner. The unit cools really quickly for a portable device, is super-quiet, and very effective. It’s well suited for desktops, and other small spaces or even the bedroom.
We also like that it comes with a remote control for temperature management and comfort control. The AC unit also has a timer for setting up a custom schedule for cooling for your needs, and even has a sleep mode. Best of all? It’s super compact, making it easy to store and move from room to room. There are also two multi-positional air adapters to direct the circulation of cool air where you need it.
10. Luma Comfort EC110S Portable Evaporative Cooler
Pros:
- Energy-efficient
- Quiet and portable
- Remote control
Cons:
- Requires water for operation
- Supports a single speed only
And Remote Control.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the most energy efficient portable air conditioner?
This little Dehumidifier / Air Conditioner is the result of a lot of design, engineering and manufacturing effort, and is the highly efficient product. This air conditioner is incredibly power saving and thus it is the best choice if the area you want to cool down is small. Additionally, it meets Energy Star’s upcoming 2008 efficiency requirements that will go into effect in 2009. It saves up to 40% of energy and is an efficient alternative to window unit air conditioners or other AC units. It has a 3.9 EER which is efficient and environmentally friendly. It also costs less than any other unit while being energy saving and also easy to use.
How efficient is a portable air conditioner?
Portable air conditioners easily fit in small windows that are large enough for them to fit into. While these units will not cool an entire house, they do provide a lot of beneficial cooling when aimed at specific rooms in your home.
It is important to remember that not all air conditioners provided the same amount of cooling. Some smaller units will only cool a small portion of a room while others are more powerful. Efficiency is important to consider when purchasing the air conditioner unit you need. It is also important to remember that the cheaper the unit, the lower the efficiency rating can be.
What is the smallest portable air conditioner on the market?
There are small portable air conditioning units available. In the light air conditioning class category, the efficiency of the best one is about 50% which is not equivalent with an AC which the efficiency of the best model is about 80% in the room of about 20sq ft. Five models of real portable ACs are available with the efficiency of the best models near 60%. Also most of them use 40CFM.
As you see, the most of portable ones will not cool the room enough if you compare it with a regular room AC. Anyway, you can use the small portable air conditioners for cooling and dehumidifying small rooms.
Below you will find the top 10 smallest portable ACs on the market:
- Haier 1,000-Btu
- Haier HS1B10C
- Haier HS1B10
- Honeywell HT-908
What is the best small air conditioning unit?
As you’ve probably realized by now, the smaller air conditioning units like 5 and 7,000 BTU units are not efficient at cooling your home or car. These smaller units cool only a few square feet within a limited distance of their placement.
The best way to save money on your electric bill and to stay cool during the summer is to use these units to cool only a few strategically located rooms of your home. The more you use these units, the more you’ll be aware of the fact that the temperature of your home is best suited for maximum comfort when it’s cooler in the living room than it is in your bedroom.
Conclusion
If you are buying a small portable air conditioner, remember that no air conditioner is eco-friendly, nor can it be very small. It is just the physics of water heaters. That said, if you are reading this article, you are probably willing to pay a little extra for convenience and the ability to save a few bucks on your energy bill.
We hope that by the time you read this you will have a better idea of which portable air conditioner is best suited to your needs. Our goal is to provide you with an all-inclusive page that will help make your purchasing decision much easier. Especially when you are dealing with a product that will cost you thousands of dollars to replace.
Our Recommendation
| Name | Category | Product |
|---|---|---|
| Black + Decker BPACT08WT Portable Air Conditioner | Best Overall | |
| Honeywell MO08CESWK Compact 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner | Budget Pick | |
| LG LP1217GSR 12,000 BTU Graphite Gray Portable Air Conditioner | Upgrade Pick | |