3 Great Reasons to Buy a Portable Air Conditioner
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1. Oprah said so.
2. It looks like the robot from
“Lost In Space”.
3. Brad and Angelina are
adopting one.
For those of you who make
your decisions based on real
information, here are some
cool portable air conditioner
facts.
2. It looks like the robot from
“Lost In Space”.
3. Brad and Angelina are
adopting one.
For those of you who make
your decisions based on real
information, here are some
cool portable air conditioner
facts.
.Portable air conditioner energy consumption
In the United States, the average air conditioner runs 750 hours each year. Since air
conditioners use a lot of electricity, their efficiency has become a public issue. The EER,
or Energy Efficiency Rating, is the ratio of the Btu's per hour to the number of watts
the unit draws.
Some mobile air conditioners have EER ratings of 7 or 8. This is at the low end of
energy efficiency. Models with an EER of 10 or better will provide more cooling with
less electricity. The highest rated portable air conditioner I could find was the Amcor
AL10000E. It has an awesome EER of 16.6.
Circuit load
Before you start your search for a portable air conditioner, check your breaker box for
the number of amps available to the room you want cooled. If you buy a unit that
draws 14.5 amps on a 15 amp circuit, you’ll have the additional but unintended effect
of sitting in the dark while enjoying your new portable air conditioner.
Noise level
Most portable air conditioners that deliver 14,000 Btu’s or less have a noise level
around 50 decibels. This is comparable to the loudness of most refrigerators. At 60
decibels, a 16,000 Btu unit is slightly noisier. Think of what it’s like to watch TV in the
kitchen while the fridge is running.
Single or dual hose venting?
There is some controversy as to whether a dual hose unit is superior to the single
hose configuration. On one hand, a single hose unit will exhaust from the room some
of the cool air it just produced.
On the other hand, a dual hose unit eliminates this problem, but the warmer
unconditioned air used to cool the compressors results in slightly less efficiency. They
also use two internal fans which result in slightly higher energy usage.
Another hot topic at the forums that people are venting about is having to wrap
insulation around the hose of their single hose unit. They complain that the hot hose
adds heat back into the room. . Personally, I can’t think of anything better than duct
tape wrapped around insulation to brighten up a room.
Water water everywhere
Portable air conditioners offer three methods for disposing of the water extracted by
the dehumidifier component.
The most convenient is auto evaporation which eliminates the need for drains or
reservoirs. The reliability of this method varies from unit to unit.
The second method is direct drain using a hose attached to the unit. This can be
problematic unless the unit is located near a floor drain. Not much chance of that, so
you’ll have to use a bucket.
And finally, you get to empty the pan yourself. Just make sure the pan is large enough
so the air conditioner doesn’t shut off in the middle of the night when the pan fills up.
Portable home air conditioner price
Prices generally start around $300 for small 7,000 Btu units and up to $500 or more
for larger 12,000 Btu models. Higher priced units that operate more efficiently will
usually end up costing less in the long run than cheaper, less efficient models.
Portable air conditioners are less efficient than comparable window units and can cost
almost twice as much. What you're paying extra for is the flexibility to roll it from one
room to another or into a closet for easy storage.
At this time, portable room air conditioners are not labeled as ENERGY STAR qualified
products. The code of federal regulations has no federal standard to regulate the
energy consumption of portable air conditioners.
In the United States, the average air conditioner runs 750 hours each year. Since air
conditioners use a lot of electricity, their efficiency has become a public issue. The EER,
or Energy Efficiency Rating, is the ratio of the Btu's per hour to the number of watts
the unit draws.
Some mobile air conditioners have EER ratings of 7 or 8. This is at the low end of
energy efficiency. Models with an EER of 10 or better will provide more cooling with
less electricity. The highest rated portable air conditioner I could find was the Amcor
AL10000E. It has an awesome EER of 16.6.
Circuit load
Before you start your search for a portable air conditioner, check your breaker box for
the number of amps available to the room you want cooled. If you buy a unit that
draws 14.5 amps on a 15 amp circuit, you’ll have the additional but unintended effect
of sitting in the dark while enjoying your new portable air conditioner.
Noise level
Most portable air conditioners that deliver 14,000 Btu’s or less have a noise level
around 50 decibels. This is comparable to the loudness of most refrigerators. At 60
decibels, a 16,000 Btu unit is slightly noisier. Think of what it’s like to watch TV in the
kitchen while the fridge is running.
Single or dual hose venting?
There is some controversy as to whether a dual hose unit is superior to the single
hose configuration. On one hand, a single hose unit will exhaust from the room some
of the cool air it just produced.
On the other hand, a dual hose unit eliminates this problem, but the warmer
unconditioned air used to cool the compressors results in slightly less efficiency. They
also use two internal fans which result in slightly higher energy usage.
Another hot topic at the forums that people are venting about is having to wrap
insulation around the hose of their single hose unit. They complain that the hot hose
adds heat back into the room. . Personally, I can’t think of anything better than duct
tape wrapped around insulation to brighten up a room.
Water water everywhere
Portable air conditioners offer three methods for disposing of the water extracted by
the dehumidifier component.
The most convenient is auto evaporation which eliminates the need for drains or
reservoirs. The reliability of this method varies from unit to unit.
The second method is direct drain using a hose attached to the unit. This can be
problematic unless the unit is located near a floor drain. Not much chance of that, so
you’ll have to use a bucket.
And finally, you get to empty the pan yourself. Just make sure the pan is large enough
so the air conditioner doesn’t shut off in the middle of the night when the pan fills up.
Portable home air conditioner price
Prices generally start around $300 for small 7,000 Btu units and up to $500 or more
for larger 12,000 Btu models. Higher priced units that operate more efficiently will
usually end up costing less in the long run than cheaper, less efficient models.
Portable air conditioners are less efficient than comparable window units and can cost
almost twice as much. What you're paying extra for is the flexibility to roll it from one
room to another or into a closet for easy storage.
At this time, portable room air conditioners are not labeled as ENERGY STAR qualified
products. The code of federal regulations has no federal standard to regulate the
energy consumption of portable air conditioners.
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