When you need to stay cool nothing beats air conditioning and nothing beats our best portable air conditioners for that job.
Now, if you want to keep your overall cost of cooling down – you might prefer to use a standing fan or a ceiling fan but sometimes, they won’t be effective enough to really keep you cool.
If you live in a small space, for example, you may not have room for both fans and air con either. That’s where portable air conditioners come in.
You can move them around, saving you money on installing air con in every room, and they tend to be a little more cost-effective,when running, than whole house air con too and they tend to have a fairly small footprint too.
So, check out these awesome portable air con units that can keep you feeling cool whenever you need them to.
Best Portable Air Conditioners
Black + Decker 7,500 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Heat
EDITOR’S CHOICE
No matter the size of the room, this Black + Decker gets the job done!
10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
TOP RATED CHOICE
A very quiet model that can be used in rooms where silence is paramount.
SereneLife 10,000 BTU Portable 3-in-1 Air Conditioner
BEST VALUE CHOICE
If you want a dehumidifier and a heater as well as an air con unit, the SereneLife is excellent.
Black + Decker 7,500 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Heat
If one of the spaces you need to cool is a large room, then you need an air conditioner that can handle the bigger space.
The Black + Decker 7,500 BTU model can do just that and it also provides a steady level of air circulation that really keeps the whole space cool, not just the part directly in the air stream.
It takes absolutely no time to set up and start using either.
Quick Fact: This model also offers a heating profile which means that in the middle of Winter, you don’t need to store it, you can use it to stay toasty warm, instead!
1. It can cool down (or heat up) spaces of up to 350 square feet
2. It’s very easy to move around and the wheels work well
3. You can clean it very easily too, which is a real plus
1. It’s an expensive model
2. It’s quite easy to knock the hose out when you bump into the unit
3. The instructions appear to be for a completely different remote control than the one supplied
TOSOT 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
If you’re in search of a bargain but powerful air conditioner then you might want to consider the 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner from TOSOT.
One thing that really impressed us is that the fan only mode can do some powerful cooling and when used with the built in dehumidifier – you get a really pleasant environment in the room.
Quick Fact: This air conditioning unit is designed to be as quiet as possible and you can even use it in spaces with sleeping babies without fear of waking them.
1. Very quiet which means it can be used pretty much anywhere
2. Powerful, it can cool down large spaces, no problem,
3. The supplied remote control works very well
1. Has to be bought direct from the manufacturer, so no 3rd party warranty
2. The cord supplied is ridiculously short
3. The hose is a bit short and easy to dislodge when in use
SereneLife SLPAC10 10,000 BTU Portable 3-in-1 Air Conditioner
This was very nearly our top pick and the only thing that held the SereneLife SLPAC10 3-in-1 back was the fact that it leaks water/condensation on occasion.
Otherwise, you have a very attractive appliance which can be used as an air conditioner, a heater and a dehumidifier and it’s up to the tasks of handling larger rooms too.
Quick Fact: The window mount is only 26.6 inches on this unit but you can use a mount extension to set it in a window between 37.4 inches and 50 inches. The extension is included.
1. Very attractive unit that fits in a very small footprint
2. It’s versatile – a dehumidifier and heater too – get all year-round use out of it
3. Low level noise motor keeps it pretty quiet
1. It just leaks occasionally – not huge amounts but enough to annoy
2. Dehumidifier is not as powerful as a specialist product
3. The ventilation hose heats up if left for long periods of time
Black + Decker BPACT08WT Portable Air Conditioner
This is another excellent product from Black + Decker this time, specifically focused on small spaces the Black + Decker BPACT08WT is happiest in 100 square feet of space – ideal for bedrooms and small home offices, really.
It’s very easy to clean thanks to the filter design which just slides out so you can empty it and wipe out the back of the machine.
Quick Fact: This air conditioner weighs only 53 lbs. and as it’s on wheels, it’s super easy to move around – you’re not risking back strain pushing this about.
1. Ultra light and great for using in small rooms
2. Very easy to clean, no special efforts required
3. The remote control is very good – works pretty much anywhere in the same room
1. Can only be used in small rooms, not enough power for medium or large spaces
2. Quite expensive for the power:performance ratio
3. Takes up quite a lot of floor space
Whynter Elite ARC-122DS 12,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner
If you live in humid conditions and want an air conditioning unit with a really effective dehumidifier option – then the Whynter Elite ARC-122DS is the right choice for you.
The dual hose option also means that it works to cool down a room a little faster than some air conditioners with only a single hose.
Quick Fact: The dehumidifier on this unit is far more powerful than on most portable air conditioners, if they have one at all, it can remove 96 pints of water from the air every 24 hours!
1. The 12,000 BTU capacity means that you’re going to cool up to 400 square feet easily
2. Works as a fan and dehumidifier as well as an air conditioner
3. Massively powerful dehumidifier capacity for an air conditioning unit
1. When the compressor shuts down it can be quite noisy
2. Dehumidifier needs regular emptying if it is extracting a lot of water
3. You have to buy an air intake hose filter separately
Final Thoughts On Portable Air Conditioners
Portable air conditioners are great for small spaces, for homes that you don’t want to make permanent adjustments to, homes where you want to be able to move your cooling system around during the day and when you want to store the air con when you don’t use it
Our picks are all cost-effective ways to stay cool in a way that suits your lifestyle, we hope that you’ve found one that keeps you comfortable on even the hottest of days.
