Portable Room Air Conditioners - What You Should Know

Even with a new central air conditioning unit some people complain that they continue to have a portion of the house that is not cooled to their liking. This may be due to the duct work not being appropriately distributed or it could be as simple as the fact that a particular part of the home receives direct afternoon sun exposure or perhaps that area is near the kitchen. Many have found that a portable room air conditioner is the perfect solution to such a dilemma.

Rather than re-routing duct work, buying a bigger central air unit or moving, a portable air conditioner is a very economical choice. The units are very inexpensive, costing thousands less than a central air conditioning system. In addition, portable room air conditioners are very economical, well let's just say it; they are cheap for daily use. If you select the right strength room air conditioner cooling efficiently will come easily.

To begin, decide which rooms or areas of your home you wish the portable air conditioner to cool. Determine the combined square footage of those rooms/areas. There are tools available called air conditioning calculators. These tools allow one to enter the square footage of the area needing to be cooled and the calculator will then determine the correct size (BTUs) of air conditioner needed.

Air conditioners, (like heaters) are rated in British Thermal Units or BTU's. BTUs indicate the amount of air, in cubic feet, which will have its temperature altered by one degree in one hour. That may sound a little confusing but it's really simple. Here's an example, a 10,000 BTU air conditioner is supposed to be able to reduce the temperature of 10,000 cubic feet of air by one degree in one hour. An air conditioning calculator would indicate that a 10,000 BTU air conditioner would work in a room with between 350 to 400 square feet. Keep in mind this calculation is intended for areas with good insulation, no afternoon sun exposure and no kitchen.

Sometimes an air conditioning calculator may advise that you buy an air conditioner with a particular BTU but you find that the portable air conditioner you want is not available in that BTU. Although this is not a real problem, there is a better choice, it would be best to go with a unit that is the next size up in BTU's rather than buying one with less than is recommended. The air conditioner will not have to work as hard to cool the room and therefore will be more efficient. It may not run as often which can lead to a savings on the cost of electricity as well.

Portable room air conditioners not only come in different sizes but also different styles. For the ultimate in portability one might consider a free standing air conditioner. These units can easily be moved from one area to another, at the home owner's discretion. Another advantage is that they do not require the standard window installation.

Over the years portable room air conditioners have solved cooling problems for millions of people. Portable units will always be popular due to their efficiency, low cost, and the fact that they are portable.