Portable Room Air Conditioners

Portable air conditioners perform the function of cooling and dehumidification of a room. They are useful for spot cooling of room and attics. They can also be used as fans or as space heaters. The main disadvantage is that they are exorbitant. They are easier to install than window units and not mobile and trouble-free. The unit has to be kept nearby a window as hot air has to be exhausted outside. Portable AC units have an exhaust tube and foam insert. The water is drained in a bucket or out of a window using a drainage hose. These air conditioners are heavy (50 to 90 pounds) and bulky. They take up 12 to 18 inch footprint and are 30 inches tall. These units have energy efficiency ratings. A high Energy Efficiency Rating (EER) means that the AC unit will cost less to run in the long run.

Sizes of Portable room air conditioners
Some portable air conditioners are 7500 to 8000 BTU and can cool 150 to 200 square foot rooms. These are the smallest and most economical of them. Some have separate cooling and dehumidifier functions and it is possible to select any mode. A timer, air filter, temperature display and three cooling/fan speeds are the different characteristics. For areas of more than 200 square feet, a unit of 9000 BTU is needed. These may have an ion generator. There are two sizes : 9500 and 11500 BTU that have multiple speeds and a remote control. A drip container holds condensation. Some units have a self-evaporating technology. A few have a capacity of 10000 BTU for a room of 250 square feet, a two speed fan, washable activated carbon filter to remove odor, a remote control and an 8 hour timer.

Types of Portable air conditioner
To make a choice of a portable air conditioner, the rooms required to be conditioned and the cumulative square footage of these have to be considered. This data can be used at the US Department of Energy's air conditioner size calculator to finalize what strength is required. Further, the style has to be selected. When portability is the prime requirement, a free standing air conditioner is the ideal choice. The different types in these are:

• Small portable air conditioners
• Medium size portable air conditioners
• Large portable air conditioners

Small portable air conditioner

• 7500 BTU Free Standing Air Conditioner
• 9000 BTU Free Standing Air Conditioner
• 9000 BTU Digital Portable Air Conditioner
• 10000 BTU Free Standing Air Conditioner

Medium size portable air conditioner

• 12000 BTU Free Standing Air Conditioner
• 12000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner w/ Built-in Water pump

Large portable air conditioner

• 13000 BTU Free standing air conditioner
• 14000 BTU Free standing air conditioner heater w/ion and UV light
• 14000 BTU Free standing air conditioner w/ion and UV light
• 14000 BTU portable air conditioner

Window air conditioner
For an area of 100 to 150 square feet, an air conditioner of 5000 BTU is needed
For an area of 150 to 250 square feet, an air conditioner of 6000 BTU is needed
For an area of 250 to 300 square feet, an air conditioner of 7000 BTU is needed
For an area of 300 to 350 square feet, an air conditioner of 8000 BTU is needed
For an area of 350 to 400 square feet, an air conditioner of 9000 BTU is needed
For an area of 400 to 450 square feet, an air conditioner of 10000 BTU is needed
For an area of 450 to 550 square feet, an air conditioner of 12000 BTU is needed
For an area of 550 to 700 square feet, an air conditioner of 14000 BTU is needed
For an area of 700 to 1000 square feet, an air conditioner of 18000 BTU is needed
For an area of 1000 to 1400 square feet, an air conditioner of 24000 BTU is needed

The following tips would prove very useful in making a choice of the window air conditioner. In case the room is heavily shaded, the BTU capacity has to be decreased by 10%. When the room is very sunny, the BTU capacity has to be increased by 10%. Suppose that more than 2 people are present in the room, for each individual add 600 BTU. If the unit is a kitchen, the capacity has to be increased by 4000 BTU/hr.