What we like: The whisper-silent unit offers three operational modes: fan, air conditioner or dehumidifier. The complete installation set includes a window kit with extendable exhaust and intake hoses. This provides more flexibility so you can find the right place for the unit in your room. Even though it’s big and somewhat heavy, this unit is still highly portable, with wheels on the bottom. In the bigger great room (a living room/dining room combined room), the Whynter beat out the LG by a significant margin, showing where the 14,000 BTUs really come in handy. 2018 tests If you have a room larger than 600 square feet or so, you’re going to be looking at 15000 BTU models, and the difference in price between a quiet-running 15000 BTU and a standard one in that BTU class can be significant. In that case, if you’ve got a very large space to cool on a limited budget, you may want to consider how important low-noise operation is to you. Now if you want something in the middle, a unit like the best 10,000 BTU air conditioner could be your solution. Also keep in mind if your space can fit the size of the unit and support its weight too, in case you’re wondering about how heavy a window air conditioner is. 3. Is energy efficiency a priority? Beyond this performance test, we also assessed the usability of each portable air conditioner. We observed slight variations between the units we tested. Each has roughly the same control layout and is equally easy to use, set up, and move around.

For our final testing metric, we estimated the cost of running each of these units for a summer and scored their performance based on how much additional cost they would add to your power bill. This accounts for the remaining 15% of the total score. We did this by making a few assumptions on the cost of electricity and how much usage the AC will get, but the relative ranking should be the same, even if your usage is wildly different. The Elite is about average when it comes to energy consumption. Compactly designed, at only 27 inches high, the value-priced FHPC082AC1 is a single hose Frigidaire portable air conditioner that’s sized well for RVs, trailers or smaller workspaces. It also comes with caster wheels, improving its portability. I'm Mark Brezinski, and I've been testing and reviewing consumer tech for over a decade. At Reviewed, I’ve spent several years reviewing and developing tests for dozens of different categories, from cell phones to headphones to vacation cruises—and now portable air conditioners! We’ve tested the best portable air conditioners for five summers, and we’re confident that the 12,000 BTU Whynter ARC-122DS Elite is the best choice for most people who need a portable air conditioner. A window air conditioner is a better choice if you can make it work, but the Whynter is quiet and cool adequately well compared to other portables — even in conditions above 95 degrees Fahrenheit. The Whynter 14,000 unit was only narrowly out-performed by the LG in this test, where the speed of the circulating fan and capacity of the systems didn’t make as much of a difference.At 40%, cooling power is responsible for the largest portion of the overall score for each of these home appliances. Our set of cooling assessments has the biggest impact on the overall score of the ARC-122DS Elite. What we dislike: The display screen is difficult to see from a distance. Best mobility in a high-capacity air conditioner Our take: The portable ARC-148MS AC has 14,000 BTUs, which is powerful enough to adequately cool down rooms of up to 500-square feet. You have sleep issues like insomnia and need to cool your bedroom: If you have sleep issues such as insomnia, a noisy, rattling AC unit is going to make it that much more difficult to sleep, meaning a quiet running unit is the best fit for you. There are definitely some quiet units suitable for small spaces like the 52dB AC unit in this LG LW1017ERSM review.

Window air conditioners designed for low-noise operation are a superb choice for a small home office where you need as few distractions and extraneous noise as possible. Like quiet portable air conditioners and fine portable A/Cs for camping, they’re also a great option for recording studios, baby rooms, and entertaining rooms where a noisy air conditioning unit will affect the basic function the space is designed for.Decibel levels aren’t the only measure of how much noise an AC unit will make. The quality and construct of a unit’s chassis, its components (with the compressor being the noisiest component), and the BTU rating will all factor together to some degree. But these are harder to quantify from model to model, especially since conditions of use will vary from user to user. For this reason, a unit’s listed noise level in decibels is going to be the most reliable indicator.

While quiet window air conditioner units are fairly similar to comparable models, they’re not designed for ultra-quiet operation. Similarly, you’ll find this is true of units with high BTUs, including the best 12000 BTU AC. There are a couple of differences between quiet air conditioner window models built with this feature in mind. The second major difference between quiet AC models and standard ones is in price. Low-noise operation is considered a major feature in an AC unit, and requires specific design choices and often higher quality components than in comparable, meaning such units have a slightly higher price point. A quiet 15000 BTU window unit will therefore be more expensive than a 15000 BTU window unit with otherwise similar features. The benefits of a portable air conditioning unit are its easy storage and versatility. Portable ACs typically cost less than purchasing a regular window-mounted unit. Does Noise Level Matter for Portable ACs? What we dislike: The single-hose design can result in negative air pressure, which draws in room air and exhausts it to cool the evaporator coil. Quiet window air conditioners work the same way that all vented AC systems work- they remove heat and moisture from a room and replace it with cooled, dehumidified air. Although, there are great window air conditioners with heat that can be perfect for colder seasons.While this represents realistic daily use in many climates, the conditions were not blazing hot. You’ll see results in above-95°F weather in our updated test farther down.

Using an indoor thermometer, we measured the beginning and ending temperatures in the room. We then repeated this process three times in each area, for a total of around six hours cooling time for each unit tested. While by no means scientifically verifiable, we got a good impression of the real-world cooling power of each unit in moderate heat. If you’re partial to special features, you’ll appreciate the unit’s ability to monitor the temperature around the unit’s remote via bluetooth, an extra quiet ‘whisper’ mode, programmable timers and more. Energy Efficiency Ratio: A unit’s EER rating indicates BTUs per watt of power used per hour. A higher EER rating means a more efficient model. For all window units, the U.S. Department of Energy recommends an EER rating of 10.0 or higher.

The bottom line

We found that it took about 20 minutes to cool our lab from about 81°F to 61°F. With up to 400 square feet of cooling capacity, it should easily handle an RV or a smaller hangout space. This Whynter portable AC has a high-quality build, and it boasts the best filter system out of the bunch. While most other portable AC filters were large and flimsy, making them difficult to maneuver or snap out of place, this filter is a sturdy panel that lifts out vertically. There's quite a lot to consider when looking for the best portable air conditioning unit, from the size of the room you're looking to cool to energy consumption needs. Portable air conditioner units are a life saver for those who don't have the luxury of central air systems and are in need of an AC they can move around the house.