PORTABLE room AIR CONDITIONERS efficiency and venting

Portable air conditioners are increasingly popular due to their … portability, flexibility, small size and easy mounting. But overall they are far from being the best choice. Portable air conditioners pose venting problems, and aren’t energy-efficient products. Before any purchase, learn the pros and cons about portable AC.

Uses

Portable air conditioners can be considered for some short-term cooling and dehumidification situations. For more extensive uses, there are better alternatives.

Portable air conditioners without ventilation shouldn't be considered as a valid cooling solution.

Portable air conditioners and ventilation

Portable air conditioners should have some type of ventilation. It’s crucial to vent the hot air outside of the room. Without a venting system the portable will cool one part of the room/house while heating another part...

Non-vented portables are particularly inefficient. Avoid them. And also consider alternatives to portable air conditioners (or to air conditioners in general).

See: Alternatives to Air Conditioners and Best Air Conditioning

Single and dual hose models

Many portable air conditioners come with an installation venting kit (a hose system) for a sliding door, window or wall: portable units are either dual or single hose units.

Single hose units have only one hose to bring air from the outside and to vent the hot and humid air outside. In dual hose models these functions are performed by different hoses.

Hoses aren’t very practical when moving the unit to different rooms, and aren’t aesthetically pleasing. But they are crucial in any portable.

Performance and operative costs

Portable air conditioners do not perform as well as standard air conditioner window units. Dual hose portables perform better than single hose systems, but still not as well as window air conditioner units. Portables have higher operative costs.

Prices, advantages and disadvantages

Portable air conditioners prices vary a lot ($100-$1200...). They are much cheaper than central and split-ductless AC systems, though not very different from the prices of window AC units.

How to choose portable air conditioners

When choosing, pay attention to the portable capacity (the BTU's you need to cool a room).

Contrary to what happens with other air conditioning products, portable room air conditioners are not labeled as qualified products by Energy Star (see: High efficient Air Conditioners), making the choice more difficult.

Do not forget that there are better energy efficient AC alternatives, and that dual hose portables are more efficient in the calls, due to their higher venting capability (never forget the portable air conditioners venting issue).

Drainage systems

The drainage system of portable air conditioners varies a lot. Some portables have a pan or bucket that needs to be regularly emptied; some disperse the condensation sub-products through a tube, etc. That's also a area where portable air conditioners show their limitations...