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Oct 19, 2024

The 6 Best Portable Air Conditioners of 2024

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Summer is winding down, but extreme heat waves and severe wildfires are still sending temperatures soaring and air quality crashing across much of the US. While they typically cost more than window AC units, the best portable air conditioners are a great solution in heat emergencies (especially in areas that don't regularly see sustained seasonal heat spikes, like much of the West Coast) since they can be moved from room to room, eliminating the need to buy a separate window unit for each space.

A note about using a portable AC during wildfires: Many portable air conditioners have some degree of filtration to combat poor air quality, though the EPA recommends opting for a dual-hose portable AC during smoky conditions. Four of the units in our guide — the Midea, Wynter, Friedrich, and EcoFlow models — have dual-hose designs. However, we recommend checking out our guide to the best air purifiers for the best air filtering options.

To find the best portable air conditioner, I consulted with two experts and tested 14 units for cooling ability, energy efficiency, and ease of use. My top pick is the Midea Duo Smart Inverter Portable Air Conditioner; it does an outstanding job of cooling and was among the quietest models we tested. For a budget option, I recommend the LG Portable Air Conditioner. It'll save you about $350 and is more energy efficient, but you'll sacrifice some cooling power, and it's not WiFi-enabled.

Among the best air conditioners, portable units come with slightly higher operational and upfront costs but boast several advantages compared to window ACs. They are often allowed in rentals where window units are not, are easier to store and install, and some roll effortlessly from one room to another. If you're unsure whether a portable AC is right for you, my comparison of portable air conditioners versus window air conditioners helps identify the differences.

Learn more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches home products.

Best overall: Midea Duo Smart Inverter Portable Air Conditioner - See at Amazon

Best budget: LG Portable Air Conditioner (LP0621WSR) - See at Amazon

Best for large rooms: Whynter ARC-14S Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner - See at Amazon

Quietest: Friedrich Zoneaire Portable Air Conditioner (ZCP12DB) - See at Abt

Best with heat: Black+Decker Portable Air Conditioner (BPACT14HWT) - See at Amazon

Best battery-powered: EcoFlow Wave 2 Portable Air Conditioner - See at EcoFlow

The Midea Duo Smart Inverter Portable Air Conditioner has a feature-rich app that pairs with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control, and it does an outstanding job of cooling while operating quietly.

Specifics

In my tests, the Midea Duo Smart Inverter Portable Air Conditioner (model MAP14S1TBL) was among the best at cooling and quiet operation. Its dual-hose design also meets the EPA's recommendation for use during smoky conditions.

However, it used the most electricity. The Midea used about 0.2 kWh more than our budget pick, the most energy-efficient in our guide. Running your portable AC eight hours a day all summer would equate to an average extra energy cost of about $25 based on average electricity rates.

The Midea Duo's unique hose-in-hose design replaces the hot air removed from your room with cool air for more efficient cooling. It's easy to install, though the hose doesn't stay clipped into the window slider. I had to use duct tape to keep it in place.

It also has several smart functions not found in most other portable ACs. You can turn off the LED to avoid light pollution and set a "sleep curve" that adjusts the temperature throughout the night to balance comfort and power use. In the app, you can set the AC to turn on or off depending on whether you're home and control the airflow direction.

The Midea Duo is also our best smart portable air conditioner because it works with the feature-packed SmartHome app (iOS and Android), pairing with Alexa or Google Assistant for voice control. I can turn the AC on/off and set a schedule from anywhere using my phone. I scheduled the Midea to turn off during surge electrical pricing and to come back on afterward to ensure the room is comfortable by bedtime.

The Midea Duo is also available with a heating mode, though we haven't tested this model.

Read our full Midea Duo Smart Inverter Portable Air Conditioner review.

The LG LP0621WSR Portable Air Conditioner is the most affordable unit we tested and does a decent job of cooling while making relatively little noise.

Specifics

Considering its price and Btu rating, the LG LP0621WSR Portable Air Conditioner did a great job cooling. Our best budget portable air conditioner is designed for rooms up to 250 square feet but cooled the 550-square-foot testing room by more than 2 degrees in the two-hour testing period. That's pretty good.

This performance was particularly impressive, considering it used the least power of any model in our guide.

The LG LP0621WSR was easy to set up and install. Within 10 minutes of opening the box, I had it cooling the room. You'll need a Phillips-head screwdriver to secure the window panels. The panels fit a wide range of window sizes, a nice feature since I have extra-wide windows.

The air conditioner is relatively light at 60 pounds and has handles, helpful for moving it from floor to floor. However, I ran into issues moving it from one room to another on the same level. The unit is low to the ground and top-heavy. It fell over as I rushed to roll it to the next room.

Whether on low (55 decibels) or high speed (57 decibels), the LG LP0621WSR's noise output was average, about as loud as a quiet office or a normal conversation.

LG has a newer, 7,000-Btu version, model LP0721WSR, if you need more cooling power. We haven't tested it yet, but it may be worth the $70 extra it costs to keep a midsize room cool.

The Whynter ARC-14S Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner may be big and not as portable as other units, but it did the best job of cooling our 550-square-foot test room.

Specifics

The first word that comes to mind when looking at the Whynter ARC-14S Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner is "monolithic." With its large, imposing, flat front, our best portable air conditioner for large rooms looks like something from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Besides its appearance, the Whynter ARC-14S's most notable feature is its cooling abilities due to its dual-hose construction. With single-hose portable ACs, hot air is removed through the hose. This lowers the pressure in the room, causing hot air from outside the room to rush in to equalize the pressure. With two hoses, the Whynter replaces the removed air with cool air for more efficient cooling.

It was among the best in my cooling test, decreasing the room temperature by 3.6 degrees over two hours. However, it was also one of the loudest models, at 58 decibels.

Weighing 86 pounds, the unit is heavy and lacks handles, making moving from room to room hard. The initial installation took me half an hour, which is longer than most models. It was slower because the fixtures needed to be screwed into the window slider by hand. The slider wasn't long enough for my 47-inch window opening, so I used Styrofoam packaging to fill the gap. Additionally, it doesn't come with foam seals, which are helpful for efficient cooling.

Additionally, Whynter offers a version with heating capabilities, the ARC-14SH, which we also recommend.

The dual-hose Friedrich Zoneaire Portable Air Conditioner did the best job cooling and was the quietest portable air conditioner we tested. It's pricey but worth it if you want powerful cooling.

Specifics

While our guide features several quiet portable air conditioners, the Friedrich Zoneaire Portable Air Conditioner (ZCP12DB) is the quietest, making it ideal for use in a bedroom. It's 54 decibels on high, less noisy than a normal conversation. It's 48 decibels on low, quieter than moderate rainfall. I slept undisturbed when I used it in my bedroom, as it didn't make any jarring sounds as the compressor turned on.

The Friedrich is a dual-hose portable air conditioner. These tend to keep larger rooms cooler than single-hose units because they have a hose dedicated to air intake, which keeps hot air from leaking into the room. The Friedrich Zoneaire Portable Air Conditioner fully displayed the dual-hose cooling capabilities, decreasing the testing room's temperature by four degrees in two hours, the best in my tests. It did this using less power than most units.

Setting up the Friedrich portable air conditioner was a breeze. It took 15 minutes, including connecting to the FriedrichGo app (iOS and Android). The only annoying part was hunting down a Philips screwdriver to install the batteries in the remote control. Reinstalling the AC in another room was hampered by the two hoses making it harder to just rest the slider on the unit. It wanted to flop around. It also didn't help that the unit arrived with a wheel busted off.

If the Friedrich cools so well, why isn't it the top pick? The main reason is the price. It's $150 more than our top pick. Also, the app isn't as user-friendly. Still, if cooling power is your top consideration, the Friedrich Zoneaire Portable Air Conditioner is your best choice.

Read our full Friedrich Zoneaire Portable Air Conditioner review.

Not only was the Black+Decker Portable Air Conditioner (BPACT14HWT) the runner-up in our cooling tests, but you can also use it to heat your room in the winter.

Specifics

In addition to being one of the top performers in our cooling tests, the Black+Decker BPACT14HWT Portable Air Conditioner is the best portable air conditioner with heat, which makes it great for year-round use.

I purchased it three years ago, and it's still going strong. I particularly like that I don't have to store it during the winter. Instead, I use it to heat the living room, which tends to run colder than the rest of the house. It's also available without heat.

Installation took about five minutes, and I didn't need any special tools. I like that the window slider extends to 60 inches, which is more than enough for my needs. However, I wish it came with window security brackets to make it harder for someone to push the window open and gain access to my house. Fortunately, this hasn't been an issue.

It's one of the louder units we tested, and when I neglected to clean the filter regularly, the Black+Decker produced jarring sounds as it changed fan speeds.

In our tests, it was in the middle of the pack in electricity use. Over two hours, it consumed 1.83 kWh.

We should also note that our air quality monitor registered a 50% increase in VOCs during testing. However, the levels weren't high enough to cause concern.

The EcoFlow Wave 2 is the best battery-powered portable air conditioner we've tested. You can power it with solar, your car, or a battery, making it a great choice for power outages, camping, and more.

Specifics

The EcoFlow Wave 2 is unlike any portable air conditioner I've tested. For one, it can be used without an electrical outlet, making it a smart option for summer power outages, camping, and other off-the-grid excursions. At 32 pounds, it's the lightest unit I've tested. Plus, it can heat your room.

Setting up the Wave 2 took longer than most. Unlike most portable ACs, it doesn't come with a window slider. Instead, it has a 15-inch-by-9-inch foam block with cutouts for the two hoses. If your window opening isn't precisely this size, you're left to figure out how to fill the gap. I used another portable AC's window slider and plenty of duct tape. While you don't need a window to use the Wave 2, you do need an opening to the outside for the exhaust and air intake hoses.

You operate the Wave 2 using the on-unit controls or the EcoFlow app (iOS and Android). Connecting to the app was seamless.

Initially, I tested the EcoFlow Wave 2 in my normal testing room while it was connected to a wall outlet. However, it struggled. It's only rated for spaces up to 108 square feet, about 20% of the testing area's size. While it ran quietly, it barely decreased the room's temperature. Since it is designed for on-the-go cooling in small spaces, I retested it using battery power in a 200-square-foot area. It did much better, lowering the temperature by two degrees.

The Wave 2's battery lasts about three hours when running on max power. It can last up to eight hours on lower settings and takes about two hours to recharge. The battery conveniently attaches to the Wave 2 but adds 21 pounds to the unit's weight. You can also power the Wave 2 with solar, your car, or other batteries.

As the best battery-powered portable air conditioner, the Wave 2 is expensive, costing $1,099 with the battery add-on. Still, I think the cost is worth it for such a versatile heating and cooling option. If you already have a portable power source, consider purchasing the Wave 2 without the battery.

Btu and room size: One British thermal unit (Btu) equals the heat needed to raise one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit. In cooling, Btu measures how much heat is removed from a room. The more Btu per hour an air conditioner is rated for, the better job it does cooling.

That said, you shouldn't just choose an AC based on Btu. You'll also want to consider room size. Higher Btu units are better at cooling larger spaces, but they're louder and will be too overpowering in smaller rooms (meaning unnecessarily high cooling costs). Use the table below (from the Energy Star website) to determine what Btu your room requires:

Recommended Btu by room size

Room size

Cooling power needed

100 to 150 square feet

5,000 Btu

150 to 250 sq. ft.

6,000 Btu

250 to 300 sq. ft.

7,000 Btu

300 to 350 sq. ft.

8,000 Btu

350 to 400 sq. ft.

9.000 Btu

400 to 450 sq. ft.

10,000 Btu

450 to 550 sq. ft.

12,000 Btu

550 to 700 sq. ft.

14,000 Btu

700 to 1,000 sq. ft.

18,000 Btu

1,000 to 1,200 sq. ft.

21,000 Btu

1,200 to 1,400 sq. ft.

23,000 Btu

1,400 to 1,500 sq. ft.

24,000 Btu

1,500 to 2,000 sq. ft.

30,000 Btu

2,000 to 2,500 sq. ft.

34,000 Btu

Your Btu needs will be greater if the room has a ceiling over 8 feet high, is very sunny, is regularly occupied by more than two people, or is a kitchen.

Energy efficiency: Even the best portable air conditioners are not energy-efficient, and none are Energy Star certified. Still, if you're hoping to save some money on cooling costs or limit your carbon footprint, you'll want to consider energy efficiency. There are two factors to look at here: the compressor and kWh usage.

A portable air conditioner's compressor pushes hot air outside so cold air can circulate in your room. Dual-inverter compressors, like the one in my top pick, are the most energy-efficient. These compressors have variable-speed motors that use much less energy than traditional compressors.

To get an overall feel for your AC's energy usage, you'll want to look at kWh usage, short for kilowatt-hour. Most electricity utilities use kWh to measure your power use, and I use it to measure the energy consumption of the air conditioners I test. The lower the kWh usage, the better.

Window size: Portable ACs usually come with a window slider, a long, adjustable piece of plastic that goes in your window's opening. The hose from your portable AC connects to the slider to send the hot air emitted from the unit outside. You'll want to measure your window before purchasing your AC to ensure the slider will fit.

Noise: No one expects an air conditioner to be silent, but you'll want a unit with minimal noise output, especially if you use it while sleeping. We measure noise output with a decibel meter, but generally, you can expect units with more Btu to be louder.

WiFi-enabled: Depending on your needs, you may consider a WiFi-enabled unit, which allows you to control the air conditioner from your phone. This makes setting a schedule or adjusting the settings easy without getting out of bed. Expect to pay a bit more for the convenience of app connectivity.

I have tested and reviewed air quality, cooling, and heating devices for six years, including 14 portable air conditioners. I also consulted with Enesta Jones, a US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spokesperson, and Joanna Mauer, the technical advocacy manager for the Appliance Standards Awareness Project.

Based on my research and interviews, the main features to look for when shopping for portable air conditioners are how well they fit your window, energy consumption, and cooling abilities. Our testing methodology encompasses the following evaluation criteria.

Setup: I timed how long it took to remove the packaging and install each unit, noting if tools were needed.

Cooling: I set my home's heating system to 75 degrees. Once at the set point, I cranked the portable air conditioner to its highest fan speed and lowest temperature. Using a digital thermometer placed on the other side of the 550-square-foot testing room, I compared the before temp to the temperature two hours later to see how well the unit cooled.

Noise: A loud air conditioner can make watching TV, working, or sleeping difficult. I measured each unit's noise output by holding a sound meter 6 feet from the AC as it ran on its highest setting. It lost points if the compressor made jarring sounds as it turned on and off.

Power use: I measured how much energy each unit used while running on high for two hours using a smart plug. The least energy-efficient window air conditioner I tested still uses less power than the most efficient portable unit.

Air quality: Before and after running the air conditioner for two hours, I compared particulate matter and VOC measurements using an air-quality monitor. I didn't weigh this category heavily, but I noted when there were significant changes in the air quality.

Portability: I timed how long it took to uninstall the AC, move it to the next room, and reinstall it. Between the rooms, there is a 3/4-inch threshold, making handles advantageous. I also considered the air conditioner's weight.

Extras: All units in this guide have at least a one-year warranty and a fan. ACs needed to have more than this to get extra points. For instance, a heating mode, remote control, dehumidifying, WiFi connectivity, foam seals for efficient cooling, and a longer warranty contribute to a more favorable assessment of a portable air conditioner.

To some degree, yes. Most portable air conditioners have some degree of air filtration, and running your AC during smoke emergencies can help keep smoke out. However, the EPA recommends against using single-hose portable ACs during smoky conditions. Instead, opt for a dual-hose unit and ensure that the seal between the hose casing and the window is as tight as possible.

According to Mauer, the DOE Btu rating is more accurate than ASHRAE because it considers hot air infiltration and heat losses through the ducts.

Mauer said ASHRAE, the manufacturer's Btu, doesn't account for the significant heat released back into the room by the exhaust hose. There is also no consistent testing standard.

The DOE established standardized testing to account for the heat that ends up back in the room. My guide references the DOE ratings.

Mauer recommended keeping the filter clean. She also suggested closing the curtains and blinds during the day to reduce the room's heat gain and running a fan to circulate the cool air.

As outlined in my portable air conditioners vs window air conditioners article, window ACs are the better option for most people.

In my tests, the most efficient portable AC still used 60% more power than my top window pick. The window unit also cost less and did much better cooling.

I strongly recommend buying a window AC if you have a window that supports it. Portable units are only preferable when you don't have a single- or double-hung window.

Yes, but the hot air needs a way to leave the space. Otherwise, the unit won't provide any cooling benefits. Your portable AC just needs an opening big enough for the ventilating hose to send the exhaust outdoors.

To keep your portable air conditioner working optimally, you need to clean the filter at least once a month, more if you use it frequently. Below are other cleaning tips to ensure you get the most out of your unit.

Weekly:

Monthly:

Twice per season:

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