What Should You Think About When Buying a Portable Air Conditioner?

Getting by without air conditioning may work in some parts of the country, but not in Central Florida. Air conditioning is an essential service that keeps your home cool and helps alleviate high indoor humidity. If you have an uncomfortable room or area in your home, you may be looking for a quick and practical cooling solution. Following are important tips and pointers to consider when shopping for a portable air conditioner.

Sizing and Power

Portable air conditioners are free-standing appliances that you can place just about anywhere in your home where you have the space and correct power supply at the outlet.

• Size: Portable air conditioners will indicate the size of room that it cools based on square footage — not heat gain/loss factors, such as sun orientation, location (e.g. warmer upper-floor rooms) and ceiling height.
• Power: Larger portable air conditioners may require more power than the typical standard outlet.

Maintenance

Basic portable air conditioners will require that you empty the condensate tray. Here in Central Florida, you can count on a substantial amount of water collection to empty. More expensive air conditioners use evaporation through the air-exhaust vent that reduces the frequency of condensate maintenance.

Noise

When choosing how to cool a room or area, it’s important to consider noise level of an air conditioner. Even the quietest portable air conditioners are substantially louder than the hum of a refrigerator and of similarly-sized wall A/Cs.

Weigh Your Options

If you are shopping for a cooling solution for a room addition, a portable air conditioner makes sense. However, a ductless mini split is the better option for quietness, efficiency and aesthetic.

In situations where you’re trying to cool a large area of your home, but not your entire home to save energy, a portable air conditioner or ductless system is a practical solution.

If you have a central air system but some areas of your home are uncomfortable, talk to your HVAC technician about installing duct jumps and transfer grilles to optimize airflow.

For questions regarding a portable air conditioner and HVAC cooling solutions, contact Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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