Should You Buy a Portable or Window Air Conditioner?

During the summer months, many of us rely on our air conditioners to keep our home and office at a comfortable temperature. If you are on the market for a new air conditioning unit, it is important to consider the type of cooling system that will suit your needs. The size of the room, along with where and how the unit will be used and installed should be taken into consideration.

There’s a wide range of air conditioning units available in the market. But if you’re wondering whether to get a portable or a window air conditioner, then we’re here to help you out. Let’s take a moment to learn the difference between the two.

Window air conditioner

This is the most popular and economical among the air conditioners. As the name implies, they usually hang outside of a window. So if conserving floor space is important to you, then this could be a more suitable option. In addition to that, window air conditioners are more energy efficient and generate more cooling power per BTU. In fact, it gets you the same results as using a central air conditioning unit, minus the added cost.

As with any other things, a window air conditioner also comes with some disadvantages. One of them is the noise level. The noise can be really disturbing, especially from the outside. Also, some homeowners’ associations ban the use of window units because they protrude from your window.

Portable air conditioner

While a window-type air conditioning unit is permanently installed in a room, a portable air conditioner can easily be moved from one room to another. They are easy to set up and do not require installation. This is the perfect choice for homeowners who don’t want to spend much since they can just buy one unit and relocate it to a room that needs cooling.  However, it is usually more expensive than window air conditioners of the same capacity, with price ranging from $250 to 500. Another disadvantage of using a portable air conditioner is that it requires constant draining.

Whether you choose a portable or a window air conditioner, it is important to pick the right size for your room in order to perform its functions and make the room cool and comfortable.