Whynter Air Conditioner and Portable Heater with Dehumidifier and Fan for Rooms Up to 400 Sq Ft, Includes Activated Carbon Filter and Storage Bag, Silver

Product Information

Window air conditioning units are heavy, boxy-looking appliances, although they're more efficient than portable AC units when it comes to cooling off a space. At 83 pounds, the De'Longhi Pinguino is mid- to large-sized for a portable AC unit. It has conveniently placed handles that make it easy enough to carry. However, there is a caveat with portable units and it’s the heated air that’s pumped out of the rear exhaust port. As the ‘law of conservation of energy’ states, energy (in this case heat) ‘can only be transformed or transferred from one form to another’. Hence, you will need to port the heated air generated by the AC out of the home using the supplied concertina hose that comes with every model. This can be done by either cutting a hole in the wall or a window (the most effective and most costly method) or by using the window kit that most manufacturers provide. As a last resort, simply dangle the hose out of an open window or doorway and sit closer to the unit. Even though it’s big and somewhat heavy, this unit is still highly portable, with wheels on the bottom.

Capable of cooling large spaces up to 500 square feet, this machine can achieve up to 9,500 BTU of cooling power with dual exhaust hoses. Energy use and environmental impact are also worth considering. While modern AC units no longer use ozone-damaging chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), they do sap a lot more power from the grid than a humble fan and that means slightly higher leccy bills and hence more pressure on the environment. 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. Following our cooling tests, our next set of tests assessed how portable these portable air conditioners are. We looked at how much effort it took to roll around each portable A/C, how difficult they are to carry, and how long it took to install or remove the exhaust duct and window insert. These tests account for 25% of the overall score for the ARC-122DS Elite, which delivered an above-average showing. This compares well with the rest of the group.While most affluent US households – and pretty much all offices – are equipped with integrated ACs, many smaller homes continue to sweat it out during the summer months. Super-powered cooling—the Whynter ARC-14S might not be as compact as some, but it’s still one of the best portable AC units we’ve ever tested. The SACC for all portable air conditioners is far lower than the theoretical maximum capacity you’ll see in model numbers. But the SACC is still a rather generous rating if you’re relying on the air conditioner to keep a room down below 72°F during a heat wave. This GE Electronic window air conditioner has a 6200 BTU rating, making it ideal for cooling spaces of up to 250 square feet. It has a compact design, and since it produces up to 42 decibels, it is quiet enough to ensure a peaceful night’s rest. The AC unit can be set to cool, fan, or dehumidify, and it also has an energy saver mode where it can be set to operate in a way that conserves electricity. It has a pretty sleek control panel that includes an LCD display and offers three different fan and cooling settings. Unfortunately, it does not have any smart features and is not WiFi enabled. In contrast, the smaller 12,000 BTU Whynter is one of the quietest we’ve tested. Not as quiet as a room fan or even a window air conditioner, but the sound of the compressor turning on and off is not nearly as noticeable as it was on the bigger unit. LG’s top single-hose unit is comparable.

The Whynter Elite ARC-122DS is the best portable AC unit we tested, and it’s also the right size for RVs. Features were also relatively minimal, with most units including a physical remote control and some Wi-Fi capabilities. 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. While the specifics will change unit to unit, this is generally how air conditioners remove heat from the air.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. Air conditioner manufacturers use the industry-standard Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER) to indicate how many BTUs are needed for each watt of power. In other words, units with higher EERs are more energy efficient. Portable air conditioners have an average energy efficiency ratio of 8.5. The Whynter ARC-14S is one of the most energy-efficient portable air conditioners on the market, with an EER rating of 11.20. This is nearly 30% more efficient than an average portable AC unit. Best Whynter portable air conditioners If at all possible, try to install your AC unit in a north-facing window that gets as much shade as possible. How to Choose a Quiet Window Air Conditioner