When it comes time to cool your house during the warmer months, you may think that your only options are an air conditioner or a box fan, but there is a third option: an evaporative cooler.
These coolers have a water tank at their base that you can manually fill or connect to a garden hose. A pump circulates the water, accelerating the evaporation process. As the water evaporates, the air inside the refrigerator drops to 15 degrees. The humid air is sucked in by the panels integrated on the sides of the cooler and expelled by a fan at the top.
Air conditioners can cool your room, but they require an artificial refrigerant (dangerous for the environment) and a compressor (which consumes a lot of energy). In contrast, a normal fan simply moves hot air without first cooling it. Evaporative coolers are a happy medium that balances energy efficiency, environmental impact and more effective temperature control.
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Things to consider when shopping for the best portable air conditioner
Finding the best portable air conditioner for your space requires consideration of where and how you will use the unit. Most importantly you need to calculate the square footage of the space you need to cool, because that will inform the amount of BTU or cooling power you will need the unit to have. With a wide variety of brands and models to choose from you can find straight forward, simple, easy-to-use designs, as well as more high-tech models equipped with the latest smart technology and extra features. The best portable air conditioners, should cool your space quickly, have easy venting systems, be simple to move around and they should operate at a comfortable noise level.
How large of a space do you need to cool?
The power of any air conditioner is measured in BTU (British thermal units), which refers to the amount of energy required to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit. While it might be tempting to purchase a lower BTU machine because they are often less expensive, you should check the square footage of your room first. Higher BTU machines can cool larger spaces than smaller ones.
The downsides to buying a low-BTU unit for a large room are clear, but getting one that’s too powerful for your small space isn’t smart either. While you might assume that a more powerful machine would have to work less to cool your room, the fact that the machine would quickly cool and then cycle off (to maintain your desired temperature) can actually end up taxing and overworking the compressor. This overworked compressor can then shorten the lifespan of the air conditioner.
An extra tip to note is that in addition to the exact square footage measurements, you have to consider whether the room has extra sun exposure. For example, a room that faces west, would have an excess of sun during the summer and experts suggest adding 10% onto your overall room size to accommodate that extra heat.
What’s the best mini air conditioner or personal air cooler?
When it gets very hot during the summer, all you can think of is how to cool down your home. You generally don’t worry about the energy bill up until the moment it arrives in your mailbox.
It is then when you realize that not only the initial price of your AC unit was high, but using it is also expensive. What if we tell you that there is a solution to keep your cool while saving money?
It comes in the form of a mini air conditioner, which is nothing other than a personal cooling unit. These compact devices cannot keep your entire home cool, but they are perfect for a small space.
They can be a great choice for home offices and small rooms where you spend a lot of time. What’s more, they don’t require any wall-drilling or hose installation!
You can find our selection of the best personal air cooler units below. It’s divided into two sections:
- Personal space coolers (mini cooling units that can fit on your desktop)
- Small, portable air cooling units (larger-sized yet compact coolers)
While you’re there, don’t forget to read our mini AC buying guide, which explains how to choose a mini air cooler that perfectly suits your needs.
Personal air cooler vs air conditioners
A personal air cooler or “mini air conditioner” is actually an evaporative air cooler, which pulls the warm air from your room and runs it through the cool water it has in its tank. That’s how it manages to decrease the overall heat in the room. Mini evaporative air coolers are a more affordable option, but aren’t optimal for humid spaces.
On the other hand, an air conditioner absorbs heat by utilizing a refrigerant fluid. It releases cold air to decrease both temperature and humidity in the room. This process requires a lot of energy and can make your electricity bill skyrocket.
What’s the best mini air conditioner or personal air cooler?
When it gets very hot during the summer, all you can think of is how to cool down your home. You generally don’t worry about the energy bill up until the moment it arrives in your mailbox.
It is then when you realize that not only the initial price of your AC unit was high, but using it is also expensive. What if we tell you that there is a solution to keep your cool while saving money?
It comes in the form of a mini air conditioner, which is nothing other than a personal cooling unit. These compact devices cannot keep your entire home cool, but they are perfect for a small space.
They can be a great choice for home offices and small rooms where you spend a lot of time. What’s more, they don’t require any wall-drilling or hose installation!
You can find our selection of the best personal air cooler units below. It’s divided into two sections:
- Personal space coolers (mini cooling units that can fit on your desktop)
- Small, portable air cooling units (larger-sized yet compact coolers)
While you’re there, don’t forget to read our mini AC buying guide, which explains how to choose a mini air cooler that perfectly suits your needs.
Personal air cooler vs air conditioners
A personal air cooler or “mini air conditioner” is actually an evaporative air cooler, which pulls the warm air from your room and runs it through the cool water it has in its tank. That’s how it manages to decrease the overall heat in the room. Mini evaporative air coolers are a more affordable option, but aren’t optimal for humid spaces.
On the other hand, an air conditioner absorbs heat by utilizing a refrigerant fluid. It releases cold air to decrease both temperature and humidity in the room. This process requires a lot of energy and can make your electricity bill skyrocket. q
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