Shopping for an air conditioner can be a breeze

First it was toilet paper and hand sanitizer, then hair dye and webcams. 1ow, the latest pandemic “must have” appears to be an air conditioner. 0any Americans who thought that working remotely would be tempo rary are seeing their stay at home stints extended. And a home without central air that is packed with people who would normally be in a cool office or outside playing and socializing can drive up temperatures, too.

If you’ve found your self sweating it out, there’s no need to spend thousands of dollars. The solution: a portable air conditioner or window unit. Both operate in a similar fashion. +ot air is removed from the room and pushed outside, while cool, dry air is blown into the room. Within either type of unit, you’ll find fans, a compressor, a condenser and an evaporator that manipulate the state, pressure and tem perature of the refrigerant. Refrigerants contained with in coils absorb and discharge heat from the air. Ductless mini split systems, in which air handler units hang on walls, are a more expensive option, with a compressor and condenser outside.)

Both window and porta ble air conditioners are wide ly available, with models to fit most any budget and room configuration. You want to weigh the pros and cons of each, so don’t buy something in the heat of the moment. If anything, you may find a bevy of choices.

Portable

The basics: Portable units come with a five – to sev en foot exhaust hose and a window panel installation kit for hori]ontal or vertical sliding windows. They must be vented to the outside typically through a window, but you can also do it through a wall, ceiling or door). Pric es range from to , based on quality and the si]e of the room the unit can cool.

Pros: Relatively easy to set up, because you are only installing the window kit. 0ost work with exist ing electrical outlets. Can be stored in the winter.

Cons: “Portable” air conditioner is an oxymoron. Even those on wheels typically weigh to pounds or more. 2nce the hose is connected to the kit to vent it outdoors, you can’t simply pick it up and move it from room to room. Also, to avoid restricting airflow, portables can’t abut a wall. In a small room, it’s like having an ex tra piece of furniture.

Efficiency: Compared with window units, portables are far less efficient, because they need about twice the amount of power to produce the same amount of cooling.

Best when: You can’t install a window air con ditioner because of design limitations windows aren’t standard si]e) or building re strictions.

Tips: For proper efficien cy, you need to make sure the exhaust hose is as straight as possible, because kinks can limit the effectiveness, Roth man says.

Window-mounted

The basics: Temporarily or permanently installed in a window opening with plas tic, adjustable side panels. Prices range from to

, averaging about . Pros: Window units are cheaper and more energy ef ficient. They are also quieter, because the noisy compo nents are outside.

Cons: It’s difficult, if not impossible, to mount a win dow unit in casement or slid ing windows. 8nits weigh

to pounds. 8nless you are a true DIYer, you may need to pay an install er to ensure that the unit is correctly and safely put in. Some homeowners associ ations ban them because of aesthetic concerns they just aren’t pretty.

Efficiency: When Con sumer Reports tests air conditioners in the same room si]e, a window unit can low er the temperature by de grees in minutes or less. A portable takes at least minutes or more to lower the temperature by five degrees. The *ood Housekeeping In stitute found similar results.

Best when: You have no restrictions on what you can install in or attach to your home. Rooms have dou ble hung windows.

Tips: Carefully measure the height and width of the window frame when open where you plan to install the unit.

Shopping for an a/c

Size up your space. 0ea sure the square footage height and width) of the space you wish to cool. Be mindful of high or loft ceil ings. If you have an open floor plan, such as a kitch en that flows into a family room, you’ll need to include the measurements of both spaces in your final calcula tion. Then, look at the square footage in the air condition ing unit specifications. Says Rothman: “You’ll want to si]e up in general if you have high ceilings, if it’s near the kitchen where it can get warmer or in a particu larly sunny environment. In addition, if the room will be filled with multiple people regularly, you’ll want to size up. If you’re in a particularly well shaded room, you can reduce capacity.”

0ind your BT8s. BT8s can help you determine whether an air conditioner will effectively cool a room of a certain si]e. 8nits with too high a BT8 waste pow er too weak, and you’ll continually run the machine on full power but never feel cool enough. In general, the larger the room, the more BT8s you need.