Two Air Conditioning Solutions To Help You Keep Your Cool This Summer

Have you thought about the sweltering heat of the Summer yet? Do you just want to be able to relax and be comfortable in your home during the coming hot Summer days?

Then it’s probably time to think about getting some good air conditioning in the form of a window air conditioner or a portable air conditioner.

Both portable air conditioners and window air conditioners are a relatively inexpensive way to cool your home during those hot Summer days and sticky humid nights.

Featured Image:  Boy It’s Hot by Q Family on Flickr, Commons 2.0

Tips For Choosing Room Air Conditioning

I think the most important factor to consider when choosing a portable air conditioner is the BTU rating. But it’s also the most intimidating, right?  I mean what is a BTU anyway?

Well, now that I have the experience of buying not one but three window air conditioners for my home, I know that BTU stands for British thermal unit.   That’s a measuring unit for energy used in air conditioning. Once I got the hang of that, it was a lot easier to shop for air conditioning for two of our bedrooms and our dining room.

That BTU rating measures the heat that an air conditioner can remove from a room. The higher the number, the stronger the air conditioner is at actually cooling a room. BTU ratings can range from 5,000 to 30,000 units.  The size of the air conditioning unit you need depends on the size of the area being cooled.

Portable and window air conditioners only work well for you when you choose the right size for your needs.  Keep these points in mind when choosing an air conditioning unit:

• Know the size of the area you want to cool by measuring the room before you shop.  You can get the room’s dimensions by multiplying the length by the width. Allow for about 30 BTU’s per square foot of space.
• Know the size of the window opening if you’re shopping for a window air conditioner.  Check it and double check it, trust me.  Been there, messed it up, had to pay a restock fee because I got the first measurement wrong.
• Know how many people will be using the room.  Each person adds 200-250 BTU’s to a room per hour when they are resting (like sleeping or watching TV).  If the room will have more than two people using it add 600 BTU’s for each person to allow for the extra body heat and activity ~ like in my dining room.
• Know the temperature and activity level for the room you’re shopping for.  In the kitchen or other rooms with a lot of heat add 4,000 BTUs. If you live in a very warm climate like I do in South Texas, you’ll probably want an air conditioning unit with higher BTU’s.

Top Selling Window Air Conditioners On Amazon

These are some of the best selling window air conditioners I could find on Amazon. Notice the different BTU ratings. The prices are reasonable and don’t vary too widely.

LG Electronics Energy Star 115-volt Window Air Conditioner with Remote Control, 8000 BTUFrigidaire 5,000 BTU 115V Window Mini-Compact Air Conditioner w/ Mechanical ControlsFrigidaire Energy Star 8,000 BTU 115V Window Mini-Compact Air Conditioner w/ Temp Sensing RemoteFrigidaire 5,000-BTU Mini Window Air ConditionerFrigidaire Energy Star 12,000 BTU 115V Window Compact Air Conditioner w/ Temp Sensing RemoteFrigidaire Energy Star 10,000 BTU 115V Window Compact Air Conditioner w/ Temp Sensing Remote

Portable Air Conditioners To Take From Room To Room

Portable air conditioners are just that – portable. You can take them from room to room where ever you need to cool off and relax. Compared to window air conditioners, these portable air conditioners are a bit more expensive. Being able to move them around more than makes up for that, in my opinion. I may be shopping for one of these next since the window air conditioner I got for our bedroom-that-we-turned-into-a-computer-room is entirely too small. The room faces West and in South Texas, that’s entirely too much heat coming through the picture window.

Some of these portable air conditioners have remote controls, others also function as fans and/or heaters. It all just depends on what you want out of it. They sound like great deals to me.

Honeywell 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote ControlWhynter 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air ConditionerFrigidaire 5,000 BTU Portable Air ConditionerHoneywell 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote ControlWhynter 14,000 BTU Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner with HeaterHoneywell 14,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner with Remote Control

Great Deals On Air Conditioning On eBay