Window Air Conditioners Reviews: What You Need to Know

A window air conditioner, also called a room air conditioner, is designed to cool a single room. This type of air conditioner is more convenient and easier to install than a central air conditioning system, which would require a lot of ducting. This is perhaps a great option if you only want to cool a single room rather than the whole house. Aside from that, window air conditioners have a lot of good points when it comes to usability and energy efficiency. However, in any product, it is unavoidable and very common to find downsides. Here we have gathered a few of the pros and cons of window air conditioners.

Many units claim to be efficient when it comes to energy usage, and thus, they save money. However, you need to know what features a window air conditioner has, and whether these features contribute to overall energy efficiency and cost savings.

Pros

Energy saving

A window or room air conditioner’s efficiency is measured by EER, or the energy efficiency ratio, which is the ratio in BTU to watts or power input. A higher EER rating is more efficient. Look for the ENERGY STAR label for energy efficiency.

Outside draining

Water drains outside of the unit, right through the window or hole in a wall without needing any ducting.

Adequate room-cooling capacity

Small units have the capacity to cool a room of 100 to 300 square feet. Larger units can cool a space of up to 650 square feet.

Space saver

Since this unit is wall or window mounted, you save on room space.

Cons

Dripping water outside

Considering that the water from your unit drips outside, one of the downside is that it may be dripping on someone else’s property, which may lead to possible conflict. This may also drip onto roofing or eaves, and cause rust or rot.

Noisy

There are some units that may produce grinding noises, which may cause a disturbance, especially when you sleep.

Storage hassle

This may be applicable for those areas with winter seasons because you have to uninstall this unit and then reinstall it when warmer weather arrives. Thus, you will have to cover the spot right where you removed the unit.

Having been informed with the positive features and the drawbacks, here are the top five units you can buy:

Top five window air conditioners:

Frigidaire FRA055XT7 5,200 BTU

This product has a cooling capacity of 5,200 BTUs that can cool a room of 165 square feet. It features four-way air direction, two cooling speeds and two fan-only speeds. It has an on/off automated timer system.

Frigidaire FRA064AT7 6,000 BTU

It has a cooling capacity of 6,000 BTUs. Its energy consumption is 115 volts. It also features an eight-way air direction with three cooling speeds. You can use it all day with its 24-hour timer and have no problem in having to switch it on or off, since you can set just it up on the timer.