Portable Air Conditioners

Shop Room Air Conditioners

Keep it cool as temperatures rise with great prices on portable air conditioners and window air conditioners at NFM. Escape the heat now, pay later, with six month financing on select products $99 and up. Get relief fast with same day delivery or drive through pickup for in-stock air conditioners.

Choosing a New Air Conditioner

To find the right air conditioner, start with a few details:

• Measure the window where you plan to install the ac unit. If you have a crank open style window or a sliding window, then you will want to consider either a portable air conditioner or a window air conditioner designed specifically to fit sliding or casement windows.
• Find the British Thermal Units (BTU) needed to cool your room. To get an estimate, the U.S. Department of Energy suggests multiplying your space's square footage by 20. For example, for a 100 to 200 square foot bedroom, you will likely need somewhere between 2,000 to 4,000 BTU to cool the area; for a 400 square foot living room, around 8,000 BTU. You may need a bit more BTU than the average guideline for hotter rooms like kitchens, rooms with high ceilings or high sun exposure.
• Compare differences between portable air conditioners and window air conditioners and decide which you want.
• Check and compare the following features to find the best options: Energy Star qualification or Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), sound intensity in decibels, overall weight, extra conveniences you may enjoy including remote control or smart voice assistant control, digital timers and more.

Portable Air Conditioners

Portable air conditioners for homes typically include a cooling unit base that rests on wheels on the floor, with a flexible attached hose that extends from the back of the cooling unit to an open window to push hot air outside and pull cool air indoors.

Window Air Conditioners

Window air conditioners most often install in the center of a window sill with balancing brackets. Their design often includes adjustable side panels that cover open window space around the main cooling unit. Window ac units often include both cooling and dehumidifying features in a single unit.

Wall Air Conditioners

Through the wall air conditioners require installation in a cutout space in a wall. These are more likely to require professional installation as drywall cutting and other skilled work may be necessary. A packaged terminal air conditioner (PTAC) is a through the wall unit frequently installed close to the floor, often immediately below a window. Hotel rooms and small offices often use PTAC units.

Advantages of Portable Air Conditioners

Portable ac units offer some advantages. Since only the hose and any surrounding window-covering panels have to be lined up with the window, rather than placing the entire cooling unit in the window sill, there is less awkward lifting and balancing to install as well as to remove.

They may make a good choice for sliding or crank out casement windows, where standard window air conditioners may not fit. They also have wheels to make it easier to move them from room to room.

Advantages of Window Air Conditioners

Expert product testers often rate window air conditioners better than portable air conditioners when it comes to noise, energy efficiency and average price. Also since they are installed in a window sill, they don't require any floor space.

How Long Do Small Air Conditioners Last?

Many product experts suggest that room air conditioners may have a lifespan of anywhere from five to ten years. Proper maintenance such as regularly emptying collected condensed water and cleaning the filters can help make the most of room size air conditioners.

As technology improves, air conditioner energy efficiency levels also change. The U.S. Department of Energy noted that new air conditioners today use about 50 percent less energy than they did in 1990.