The latest batch of room air conditioners in Consumer Reports’ tests meet tougher energy requirements so in addition to keeping you cool they help you keep your cool over rising utility bills. Small window air conditioners are the biggest sellers and we found five to recommend that cost in the $200 range. We also tested more than a dozen portable air conditioners but unfortunately, most struggled to cool a room. Here are the details.Our top small window air conditioner, the GE AEM05LS, $210, gets excellent marks for cooling a room of 100 to 300 square feet, is fairly quiet, and bounced back from brownout conditions when power is iffy. And at that price we named it a CR Best Buy, which combine performance and value. Four other small GE models made our top-picks list including the GE AEH06LS, $160, from Sam's Club,  and the GE AEL06LS, $180 from Home Depot. We also like the Friedrich Kuhl SQ05N10B but at $580 it costs almost three times as much as the others. If you like that brand, consider the Friedrich Chill CP05G10, $220.

It’s a little noisier than the Kuhl but quiet enough. Almost all the room air conditioners in our tests have digital controls and remotes. We did test three small units with mechanical dial controls and although they get very good scores for comfort, none performed well enough on our ease of use tests to make our list of picks.GE also tops our tests of mid-sized air conditioners, which cool rooms of 250 to 400 square feet, followed closely by the LG LW8014ER, $240, a CR Best Buy, and the Friedrich Kuhl SQ08N10, $700. We also took a look at the Quirky Aros, $250, made in part by GE, and it was indeed a little quirky. The air blows out the top instead of toward you, which is a nice option if you’re sitting in front of it. And the Quirky Aros has a sleek, modern look with solid rather than accordion-style side panels. But its scores for noise and energy efficiency were lackluster.The same brands dominate our picks of large air conditioners, which cool 350 to 650 square feet, with the LG LW1214ER, $350, and Friedrich Chill CP10G10A, $400, leading the pack followed closely by the GE AER10AT, $250, a CR Best Buy.

If you live in an apartment that doesn’t allow window air conditioners or have casement or another type of window that can’t accommodate a window unit, your only option may be a portable air conditioner. We tested three small and 13 large portable air conditioners and the best got a score of 55 out of 100. The worst scored 27. But if you absolutely need one, the bigger units (9,000 to 15,500 BTU) were marginally better than the small (5,500 to 8,500 BTU) and the dual hose models bested single hose units.are portable ac units good Try the Friedrich ZoneAir P12B, $600, if you have no other choice. pricing for 2 ton ac unitBut like the other portables in our tests, we found that most operate at only 60 percent of their claimed capacity. inside wall air conditioner covers

For more good cooling choices, see our full air conditioner Ratings and recommendations.Central air is a luxury feature many apartment hunters look for, but it may not be the best option for you. Here are the pros and cons: A small window air conditioning unit may only be able to cool a room or two in your apartment, but central air will provide you with a consistently pleasant temperature. The system pushes cool air through vents that snake through your whole building. You and your neighbors will enjoy the cool air anywhere inside. You might face a large energy bill if your apartment uses central air conditioning, especially if you don’t have individual control over the temperature. Central air cools the entire apartment, even in areas you don’t need it. [Reduce Energy Costs This Summer] A window unit only cools certain areas, so you can choose to install it where you want to be most comfortable. If you don’t think you need to cool the whole apartment, a window unit is more cost effective.

While you don’t have to foot the bill to install central air in your apartment, the costs could trickle down into your rent. If the landlord just added central air, the rent price could increase to ensure they get a return on their investment. Central air systems also utilize filters to provide you with cleaner air to breathe. The system circulates the air in your apartment so it doesn’t get stuffy. Window units, on the other hand, aren’t as effective at moving air or cleaning it. You might make central air a top apartment feature priority if you have dust-related allergies because it will decrease the amount of partiles you breathe. Having central air allows you (or your landlord) to install a programmable thermostat. You can essentially tell the device when to turn on your air conditioning and to what temperature. For example, you can program the thermostat to turn on your air conditioning during times when you’re home. [Dealing with No Air Conditioning] Using the device helps decrease energy costs by reducing the amount of time your air conditioning has to work.

Programmable thermostats may or may not be available to you—it depends on whether each apartment has individual control. Central air systems require very little maintenance, but do gunk up over time. Mold and mildew can form in the ducts and blow around your apartment. As long as your landlord is up to date on your air conditioning maintenance, this shouldn’t be a problem. [Tips for Reducing Indoor Humidity] However, if the landlord doesn’t regularly check the system, you could end up with allergy issues. Talk to others who live in the building before you make a decision. They’ll be able to tell you if they’ve had breathing problems as a result of poorly maintained air conditioning.OLATHE, Kan. -- Dozens of families are frustrated at an apartment complex in Olathe, where they’ve been enduring this blistering heat wave without air conditioning since Tuesday night. Complex managers at Torries Chase Apartments near W. 139th Street and S. Mur-Len Road said residents in more than 30 units will have to endure sweltering conditions for another few days before their AC is fixed.

It’s a brutal scenario residents called “unacceptable” and “dangerous” as temperatures continue to hover in the high 90s to low 100s over the next few days. “I’m getting ready to cry,” said Karrah, a single mother who lives with her two young children at the complex. “I’m feeling really emotional, abused, taken advantage of, the whole nine yards. Emotions and temperatures were running high Thursday, as families struggled to deal with the rising heat inside their apartments for the second full day. “My son was throwing up,” said one mother who asked to hide her identity. “I had to put him in a cool bath and it was over 95 degrees in my house! I mean you can die in this type of heat. It is so hot.” Renters said their air conditioning went out Tuesday night and they’ve since complained to the complex managers and city inspector. “[It feels] as if you’re in the kitchen with the oven on,” Karrah said. Complex managers declined an on-camera interview with FOX 4 News, but claim vandals are responsible for the sudden outage.

They said someone trespassed onto their property, climbed onto every roof and stabbed holes in the AC condensers. Managers also told FOX 4 they chose not to file a police report because they would prefer to handle it themselves by putting their full focus on making the repairs. They ordered new AC units and licensed contractors will begin fixing the damage on Friday, but the project is expected to take several days, according to complex managers. Residents said that timeline – in this smothering heat – sounds unbearable. “Is it going to be safe?” wondered Karrah. “Do these people have children? Are there kids okay? How many elderly people live on the property? How many people are on oxygen? Like, how many people need their air? Complex managers apologized to residents with a notice that read: “Torries Apartment management are using every effort to repair the air conditioning units in your building. We will be working into the evening and into tomorrow to resolve this issue.

We appreciate your patience during this effort. We apologize for the inconvenience this matter has caused.” The managers also said they handed out six temporary window units on Thursday to “high-priority” residents, including the elderly and sick. However, that still leaves dozens of families without AC. Complex managers told FOX 4 they offered affected residents a per diem discount on their rent, but every resident our news crew talked with said they had never heard of such an offer. “I don’t even know how to put it into words how upset I am with it,” said one mother. “I’ve never even lived in a place that would handle a situation this badly.” A representative with the city of Olathe said their city inspector is aware of the issue and is monitoring the complex’s progress to fix the problem. The city released this statement: "City of Olathe staff have been in contact with the owner of Torries Chase apartments throughout the day in response to the vandalism of air conditioning units that left a number of tenants without air conditioning.