What's behind our air conditioner Ratings? Air conditioner user reviews and provide valuable feedback to other members and our testers. Air conditioner buying guide All the window air conditioners in our latest tests do an excellent job of cooling and come with such convenient features as a digital display, a built-in timer, a remote control, or touchpad controls. But some models are noisy and others struggled to cool during brownouts. Find out which to buy for the space you need to cool.Low prices and high efficiency make room air conditioners an inexpensive alternative to central air for cooling one or two rooms. Some 5,000- to 6,000-Btu (British thermal units) window models now cost less than $200. Our air-conditioner guide will help you choose what's right for you.Nearly all the window units we tested meet the latest Energy Star standards, which require them to use 15 percent less energy than the minimum allowed. And all now have electrical plugs that help prevent fires by shutting down if the power cord is damaged.