PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – If you’re considering buying an air conditioner, but you don’t want a lot of fuss with a window installation, you might be tempted to go with one of those portable floor units. But beware, Consumer Reports tested a bunch of them and found they’re not much better than your average fan. With temperatures rising outside, a seemingly easy fix is a portable air conditioner. They’re designed to draw in warm air, cool it, then exhaust it outside through a hose that connects to your window. Consumer Reports tested eight of them, brands like Honeywell, Haier and Frigidaire. Prices range from $250 to more than $500. Consumer Reports used a special chamber to test their cooling power. The temperature outside was kept at 90 degrees and the humidity at 70 percent. Inside, each air conditioner was set to 75 degrees. Strings of thermocouples recorded temperatures throughout the room. The results were disappointing. “None of these units, not even the biggest ones, could get our test chamber below 80 degrees, even after an hour and 40 minutes,” Bob Markovich, Consumer Reports, said.

That was true even of the most expensive unit tested – a $550 Honeywell, which promises to cool up to 550 feet. It struggled to cool the test chamber, which was half that size. “Window air conditioners are much more effective, and they tend to cost less,” Markovich said. Consumer Reports found at least one window unit to recommend for each sized room. For larger rooms and medium sized rooms, two LG brand air conditioners won, costing $350 and $240 respectively. For smaller rooms, Consumer Reports’ best buy is a $210 GE. The reason these portable air conditioners don’t work is because while they use conditioned air from inside the house to cool the condenser and force the hot air out through that vent, it creates negative pressure, which actually draws more hot air into the room you’re trying to cool. Also, because the entire unit is inside the house, they’re often much louder as well. More Reports by Susan KoeppenSummer’s steamiest days can keep even the most intrepid among us shuttered indoors, seeking the sublime relief of air conditioning.

And with temperatures predicted to be above average for much of the country, you’ll want to make sure your air conditioner is in good working order, says Consumer Reports.outside air conditioner unit hot Once upon a time, window air conditioners were the norm, but today about 90 percent of newly built homes come with central air. how ac outdoor unit worksIf you already have it, bear in mind that systems tend to last no more than 15 years, and if yours is at least 10 years old, it probably no longer meets today’s energy-efficiency standards. wall ac unit for saleUpgrading to a new system could cut your cooling costs by 20 to 30 percent. Central air’s appeal is pretty obvious; the seasonal ritual of installing and uninstalling window units every summer and fall can be tiresome and difficult.

But switching to central air can be disruptive and expensive. To assess whether it’s a good investment, consider two factors: the length of the cooling season where you live, and whether most nearby homes have central air. If you live far south or west in the country, homebuyers probably expect it, so if you don’t have central air, it could lower your home’s value. In the Northeast, it isn’t as critical because the cooling season is shorter, and many older homes don’t have it. The messiest part of installing central air in an older home without a forced-air heating system is creating the duct system. Another option is a split ductless system. It cools more uniformly, like central air, but instead of using ductwork, the systems have multiple indoor units (called air handlers) mounted high on the wall, as well as an outside condenser. The mechanicals between the two parts are carried by thin tubing through a small hole in the wall behind each unit. You’ll need one air handler for each room, and you can turn them on all at once or cool just the rooms you’re using.

Consumer Reports recommends professional installation. Wherever you live, if you are putting in a central air system, you’ll want to pay attention to energy efficiency. For the first time, the federal standards differ by region, with central air conditioning systems in the hotter South and Southwest required to meet stricter standards than those installed in the cooler North. A system’s yellow Energy Guide label now includes a map of the U.S. that shows where the equipment can be installed. More efficient setups might cost more, but you’ll save on utility costs over the life of the system. But to get that savings, you’ll need to replace the exterior unit, or compressor, and the interior unit, or air handler, and make sure your ductwork is insulated. Expert tip: If your furnace is more than 15 years old, Consumer Reports suggests that you consider replacing both the furnace and air conditioner because a new A/C system won’t work as efficiently if it’s connected to the blower motor of an old furnace.

Assuming you’ve decided to take the plunge, you’ll want to choose a dependable central air conditioning system. There are two types: conventional, which are more common in areas with wide temperature swings, and heat pump, which are usually used in areas with more moderate cooling and heating needs. Heat-pump systems move warm air from your cool house outside when it’s hot out and do the opposite when it’s cold. Consumer Reports: Avoiding A/C BreakdownsConsumer Reports can tell you which central air-conditioning systems hold up best and how you can sustain the chill for years to come. A lot of things can affect how well a system works: how it’s installed, the quality of the ductwork, even the size and layout of a house. But choosing a more dependable brand can boost your chances of getting a system that lasts. To see which brands you can count on, Consumer Reports surveyed more than 16,000 of its subscribers. Consumer Reports estimates about 30 percent break within five years.