Portable ACs are the perfect portable cooling solution for areas where installing standard air conditioning systems may be cost-prohibitive, impractical, or impossible. This is especially true in settings such as apartment buildings or server rooms located within an interior of a building. Moreover, portable air conditioners are compact, easy to maneuver, do not require permanent installation, and because they're most often used to cool specific areas as opposed to entire homes or buildings, they are quite energy-efficient as well. With regards to design, portable air conditioners are simple cooling devices. The box-like housing of the unit holds the cold and hot sides of the air conditioner in one while an exhaust hose expels heat. Water is condensed out of the air which is then collected in an internal drain bucket or through a drain hose. Furthermore, some portable ACs even utilize advanced evaporative technology and thus produce very little or no water at all. In addition to the above benefits, portable air conditioners are also multi-functional and offer more than just cooling.

The refrigeration cycle utilized by these portable coolers dehumidify moisture from the air, and some units even come with built-in heaters and air purifiers. Nonetheless, when it comes to choosing a portable AC , one of the most common mistakes consumers make is incorrectly sizing their unit. Portable air conditioners are sized according to BTUs, which stands for British Thermal Units. A BTU is a unit of energy that is commonly used in the power, steam generation, and heating and air conditioning industries. Generally speaking, a portable air conditioner's BTU rating describes its power and cooling capacity. Naturally, the higher the BTUs, the stronger the portable AC. Portable air conditioners have cooling capacities that usually range from 5,000 BTUs to as high as 30,000 BTUs, and the size needed to cool a room will depend on the area being cooled.  Thus, an incorrectly sized portable AC with insufficient or excess BTUs will result in inefficient cooling. After these have been verified, it is then time to determine your BTU requirements.

Simply look to the chart below: Portable Air Conditioner Sizing ChartSquare FootageRequired BTUs Recommended Air Conditioner100 - 200 7,000 - 8,000 American Comfort ACW200C150 - 250 8,000 - 10,000 NewAir AC-10100H250 - 350 10,000 - 11,000 NewAir AC-12100E350 - 525 12,000 -16,000 Soleus LX-14020' x 20' = 400 square feet  400 square feet = at least 12,000 BTUs As such, if your room measures 400 square feet, you will need a portable air conditioner that offers 12,000 BTUs of cooling. energy saving tips for window ac unitsHowever, please note that the figures in the chart above are estimates based on average room conditions in a moderate climate. cost of ac unit for mobile homeSome exceptions may also apply, and these are listed below: For second story homes or especially sunny areas, add the BTU amount by 10% For shaded areas, reduce the BTUs by 10% For each additional person over two persons in a room, add 600 BTUsTo cool a kitchen, add 4,000 BTUsair conditioner for a room without windows

Written Portable  air conditioners are all of relatively similar design and  unfortunately, all "true" (eg with a compressor and pressurized coolant)  portable air conditioners require venting out of a window through a  vent hose of some sort to expel the heat pulled from the air. To my  knowledge all portable AC's are designed with casters and sit on the  floor with a hose that extends to the nearest window.Window AC's are a different category all together and are usually  slightly more efficient but require more effort to mount and take up a  large amount of space in your window.One  difference between portable air conditioners is their BTU or "British  Thermal Unit" rating with is a rating of how much the air conditioner  will be able to cool. On household portable units this usually ranges  from 8,000 to 14,000 BTU's. In contrast, whole home air conditioners are  rated in "tons", one ton of cooling is 12,000 BTU's.The  efficiency of a portable air conditioner is another big difference you  should be aware of.

Portable AC units are rated in EER or energy  efficiency ratio that is a rating of how much cooling the unit does with  the amount of power it uses. EER is easily computed by dividing the BTU  by the wattage used. As an example, a 10,000 BTU portable AC that uses  1,000 watts would have an EER of 10 (10,000 / 1,000 = 10). The higher  the EER the more efficient the unit is.Most  portable AC's automatically evaporate the condensation that builds up  and only require draining when operating in very humid environments.The  only major fundamental design difference between portable air  conditioners is if they are a single hose or double hose unit. Both of  these require venting out of a window using a sliding plastic spacer  that is closed in the window frame and has a hole cut in it (or two) to  connect the vent hose(s) to.A  two hose portable AC draws in outside air to cool and push it into the  room while a single hose draws air from inside the room to cool. A  single hose is typically less efficient because part of the air drawn in  the unit is pushed out the vent and causes hot air to enter the room  from other parts of the house or the outside through leaks in the  insulation.

Below is a picture of a single hose Soleus KY-34 (left) and a  two hose Soleus LX-140 (right).There are also evaporative coolers (sometimes called swamp coolers) that work by adding moisture to the air but those typically only work in dry climates. They typically are not as effective as AC's either. However, they do not require venting and use far less power.If you have any further questions about portable AC's or evaporative coolers feel free to comment and I'll do my best to answer right away.Written Portable Air Conditioner:Portable air conditioners are independent, movable units with exhaust hoses that are easy to install and vent out of a variety of window types.Difference in types of portable Air Conditioners:Design,Portable air conditioners are different in terms of their designs. Some have movable units with exhaust hoses that are easy to install and others might have a vent out like other variety of window types.Pricing,Such Air conditioners are available in many different price range.

They are usually around $100 more expensive than window air conditioners of the same cooling capacity. Bigger ton portable AC costs more than the others.Noise level,The noise levels of portable air conditioners vary, with some models being as quiet as a fan and others being as noisy, if not noisier.Efficiency, Different portable AC's have different efficiency but there is not very great fluctuations. In the U.S., there are no federal regulations to define the energy efficiency of portable air conditioners, and so no portable air conditioner is given Energy Star ratings.If you live in San Diego and want to get your AC installed or repaired and want to avail HVAC services form an expert of 15 years then give me a call at (858)530-1822 or visit me at Heating and Air Conditioning San Diego HVAC Contractor | Airmakers Difference between Portable AC and Window ACI hope this helps.Written The "self-contained" label usually applies to portable air conditioners that, through special design, are able to send out water condensate through the exhaust hose.