Air Conditioners

One of the first things to consider when buying an air conditioner is the type and size. Air c­onditioners come in two basic designs — units that sit inside a window opening and portable small air conditioners that can be placed anywhere in a room. Unlike a regular cooling fan, small air conditioners will need to vent their heat to a nearby window.

Window air conditioners usually have wings that extend to fill the gap in most standard-sized windows. Many larger air conditioners will have chassis that slide out to make cleaning and maintenance easier. The most important choice with window air conditioners is picking one that fits your window’s opening — so measure your window carefully. If you have an uncommon window design such as casement windows, there are special models of air conditioners made specifically to fit.

Cooling a room with a small portable air conditioner takes the grunt work out of air conditioning your home because most models require little to no installation. They are simply placed on the floor and expel their heat through an exhaust hose to a window or even to another room in the house, making on-demand air conditioning anywhere you need it a snap. Two things to remember: Small air conditioners can still be heavy, so if you’ll be moving it frequently, consider a unit with wheels. These air conditioners also produce moisture, so their condensation trays need to be emptied periodically.