Portable AC 101: Your information guide to portable air conditioners

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About Portable Air Conditioners

Portable air conditioners have dramatically increased in popularity over the last couple of years. The offer the efficiency of a window AC unit, with the added benefits that they can be easily moved around from room to room and don't require a permanent installation. They work well in wet or dry climates.

They are ideal for apartments and condos that don't allow you to install a window-mounted AC unit, or for an upper-floor room that isn't cooled adequately by your central AC system. And unlike window units, which draw air from the outdoors, portable air conditioners operate indoors and are healthier.

• Pros: Effectively cools air in an entire room, regardless of the humidity. Reduces the humidity, which can reduce dust mite populations.

• Cons: Consumes 4 to 10 times the electricity that an air (swamp) cooler does. More expensive than an air cooler to buy.