Every invention is born out of necessity. Air conditioning applications' commercial usage started because of the need to cool air for industrial processes, especially in printing plants. Willis Haviland Carrier, the father of modern air conditioning, designed a system that can control the plant's temperature and humidity. Since then, the air conditioner has become a part of our daily existence, now more so as a comfort source.
Summers can be hard in India because of their proximity to the tropics. We decided to form a top 5 best portable air conditioners list in India with the summer fast approaching. With leading brands like Cruise, MarQ, Blue Star, and more bringing out more compact, powerful, and ergonomic units, you’ll be sure to find one that suits your needs.
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Table of Contents
It can be a bit confusing having to choose a portable air conditioner, especially with so many brands and features available in the market. To make your search a little easier, we have put together a list of key points like the size, units, hose, EER, and more to be watchful of. Read on to know more!
For your portable air conditioner to have enough cooling power to make your rooms comfortably cool and airy, it needs to be sized properly. To understand if you have accurate space, you need to consider its BTU rating. BTU or British Thermal Unit is the measure of the unit’s cooling power.
For smaller rooms of 350 to 400 square feet, we recommend using a unit with 9000 BTUs or about less than one ton. For a large living room of 700 square feet, look for a portable air conditioner with 14,000 BTUs or between 1 or 1.5 tons.
An air conditioner that is too small won’t keep up with the cooling demands of your environment. Moreover, if you select one that is too large, then it will cool the area and shut down before removing excess air from the area - leaving your space muggy. Instead, it will eat up your cost, not cooling enough. So, check out the BTUs or wattage carefully!
Generally, portable ACs tend to be energy efficient and can save a few rupees on your monthly electric bill. Wondering how efficiency is calculated? It is measured by the AC’s Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER).
The EER is the energy efficiency ratio, a number produced by dividing the air conditioner BTU rating (its output) by its wattage (its input). For example, if an 11,000 BTU air conditioner consumes 1,400 watts, its rating is 7.8.
Simply, the higher the EER, the more efficient the model will be in saving energy and lowering your electricity bill. When going for a model, be on the lookout for a rating of 10, as it is considered an excellent rating for portable ACs.
Most portable air conditioners come with two hose configurations, including single hose and double/dual hose ac units. If you are wondering what a hose is, it is the pipe through which the air is circulated in and out of your house.
In single hose ac units, the design uses a single pipe to intake and exhaust air. However, it will cool your space but not as efficiently as a dual hose ac unit. On the other hand, dual hose ac units have separate intake exhaust hoses. Because of the two different hoses, these designs are more energy-saving and will cool your room approximately 40% quicker than single-hose designs.
We recommend using a dual hose portable AC unit as they are more energy-efficient and stable in maintaining air pressure. This factor is important to consider if you are looking to cool larger rooms.
India is divided into tropical and temperate zones, ranging from the hot and humid climates of the south to the north's cool, dry climate. Because of this, it is recommended to choose a unit that has an inbuilt heater. Heaters generate heat either through a heat pump or electric heater, which will help during the dry, cold winter months.
However, it is best to choose one with a heat pump when looking for heating options. It extracts heat from the outside air and disperses it throughout the area. On the other hand, it can reverse its system to cool areas as well.
Many, especially in colder areas, prefer this kind of dual system, as they tend to be more efficient than electric heaters. In contrast, electric heaters use thermal strips to generate heat, burning more electrical power and raising energy consumption power.
Because of their popularity, several innovative products are coming out in the market, designed to enhance user experience and give you a peaceful home or office environment. Most of them now offer special features like self evaporating technology, remote control, a programmable timer that add convenience and save your money on energy costs.
Self-evaporating technology is a mechanism that allows the exhausted cool water droplets to dissipate on their own without leaving behind any pooling remnants near the machine. This feature highly elevates your user experience, as you do not have to clean the water tray from time to time.
Additionally, the remote control and programmable timer options can make things easier without you having to worry about turning off the AC. Now you can turn it off from the comfort of your bed or couch, in the middle of your sleep or meeting, with the ease of pressing a button.
Equipped with a tropical X rotatory compressor, it has been designed to provide high performance even at 50 degrees celsius. Ideal to be used in a room of 80-120 square feet, it has dust filters to screen the bacterial spores, pollens, and dust.
The copper condensers have anti-corrosive properties, thereby extending durability and increasing longevity. Copper is a good conductor of heat. This technique ensures that heat is radiated and absorbed efficiently, promising fast cooling. The package comes with a hot air exhaust hose that circulates the air and ensures clean and fresh home environments.
Designed to offer the ultimate cooling experience, you can enjoy the luxury of accessing this power device from anywhere in the house or office. Equipped to cool the area of up to 350 square feet, it can efficiently cool a medium-sized house or an office.
Additionally, it has an auto-start feature, so you do not have to look for the remote every time you need to start the AC. The self evaporative system ensures that it exhausts all the condensate under average environmental conditions. This unit has a powerful cooling system because of its high EER of 8.9.
Having a BTU of 10000, it is ideal for homes with large spaces. This MarQ air conditioner uses R410A refrigerant, which is known to absorb and release heat efficiently, to cool rooms. This fast cooling ensures that the compressor is not getting overworked and prevents overheating of coils, thereby extending the product’s longevity.
The self evaporation and dehumidification features ensure that you have a comfortable user experience; You can turn the AC on, go about your work, and let it do its work. Having an EER of 9 makes it one of the most efficient AC when it comes to power consumption.
Power-packed with three functions, this Whynter 14000 BTU dual hose portable air conditioner has the goodness of an air conditioner, a fan, and a dehumidifier. A dehumidifier works to remove moisture from the air and prevent the growth of moulds and dust mites.
Moreover, the double hose system ensures that your energy costs are saved, and you have a reliable system that cools your space in time. Having the ease of moving it from one place to another can cool up to 500 square feet. The dual carbon filters clean the air and make sure you are surrounded by purified, clean air.
If you like to do things on your own, you do not have to rely on complicated mechanisms. Because this compact model comes with washable pre-filters, just get it out and wash.
Sleek and stylish, this portable air conditioner from Honeywell has three functions - cooling, dehumidification, and fan facility. Suitable for an area of 550 square feet, it can be operated with an auto-start featuhelp turnure, saving you time and energy.
One great feature about this unit is the ease of use. Equipped with four caster wheels, it can be placed anywhere and moved anytime. Moreover, this device comes with a special sleep mode, which adjusts the room temperature according to your sleep.
Take a look at these other products that will be sure to make your home life comfortable.
Now you know that a fan or installing a permanent house-wide cooling system isn't your only option available during these increasingly hot summers, we hope that you feel more confident in what to look out for and consider when buying a portable air conditioner.
Author: Aishwariya
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The descriptions of each product is referenced from the content available from the manufacturer, e-commerce sites etc.
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