Air Conditioner Types

Central air

Best for: cooling a whole house

Two types of people complain about central air conditioning; people who are too cold in someone elses home, or people who just got their installation bill. Moving cold air through ductwork throughout the home pushed by a large outdoor unit, it's cooled air everywhere. It's the most effective way to cool an entire home and the most expensive to install. Worth it if you own the place and already have ducts, but not an option for all homes and clearly not for renters.

Ductless mini-split

Best for: additions, older homes, no ductwork

One outdoor compressor feeding one or more indoor heads, with no ducts required. Quiet because of the outdoor compressor, efficient, and the right answer when you want one or a few rooms cooled rather than the whole house, and available in much higher BTU ranges than window units - but may require a 240V line to be installed which adds to the initial cost. Even without it, most units suggest or require a professional install for setting up the lines, handling the refirgerant, etc.

Window unit

Best for: a single room, renters

The classic workhorse. Relatively cheap, effective, fairly low maintenance and hard to beat for cooling one room. It drops into a window in an afternoon and pulls real heat out of the air. They can be a bit noisy and aren't the prettiest, but it's a non-permanent option that simply works for all situations (unless you live somewhere with no windows of course.)

Portable AC

Best for: windows that won't take a unit

A floor-standing unit with an exhaust hose venting out the window. Useful when a window unit won't fit or isn't allowed — but generally louder, less efficient, and pricier per BTU than the window unit it imitates. Slightly easier to move around than a window unit, but still a compromise, not an upgrade.

Evaporative (aka 'swamp') cooler

Best for: hot, dry climates only

These types of coolers aren't really what we'd normally consider 'air conditioners' in the traditional sense. They don't use refrigerant, and in many ways are emulated by the some of the 'fake' AC units you'll find us complaining about below. With that said, in certain environments they can and do work as an alternative to the above.

If you live in an area where the humidity is less than 30% when it's hot (preferably lower than that) they're worth a consideration. A proper unit isn't much cheaper than the above options upfront, but the running costs are significantly lower.

Cools by evaporating water into the air. Genuinely effective in dry desert heat, and close to useless in humid climates, where it just adds moisture and misery. Check your climate before you buy.

Fake "air conditioners"

What they are: fans in a box, personal coolers

When it's hot out there's ads for all kinds of <$100 units promising cooling miracles, none of which do as advertised, none of which are genuine air conditioners. We track the worst offenders so you don't pay for them.