Why Portable Air Conditioners Are Bad

The portable air conditioner is a godsend when you are in desperate need of tremendous relief. The white noise blocks out the outside world, making it easier to concentrate on work or sleep away the afternoon in your little private oven.

Unfortunately, these valuable appliances are also an energy-guzzling menace. To get some sense of just how wasteful they can be, let's do some math... A typical 50-pint dehumidifier will use about 1400 watts of power roughly five hours per day for one month (50 pints equals 200 lbs). By contrast, a typical 9000 BTU portable air conditioner uses nearly ten times that amount of wattage (about 14000 watts)! That into roughly $3.30 per month (according to www.plugswitcher.com ).

Cost Problems of A Portable AC Unit

As a result, the dehumidifier will cost about $13 per month to use versus your portable air conditioner, which will set you back roughly $33 per month for the same period. That's not even considering what you'll save on your cooling bill if you have central air conditioning! A unit that uses only 5000 BTUs of power would drop your account by another 20% or so.

In other words, if you're serious about cutting costs and conserving energy, ditch those boxy window units! They may seem like a good idea at the supermarket, but their steep price tags and high operating costs mean they won't deliver on promised savings!