These 10 Standing Air Conditioners Will Help You Survive Summer
There's no eloquent way to say this: It's getting hot as hell. If sweat isn't already seeping from your pores as we speak, trust us, it will.
On those oppressively, exhaustingly, disgustingly hot days, we know the last thing you want to do is, well, anything. And if your landlord has cruelly disallowed all window units for fear of pedestrian-squishing lawsuits, nothing is exactly what you'll be doing all summer. Thankfully, there are some really great standing air conditioner options. Whether you're ready to invest in a fancy, smart A/C that connects with your phone or just need to cool down a small bedroom and sleep better at night, we've put together a starter list of the 10 best standing air conditioners to keep your cool this season. You can still do nothing this summer. It just won't suck as much.
Best Overall Standing Air Conditioner
Whynter ARC-14SH Dual Hose Portable Air Conditioner
BTUS: 14,000
Maximum Cooling Area: 500 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 16 x 19 x 35.5 inches
Weight: 80 lbs
With a dual hose, this stand-up air conditioner will make your space cooler, and faster. In other words, it's more powerful than some of the other options on this list. And with a BTU of 14,000 that'll cool down up to 500 square feet, it's a great option for any type of space, whether that's a larger room or a small apartment. This makes for the best standing air conditioner because of its power, versatility, and price.
Best Small Standing Air Conditioner
LG Smart Portable Air Conditioner
BTUs: 12,000
Maximum Cooling Area: 350 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 14.56 x 17.52 x 28.15 inches
Weight: 62.9 lbs
At 28.15 inches tall, this standing air conditioner is on the smaller side, making it a solid option for those who are short on precious space. That said, it's powerful enough to cool up to 350 square feet—and that's certainly not nothing. The cooler part of this is that it's a smart air conditioner, which means it'll connect with your smart home device and control it with voice commands. Plus, with its LG ThinQ feature, you can control it from anywhere (say hello to turning this on before you get home on a hot summer day).
Best Standing Air Conditioner for Small Rooms
Black + Decker BPACT08WT Portable Air Conditioner
BTUS: 8,000
Maximum Cooling Area: 150 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 6.5 x 11.5 x 26 inches
Weight: 52.9 lbs
If the standing air conditioner is a popularity contest, Black + Decker takes the prize. It’s an Amazon's Choice product and a good place to start shopping. It cools up to 150 square feet, which is great for small rooms—especially if you need to keep the air on while you're sleeping. This powerful air conditioner features a filter that can be cleaned simply by running it under water, making it a great option for those who want less maintenance.
Best Portable Air Conditioner for Large Rooms
DeLonghi Portable Air Conditioner and Dehumidifier
BTUs: 14,000
Maximum Cooling Area: 700 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 15.4 x 17.5 x 31.7 inches
Weight: 83.33 lbs
DeLonghi's sleek portable air conditioner will cool down up to 700 square feet—making it the best air conditioner for larger rooms among those that we tested. It also has 50 percent noise reduction, so you'll get more of an ambient background noise rather than the feeling of being in a wind tunnel. It also has a washable filter for low-effort cleaning.
Best Affordable Standing Air Conditioner
Honeywell 120 CFM Portable Evaporative Cooler
Maximum Cooling Area: 120 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 11.6 x 11.5 x 29.6 inches
Weight: 11.2 lbs
Looking for the most portable standing air conditioner? This little standing machine cools down a space by evaporating water, so there isn't a BTU to consider. However, between the attainable price and its compact size, it's a great standing air conditioner if you're balling on a budget. Just one thing: It's not the most powerful option of the bunch, since the airflow is more like a cool summer breeze than a full-blown A/C. However, don't let that stop you—this will still cool down the immediate area around it.
SereneLife 10,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
BTUs: 10,000
Maximum Cooling Area: 270 sq ft.
Dimensions: 13.39 x 32.09 x 17.45 inches
Weight: 65 lbs
For an A/C unit with a bit more cooling kick, there’s SereneLife. The remote control lets you set the temperature from across the room. It also comes with a window installation plate so you can funnel the hose out the window without taking up space. Don’t tell your landlord.
Best Smart Portable Air Conditioner
RolliCool310 Portable Air Conditioner
BTUs: 14,000
Maximum Cooling Area: 375 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 18.9 x 14.9 x 30.5 inches
Weight: 70 lbs
Connect this A/C unit to your Amazon Alexa system as well as the mobile app and you'll easily be able to control the temperature in whichever room you decide to put it. If you're into that smart tech thing. It's also on the slightly lighter side, so it'll be easy to glide (especially with its 360-degree wheels) this from room to room depending on where you need to stay cool.
Quietest Standing Air Conditioner
COSTWAY Portable Air Conditioner
BTUs: 8,000
Maximum Cooling Area: 230 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 13 x 12 x 24.5 inches
Weight: 46 lbs
Costway offers a cheaper remote-controlled standing option that has just as much power as the other top performers (around 350-400 square feet), which are in the higher price range. Plus, it features a quiet fan that won’t wake the kids.
Honeywell MO08CESWK Compact Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifier
BTUs: 6,100
Maximum Cooling Area: 350 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 13.5 x 14.6 x 27.7 inches
Weight: 43 lbs
This Honeywell model cools up to 350 square feet, which is just about as much as any standing A/C machine can accomplish. This unit is only about 45 lbs, which makes it easy to roll across from room to room. It also filters out dust, making spaces cooler, dryer, and just more comfortable.
Shinco Portable Air Conditioner
BTUs: 8,000
Maximum Cooling Area: 200 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 14.69 x 13.46 x 29.63 inches
Weight: 55 lbs
For another quiet, lower-cost standing air conditioner option, check out Shinco. It acts fast to cool down mid-sized rooms in 5 minutes. Keep it off during the day to save energy. Crank it on as soon as you get home from work.
Midea Smart Portable Air Conditioner
BTUs: 10,300
Maximum Cooling Area: 450 sq. ft.
Dimensions: 15.63 x 18.39 x 30.12 inches
Weight: 76.74 lbs
With the Midea smartphone app, you can control this Midea standing conditioner from anywhere in your home. If you want another tech-forward way to use it, feel free to give it a shout with your Google Assistant or another virtual assistant device. It's ideal for medium-sized rooms and easy to install, so you can take it wherever you need it.
What to Look For When Buying a Standing Air Conditioner
BTU
The main factor you'll want to consider when shopping for an air conditioner—be it a portable standing option or an in-window unit—is the BTU, which measures the cooling capacity. “BTU” stands for “British Thermal Units.” That’s the amount of energy required to raise one pound of water by 1°F. Basically, it tells you how powerful the A/C unit is. Depending on how many square feet you want to cool, BTU ranges can vary. Higher is not always better.
Your first instinct might be to go for the highest BTU available, but you may end up using more energy than needed (and we all know you don't need a higher energy bill). Be sure to look at how many square feet a model will cool down within an hour and how it compares to the area of the room you're shopping for.
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