Though many of us Denver natives grew up without any air conditioning (and walked uphill to school both ways, in the snow), there’s no need to tough it out through the next sweltering summer. When that first hot summer day hits, you have a couple of options. In addition to full air conditioning system, you can also buy a portable air conditioner. But, spoiler alert, there are some drawbacks to this seemingly quick fix.
Portable Air Conditioner Pros
- Installation is quick and pretty painless
- If you have a room that is secluded and can be shut off completely, you may get better cooling to that one room.
- They are more like an appliance (this can be good and bad–good because they are less expensive, but bad because that means they usually aren’t worth maintaining).
- It is hard to control temperature.
Portable Air Conditioner Cons
- They do not cool very well, just take the edge off, especially in big spaces.
- They are very energy inefficient.
- It is hard to find companies that work on them (Sears is the only place I really recommend to people)
- Any repairs can be costly–as noted above, they are more like appliances, so usually it makes more sense to just throw them away if they break.
- At the same time, if you want them to last, they do need maintenance: new filters, cleaning on the inside coil, etc.
- Efficiency and cooling ability are lost pretty quickly if you don’t maintain them.
- You have to take them out and install them with every change of the season, which can add cost.
In the end, though there are times when a portable air conditioner might make sense, in the vast majority of cases, you will save money and time over the long run with a full air conditioning system.
If I’ve convinced you, and you don’t want to get caught in the heat this summer, please contact me for a complementary quote on an air conditioning system. You can reach me at 720.876.7166 or [email protected].
