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A
portable air conditioner provides a great, cost-efficient way to
cool a room in a hurry, with no installation and low-maintenance
requirements. Portable units can provide the same cooling and dehumidifying
benefits as traditional cooling units, except that the entire unit
is contained indoors and a vent hose similar to the hose used for
clothes dryers is used in some cases to exhaust air outside through
a window. Portable models are typically wheel-mounted and rest on
the floor, allowing easy transport from room to room. Some portable
models have digital settings to control various factors such as
fan speed and cooling intensity. Portable cooling units are often
operated on 120v electricity, which makes for easy operation through
standard wall outlets.
Homeowners
can choose between evaporative and refrigeration mobile air conditioners,
with the operation of evaporative cooling units costing up to
one-tenth less than the operating costs of refrigeration units.
A portable air conditioning unit is designed based on either a
single duct or two-duct system. Single duct systems tend to be
the simplest models but may remove some cooled air from the room
in addition to warm air. Two-duct systems exhaust air outdoors
and can be more energy efficient, particularly when using a heat
pump model in the winter. If choosing a heat pump model, a homeowner
can enjoy the dual benefits of having an AC function during warmer
weather and a heater function during colder months.
Portable
air conditioning units also handle condensed water differently,
with some models condensing water to a tank that must be manually
emptied by the homeowner. These tank models work equally well
as dehumidifiers. Other units mix the condensed water with the
air that is exhausted outdoors and the homeowner is not required
to manually dispose of any condensed water.
Mobile
models, in addition to having relatively low purchase price and
little to no installation and maintenance costs, can also save
homeowners money when used in conjunction with central air systems.
By using a portable room air conditioner it in rooms that require
cooling, central air can be set to a higher overall temperature
to save cooling costs.
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