Portable air conditioners are an efficient, productive, and cost-effective method to cool a room when temperatures rise in summer. While portable air conditioners are not meant to replace central air conditioners, they are very helpful when cooling a room down fast. Additionally, they come without installation and have a superb cooling capacity. So, how much electricity does a portable AC use? Read on to find out.
What is a Portable Air Conditioner, and How Does it Work?
A portable air conditioner is an AC unit that can easily be moved around the house. As a self-contained unit, it can easily be set up anywhere as long as there is a socket for an electric power supply. Portable air conditioners cater to spaces ranging from small rooms to garages and living rooms. Of course, there has to be a window or an opening to vent hot air out.
In addition, portable air conditioners work by pulling in hot air from a room and venting it out of the home. The air conditioner unit also has a motor that cools the air circulated through the room. Furthermore, portable AC units remove excess humidity from a room and push it out through the attached hose out the window.
To cool air in a room, the portable air conditioner uses three major components including:
- The fan sucks hot and humid air from the room being treated into the air conditioner for cooling through the condenser coils.
- The condenser coils remove humidity and moisture from the air and run water vapor through refrigerant coils.
- The refrigerant runs through the air conditioning coils and cools the hot air. The cool air is then pushed out into the room.
How Much Power Does a Portable Air Conditioner Use?
Your portable air conditioner’s size determines how much electricity it will consume. Of course, the larger the portable AC unit, the more electricity it will consume. While portable air conditioners are an excellent way to cool a room, they work better as a backup for your central air conditioner. Of course, a medium-sized portable AC unit uses at least 2900 watts per hour.
On the other hand, a large portable air conditioner will use approximately 4100 watts of electricity. This will significantly dent your electricity bills. Furthermore, the watts per hour a large portable air conditioner uses could outnumber your central air conditioner’s electricity. However, depending on how you use a portable air conditioner is sometimes more energy efficient than central air conditioning.
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For a better perspective, running a portable air conditioner for an hour amounts to 4% of all your electricity bills. Of course, portable air conditioners range from compact, rolling boxes to mini-fridge-size towers, and each has its energy rating (measured in British Thermal Units). Using this measurement, a small portable air conditioner with a BTU rating of about 7,500 can easily cool a 150-square-foot room.
Regarding mid-range models with a BTU of about 10,000, you can cool a 300-square-foot room. The largest portable air conditioners have a BTU rating 14,000, and they can cool very large rooms or roughly 500 square feet.
The final cost to run a portable air conditioner depends upon the type, the size of the room, and how you use it. Environmental factors like daylight, humidity, and dryness also heavily influence costs. Mini-split and window air conditioners are cheaper than portable ones.
What affects the cost and electricity usage of air-conditioning?
Multiple factors could affect your portable air conditioners’ cost and electricity usage. The first and most important factor is getting a reputable brand that offers the best portable air conditioners. After that, you should consider the following:
1) Size of The Portable Air Conditioner
A portable air conditioner should be the right size for the room you want to cool. While small air conditioners are great but only suitable for small rooms. Additionally, a portable unit that is too small for the room’s size will utilize far more power than is needed, causing energy bills to soar exponentially.
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Remember, placing a small portable air conditioner in a large room will create an unnecessary workload and a shorter lifespan. Of course, paying for a larger portable air conditioner when you don’t need it is also redundant, given that you will still pay more for the portable AC unit and energy bills.
2) Energy Efficiency
Air conditioner models are graded by the IBBE (Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency). This means every air conditioner is given a star rating for its energy efficiency ratio. The more energy-efficient the air conditioner is, the better its star rating. Ultimately, you should look for an air conditioner with a 5-star energy efficiency rating.
A 5-star portable air conditioner is highly energy efficient and consumes less energy or power than a 4, or 3-star rating. Of course, this applies to most air conditioning units. You should also know that portable air conditioners work by using less energy and provide substantial energy savings since, like a window air conditioner, they only cool one room instead of the whole house.
3) How Long You Run Your Portable AC
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The more your air coolers are on, the more energy consumption you will pay for. You can easily use a ceiling fan in the morning and at night when it’s cooler and blast your portable AC in the middle of the day. Your electricity costs will be lower, and the air quality in your house will still be better. In the long run, you will save money since the electricity consumed won’t be much higher than your normal usage.
Frequently Asked Questions About How Much Electricity a Portable AC Uses
i) Does portable aircon use a lot of electricity?
A portable AC is a great option if you don’t have a central air conditioning system. Portable units are very energy efficient and use less energy than a central AC system. The size of your portable unit also affects how many watts your AC unit consumes.
ii) Is it cheaper to leave a portable AC unit for the whole day?
Ordinarily, leaving a portable AC on all day is a big no because your electric bill will be astronomical. However, most air conditioners run using a thermostat, which you can adjust to your cold air preferences. Once your room reaches the desired temperature, the air conditioning automatically goes off, saving you money in the long run.
iii) How much electricity does a portable air conditioner use per month?
An average mid-sized air conditioner costs 20 to 30 cents per hour for a 2,344 kWh or an 8000 BTU unit. To calculate the monthly price, multiply it by the hours and days of use.
iv) What is the disadvantage of portable AC?
Due to their size, portable air conditioners can only cool about one room at a given time and can’t cover larger areas. This means even the largest portable ACs have limited coverage
Noisy operation: Portable air conditioners can be quite noisy. They may not be the best choice if you want an efficient cooling system that won’t keep you up at night.
Cost: Portable air conditioners are often more expensive than similarly sized air conditioner types (like mini split air conditioners) because they use more electricity.
v) Is portable AC a good option?
Yes, it is. A portable air conditioner is a great alternative to traditional window units. They are easier to install and more energy efficient. Portable AC units are also more affordable and can be moved from room to room as needed. Furthermore, you don’t have to adjust your walls or extend your windows to accommodate a portable AC.
The Bottom Line
Portable air conditioners are extremely helpful for small spaces or spot cooling. Many people are usually tempted to buy one for their space, especially for attics, small rooms separate from one another, and home offices. Furthermore, they are simple to set up, move, and store. They are also very effective and can be utilized throughout the year.
