Portable air conditioners are not very energy efficient or effective at adequately cooling a room. These are much more expensive than our window AC units, and they are generally louder. They are also, uh, not very portable.We haven’t tested a lot, but these two are solid options if you must There is one.
EcoFlow Wave for $1,499: The Wave (4,000 BTU) did a great job cooling my partner’s 150 square foot office during the recent heat wave. Standing directly in front of the water outlet is much cooler than the whole room, but it makes the whole space more comfortable. You definitely want to install the exhaust pipe and point it towards the window, otherwise the heat it produces will make the cold air ineffective. You can plug it into any AC outlet, use it with the EcoFlow’s add-on battery pack during a power outage (or on the go), or connect it to a solar charger. (At maximum settings, the battery pack provides about two to three hours of cooling time.) There’s an app you can use to control it remotely, and at 39 pounds, it’s fairly portable. It produces excess water as it cools, but the Wave sprays it on its internal condenser to evaporate it. I’ve never had to drain it, but if you’re in a high humidity environment you may want to use the included drain to direct it elsewhere.
Zero Breeze Marker II for $1,499: At 2,300 BTU, you won’t get the same cooling power as the EcoFlow Wave, but the Zero Breeze (7/10, Wired Review) is significantly lighter at 17 pounds. This bundle includes a battery that can make the whole thing weigh about 30 pounds, but you don’t need to be near a wall outlet for four hours of use. Like the EcoFlow, you can use some ventilation ducts to direct exhaust air and direct cool air to specific areas, but unlike the EcoFlow, you can’t charge the battery and use AC at the same time.
