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Why choose a portable air conditioner?

Temperatures are steadily rising these days.  If you're tired of sweating it out at home, you may be thinking it's time to get an air conditioner. Different air conditioners work best for certain situations. If you want an air conditioner unit to cool for a relatively short time period, or want to find one for a room with windows that can't fit a standard window AC unit, then a portable air conditioner from TURBRO is worth considering. It's a simple, versatile alternative to central air conditioners and window units.

You can move a portable air conditioner anywhere you need it and set it up within just a few minutes. When the weather starts cooling off, you can easily disassemble it and put it away until next summer.

Here's four things you need to know if you're on the hunt for a portable air conditioner.

1. Cooling Capacity

2. Placement

3. Noise Level

4. Extra Features

Cooling Capacity

What comes first is how well the air conditioner will cool? The cooling capacity is measured in British Thermal Units (BTUs). This is a measurement of how much heat an air conditioning unit can remove from a space per hour, therefore, the higher the BTU rating, the larger the room an air conditioner can cool. Compare your room size to the BTU ratings below to get a rough idea of what size you need:

• Up to 300 Square Feet: 8,000 BTU Unit

• Up to 400 Square Feet: 10,000 BTU Unit

• Up to 500 Square Feet: 12,000 BTU Unit

• Up to 600 Square Feet: 14,000 BTU Unit

Please note that if the air conditioner will be set up in a sunny room, busy kitchen, or room with high ceilings, you may want to size up to a higher BTU rating.

But here we need to remind you that there are two standard ratings for BTUs. One is the ASHRAE rating — the older standard, and the other is the DOE (Department of Energy) rating — the new standard. The DOE rating is an adjusted value from ASHRAE that takes into account real-life usage of the air conditioner, not laboratory testing conditions, so its value will be lower than the ASHRAE rating value.

For example, TURBRO Greenland GLP05AC portable air conditioner is rated at 8,000 BTU in the older ASHRAE rating but 5,000 BTU in the newer DOE rating. Most manufactures, TURBRO included, include both ratings on their AC units so customers have a better udnerstanding of how efficiently the unit can cool their room.

For more information, please refer to another blog: Why Does My Portable Air Conditioner Have Two BTU Ratings?

Placement

The portable air conditioner needs to be placed near an electric wall outlet. It also needs to be set up near an openable window that can serve as the exhaust venting installation. Most portable air conditioners include an installation package for the window, but they are typically designed for vertical and horizontal sliding windows and don't work with casement windows. You can install it on a casement window if you buy an extra window seal separately. Also, don't forget to confirm that the size of the installation component fits your window size.

Noise Level

Portable air conditioners can be a little  noisy compared to the other types of air conditioners because their entire unis is housed inside your room when running, compared to a window AC unit where the noisy compressor is hanging out of the window. Also, the higher the cooling power of the air conditioner, the higher the running noise will be.  

Thankfully, most units run in the 50-60 decibel range. This means the sound is loud enough to hear, but not loud enough to cause a lot of issues. When used at night, you can use the sleep mode or lower the fan speed to reduce the noise for a sweet sleep.

Extra Features

Besides the regular 3-in-1 cooling, dehumidifier and fan modes, there are some extra features that might enhance your experience. Here are a few common extras and some special extras specific to TURBRO Greenland portable air conditioners:

• Timer: Timers can let you set a time to turn on or off the unit automatically to keep the air conditioner working efficiently and lower your energy bill.

• Sleep Mode: In sleep mode, the AC will reduce the fan speed and raise the temperature slightly during the night to provide you with quiet and comfortable sleeping conditions.

• Remote Control: A remote will help you manage your climate control much more conveniently. TURBRO Greenland Portable Air Conditioner have a temperature-sensing remote that can detect the surrounding temperature when you keep it by your side so the AC can achieve a more accurate temperature control and provide a better cooling experience for you.

• Heater: The heating function should be considered if you need heating during winter. The TURBRO Greenland GLP10AC-HU is a 4-in-1 unit delivers powerful relief from the summer heat and brings cozy warmth in winter. You can save space and money while enjoying a comfortable room in all seasons.

• UV-C Light: A UV-C light is built-in into the machine. This function can eliminate harmful pollutants from the air keeping indoor air clean and fresh. Only a few machines feature this function. If you are looking for one, here's our TURBRO Greenland GLP10AC-HU.

• Smart Connectivity: Portable air conditioners with a WiFi function allow you to adjust the settings  from your smartphone. The TURBRO Greenland GLP10AC-SMART is a new model launching later this year that can connect with your smartphone via Alexa and Google Assistant.

If you've decied that a portable air condiitoner is the right choice for you, head over to our product page to check out the different units we have available to meet your specific needs. Stay cool out there!