Check farmers markets for second hand ones, usually very cheap and just need a little cleaning. Look up the units while you are there and check the room size it will cover.
this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2025
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I mean, can't you just cordon off the hot room and deal with it in the fall? My family did that, I will do it with our master sometimes. If it's too hot home just can't cool everything effectively, so I just close the door to our master and we camp out in the living room on extremely hot days. Uses less power and there's really no real loss.
All I can really say is to avoid the floor models, since they put the hot part of the conditioner inside your home, thus have to work a lot harder
See Technology Connections (Piped) for an informational video
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I know it's a considerable cost increase and installation, but still way cheaper than upgrading your central A/C, and way more efficient, quiet, elegant than a window unit: add a mini-split to the room. I added a Mitsubishi to our hot office with tons of electronics and it's one of the best home investments I made.
Be aware that most window A/C units are power hogs. Expect to see a significant rise in your power bill. It might be cheaper to have your home A/C unit serviced instead. Could it be low on freon? Would it benefit from having the coils cleaned?
They’re mostly all made in one or two factories in China. Midea and another one.
When it comes time to replace the AC, consider getting one that’s reversible and runs as a heat pump. You don’t need to use it, but it shouldn’t cost much more and gives you flexibility.
Make sure you buy one with enough cooling power to cool the room it's in. If it's a small bedroom you'll want 5,000-8,000 BTU and if it's a larger area like a living room you'll probably want 12,000-14,000 BTU.
I just put a 12,000 BTU unit in my living room because it's open to the kitchen and it's about 550ft².
A good rule of thumb is 20 BTU per Ft², so my 550ft² living room/kitchen area would require at least 11,000 BTU.
What's your budget? There are a lot of options to narrow down. I have an amazing unit that was around 400 bucks but you can find reliable ones a quarter of that price, or 4x.
What size is your central AC (usually measured in "tons") and what's the total area of the space you're trying to condition? Single story or multiple stories?