A portable air conditioner heater is practical for nearly any environment. Many people assume that these units are only for houses but they are really ideal for an office, dorm, garage and attic as well. Adding a heater to a cooling unit is nothing short of brilliant, especially if you have a small space or not a lot of storage. Why have a separate air conditioner and space heater when you can have one unit that can stay out all the time.
Determine the BTU Capacity You Need
The first thing you need to do is determine the BTU capacity that you need to comfortably cool and heat your space. Now, there are exceptions to consider. If your room receives no shelter from the cold winter wind, you may need to go up in capacity to keep the space warm. This goes for the hot summer sun as well. Alternatively, if you are surrounded by buildings or tall evergreens that help in winter or if you have a beautiful shade tree in the summer, you can likely go down in capacity.
Choose a Eco-friendly Product
If you are buying a unit to use for heating and cooling purposes, clearly it is going to be used a lot! Why not choose one that is energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly? Not only is this going to ultimately end up saving you money on your energy bill, you won’t increase your carbon footprint so much by using it.
The Whynter ARC-12SDH is a recommended pick! It uses lead-free components, CFC-free R-410A refrigerant and features a dual hose for energy-efficient operation. All this equals reduced energy bills, less impact on the environment and cleaner air in your space.
Features to Look For
Once you determine the BTU capacity that you need, you will want to review the features of the products.
• Autodrain – Ideally, you won’t have to even worry about your unit overflowing. Look for one that makes good use of the moisture in the air.
• Auto Restart – There is nothing worse than coming home to a freezing cold or super-hot space because the power went out. A model like the Whynter ARC-14SH has an automatic restart so even if the power goes off for a few seconds or several hours, it will turn back on.
• Quiet – Do you want to have to turn the volume up on the television or go in the other room when you are on your phone because your heater or air conditioner is too loud? Look for one that offers quiet operation.
Other thoughtful features you may enjoy having on your portable air conditioner heater include a remote control, casters, variable fan speeds, 24-hour programmable timer, LCDI plug and a full thermostatic control.
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