CONSUMER REPORTS -- Consumer Reports groups air conditioners into three main sizes based on BTUs and the size of the room needing cooling, which you’ll also find listed on most air conditioners.
SMALL: rooms that are 100 to 300 square feet
MEDIUM: rooms that are 250 to 400 square feet
LARGE: rooms that are 350 to 650 square feet.
Consumer Reports’ special lab for window air conditioners tests the machines with a set point of 75 degrees. Sounds easy, but testers challenge the air conditioners to cool a room that’s 90 degrees with nearly 60 percent humidity.
Another factor in CR’s scoring: an accurate thermostat. How accurate it is saves you money. If the air conditioner is thinking that it’s still trying to hit 75 degrees even though it’s actually at a room temperature of 71 degrees, it’s running longer than it needs to and wasting electricity.
The best air conditioners in Consumer Reports’ tests can cool a room in about 15 minutes or less, keep the temperature consistent and—the best part—don’t necessarily cost more money, either.
For small rooms, consider the Amana AMAP061BW for $200.
For a medium-sized room, Consumer Reports recommends the GE AHS08LX for $250, available at Lowe’s.
And for rooms at least 350 to 650 square feet, the LG LW1216ER for $350 is a winner.
Consumer Reports says consider an A/C with a programmable setting or timer, or one that’s WiFi-enabled so you can come home to a cool house.
And remember, whether you’re buying a new air conditioner this year or maintaining an older one, be sure to clean the filter once a month. The cleaner the filter, the less work the unit has to do and the longer it will run, which will save you money.