7. Haier 12,000 BTU Portable Air-Conditioner (with Heating Capabilities)

$399.99 at Amazon.com

When facing the dilemma of whether to heat or cool, it’s now more practical than ever to invest in a portable air-conditioning unit that can also serve as a heater. The Haier 12,000 BTU Portable Air-Conditioner makes this especially easy, and operating at 115 volts, it’s perfect to take with you into any room in the house. Here’s the skinny on the setup for this all-weather appliance:

1. As with most portable air-conditioning units, it’s best to let the appliance sit for a minimum of four to six hours after removing it from the box.  This lets the coolant get back into place for effective cooling without damage to the unit. After that, you’re ready to find the nearest outlet capable of providing a 115 volt supply.

2. The included window exhaust kit means that it can sit anywhere in the home where a window is available. Simply extend the double hose out to reach the open window sill and place the window kit directly in the window before closing. You can now run the air conditioner without fear of condensation issues inside the room in which the unit is used.

3. The built-in thermostat lets you adjust the temperature for your corner of the home. If you try to cool a large room, you will find that you will need to run the unit at full-power and it will run continuously. Smaller rooms will benefit from a lower setting and may cycle on and off as the room maintains a lower temperature.

4. For cold days, the unit can be used as a 6,200 BTU heater. There is no need to hook it up to a window for this function–just wheel the unit into any room that needs a warm-up.

I can vouch for the efficiency of the Haier. With a large farm house and no central air, I found that I either had to go without AC altogether or had to pay a phenomenal amount of money to run several window air conditioners at once. The portable unit gave me the freedom to move the cool air into any room I wanted, without the hassle of installation or the ugly view-blocking burden of a permanent window air conditioner. Summers simply require me to roll the unit (which is pretty light) from the living areas in the day to the sleeping areas at night. One to two units (plus ample fans) could keep a house at a tolerable temperature for the majority of summer days.