The weather is heating up, and air conditioner prices might do the same. If your old air conditioner is on the fritz or you want an upgrade, you might want to get one before demand surges this summer. Here are some of the most reputable air conditioners I could find for under $200.
Please bear in mind that you need to select the right size air conditioner for your room. Don’t over or undersize it to save money or for convenience.
A higher EER results in lower power consumption.
1. Frigidaire FFRA0511R1: A 115 Volt 5,000 BTU Window Unit
EER: 11.2.
If you live in a college dormitory or a tiny hot bedroom under 150 square feet (in the U.S.), Frigidaire has you covered with the super, duper cheap FFRA0511R1 window air conditioner. It’s price point is not only among the lowest for a popular name brand, but it’s ratings are a decent 4 out of 5 stars. It has extremely simple controls, a plus for those who don’t like being dazzled by numerous buttons and knobs.
The EER of this unit is 11.2, which is average for a unit of this price point. The EER helps you to compare the power consumption of air conditioners. A higher EER generally translates to lower energy usage (it gets more complicated if comparing inverter to non-inverter units, but we won’t do that in this article). So you can divide the BTU rating of 5,000 by 11.5 to determine that this unit is 434.7 Watts. It offers up to 1.1 pints of dehumidification per hour.
2. Whirlpool WHAW050BW: A 115 Volt 5,000 BTU Window Unit
EER: 11.
If you prefer Whirlpool, they offer a 5,000 BTU window air conditioner for the same price as the Frigidaire above. It is rated at 4 1/2 out of 5 stars, but it only has 6 reviews at the time this article was written, as opposed to the 2,200+ reviews the Frigidaire has on Amazon.
This means that the Frigidaire rating more accurately reflects user sentiment because of the sheer number of people that were satisfied with it. If you don’t like the more rounded, intricate look of the Frigidaire and prefer a more traditional design, this Whirlpool fits the bill. To me, it looks a little more solid. It offers up to 1.06 pints of dehumidification per hour and has an EER of 11 (that works out to 454 Watts).
3. Frigidaire FFRE0633S1: A 115 Volt 6,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner
EER: 12.2.
If you’re in the market for an energy-efficient 6,000 BTU air conditioner that’s a little more sophisticated, the Frigidaire FFRE0633S1 offers a remote control, a filter cleaning indicator, and a nice backlit LCD screen. This unit can cool rooms up to 250 square feet (in the U.S.) and offers dehumidification at up to 1.3 pints per hour. It’s EER is also considerably better than average, that’s great news for your electric bill! This is a 491 Watt unit.
This unit is rated at 4 out of 5 stars and there were 242 Amazon reviews at the time of this writing.
Frigidaire image credits: Frigidaire.
Whirlpool image credit: Home Depot.
