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Summer is right around the corner and that means things will be heating up. If you are like many people, you have that one room that just does not get as cool as the rest of the house. Perhaps it is the small office you added on or the newly remodeled attic. Whatever the reason you may be in need of one of those cooling 12000 BTU air conditioners for the hot days ahead. There are several options available when it comes to a one-room air conditioner; here are a few tips to help you choose the best option.
12 Air Conditioner Features You Should Know
Below is a summary of Air Conditioner Features you should pay attention to when buying a unit.
BTU Output
This is an air conditioner’s cooling capacity. Selecting the proper BTU output for your space is critical to an air conditioner’s performance.
Energy Star Rating
Qualified air conditioners are at least 10% more energy efficient than the minimum federal government standards.
Variable Speed Fan
Adjustable fans help control noise levels and system efficiencies. Look for an air conditioner that has at least 3 settings. An infinitely adjustable fan can provide even more user functionality and make the air conditioner even more energy star compliant.
Programmable Thermostat and Automatic Timer
Being able to set an air conditioner to run automatically will help it function at its peak efficiencies and setting a timer for it to operate only when you are home are big money-savers in the long run.
Electronic Controls and Digital Display
Gives you greater precision in finding your comfort zone within a 1 degree range.
Dehumidifier Functionality
Some air conditioners with dehumidifier capabilities can provide prolonged comfort during the late Spring and early Fall months when keeping your home cool is not as necessary.
Quiet Mode
The noise level of an air conditioner is once of the largest factors consumers consider before buying. Units with this setting operate at a relative whisper and provide more comfort than just cooling.
Remote Control
Typically units with electronic controls will include a remote. Great for air conditioners placed in larger rooms.
Adjustable or Oscillating Louvers
These can help distribute the air evenly throughout the room. Note that almost all window air conditioners are better at directing air to one side than the other. Keep this in mind when considering the placement of the unit in your home before you make your purchase.
Filters and Air Purifiers
Do not bother with units that have filters that are hard to remove and clean. Look for washable filters instead of replaceable ones when possible. Some air conditioners can act as air purifiers and have ionic cleaning mechanisms. Ionizing the air can boost the performance of your filter (provided it’s clean) and help in air purification. If you have an air conditioner that uses this air purifier technology, electrons are being released which attach to impurities in the air and create ions.
These enlarged particles are then caught in a filter, attach to the ionizer plating, or settle onto the floor and surfaces of your home to be vacuumed up or dusted later.
Chassis Type
There are fixed and slide-out chassis for window air conditioners. Fixed chasses are the most popular and are typically lighter and are installed and removed seasonally. A slide-out chassis is usually found on units that operate through a wall sleeve. This allows the owner to perform maintenance or replacement of their window air conditioner more easily.
Heat Pump Mode
Some Air conditioners can be run in reverse, effectively converting it into a heat pump.
Warranty
If a manufacturer does not stand behind their product, you should not buy it. Look for units that have AT LEAST a 1 year warranty including parts an labor.
12000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner
In some situations, a portable air conditioner is your best option. There are times when a window unit is not feasible, you may live in a building where they are prohibited or simply not have an available window. There are many different models on the market today and they come in a broad range of BTU’s, from 5,000- 15,000 is common.
A 2000 BTU air conditioner is probably not going to be enough, and a 8000 BTU air conditioner will work nicely as it is somewhere in the middle of the range. If you are going to use a portable unit, you want to check the specifications of each model carefully. Older portable units have a catch pan that collects water produced during the cooling process. This will need to be emptied at least once per day and sometimes more often. Newer units are equipped with dehydrators that limit the condensation. For increased versatility choose a unit such as the Soleus PH3-12R-03 which also provides heating capability for the winter months. Most of the lower BTU portable air conditioners use a standard outlet, though some may require a 220 hook up.
12000 BTU Window Air Conditioner
Window units are the most common option for this type of air conditioner – 12,000 BTU. Examples of this type of unit are the Haier 12000 BTU air conditioner, LG 12000 BTU air conditioner and Frigidaire 12000 BTU air conditioner.
Best Haier 12000 BTU Air Conditioner Reviews
Haier makes several 12000 BTU air conditioners. These are mainly portable units. The problem with Haier is they seem to have poor customer service. Consider this a fair warning. Buy a Haier at your own risk, understanding that the warranty they come with might not mean anything. All Haier units of this size are designed to work in four-hundred square feet of space.
1. Haier HPN12XCM 12000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner Review
The Haier HPN12XCM 12000 BTU portable air conditioner comes with three-way adjustable airflow. It has electronic control with a full function remote. It can both humidify and dehumidify as needed. The unit comes with a 12-hour timer for setting when it should run. There are three cooling levels, three fan settings, and the ability to dehumidify without running either other feature. It has an LCD display on the remote unit. The air filter is easy to get to and remove so it can be cleaned as needed. Because this is a portable unit, you get a window exhaust kit so that you don’t need to install a permanent vent for it. This one hundred and sixteen pound unit is sixteen by twenty by thirty-four inches. With quality caster styled wheels this unit can be moved about as needed.
2. Haier HPC12XCR 12000 BTU Portable AC Review
The HPC12XCR portable AC is child- friendly. It uses R-410A refrigerant. It is certified free of lead and mercury. It has a 24-hour timer instead of the 12. The other features are the same as the previous model, including the LED display remote, three cooling and three fan speeds, the ability to humidify and dehumidify as needed, and the window exhaust kit. This unit stands seventeen and three-quarter inches wide, twenty-nine and a half inches tall, and fifteen and a quarter inches deep. This unit is exactly like the HPC12XCR, with the addition of the heating mode. Both units also have full direction caster style wheels.
3. Haier HPC12XHR 12000 BTU portable air conditioner Review
There is one other Haier unit at this BTU level, the HPC12XHR. This window-mounted unit features ultra quiet operation, a 9.8 energy efficiency rating, and full function remote control. This sixty-six pound unit is super compact, designed for simple install into most windows (it is 19 by 20 and 5/32 by 14 and 3/8 inches). It runs on a 115 volt, 60 H circuit. This unit has digital temperature and time displays, a 24-hour timer, three cool and three fan settings, a top discharge airflow pattern, a special oxidation and rust free coil unit, and a fresh air vent coupled with a modern sleek design.
As I mentioned before, Haier tends to have poor customer service. Where the majority of reviewers rate them very low is when the units break and are under warranty. In most cases, the company will not promptly repair the unit or if they do, it often costs more for parts than the unit originally was bought for. If you need a short-term cooling solution, Haier makes great products.
If you need an air conditioner for a baby’s room, Haier can promise you that the child will not be exposed to lead or Mercury, which might make a Haier 12000 BTU Air Conditioner something worth getting, because a far as I know they are the only brand that can make this claim.
Best LG 12000 BTU Air Conditioner Reviews
If you are seeking an energy efficient 12000 BTU air conditioner, you might want to consider the units made by LG Electronics.
Designed to fit a window opening from twenty-seven to thirty-nine inches with a height of sixteen inches or more, LG 12000 BTU Air Conditioner units are a little larger than some others.
1. LG LW1216ER 12000 BTU Window Air Conditioner Review
LG LW1216ER is suitable to cool a room of about five hundred and fifty square feet. This is a little smaller than other brands with the same BTU rating. In contrast, the units from Frigidaire that are the same size will cool a room that is ninety square feet larger. However, this unit is among the most energy efficient out there with an EER of 10.8.
This energy star product has met strict energy efficient regulations set forth by the EPA and the United States Department of Energy when used to cool a room that is twelve by twenty-five feet. Unlike some other units that are 12,000 British Thermal Units in power, this air conditioner runs on a 115 volt, fifteen-amp circuit. At under ninety pounds, the LG’s 12000 Btu LW1216ER model should be fairly easy for a couple of people working together to install with the included window installation kit.
The LW1216ER has a washable filter. The unit features four-way air directional flow, three fan speeds and three cooling settings accessed through the electronic control pad or the remote control device. This easy to operate unit also has an easy to read digital display. The remote allows for temperature adjustment from anywhere in the room. It also has a twelve-hour timer. One reviewer noted that this unit is adjustable by the degree and is very accurate. It has a powerful dehumidifier that can be run with or without cooling the air. You can run the fan for air circulations with or without the outside vents open. Plus the energy saver mode actually shuts the unit off to save energy.
The ability to deliver a soothing and agreeable level of cooling without any harsh air movement while maintaining an energy cost that will not shock the wallet is one of the best reasons to consider this unit over others of the same BTU level. Those who have rated this unit like that it is quiet and that the warranty seems to be very favorable to the product lasting well. This company makes all their products in the United States, supporting their domestic economy.
2. LG LW1216HR 12000 BTU Window Air Conditioner Review
Be careful when looking at LG 12000 BTU Air Conditioner units, as the company also makes the LW1216HR. This unit is not as energy efficient (EER is 9.8) nor does it cool off as large a space (400 sq feet), but there is a reason for this as you will see. It pays to compare and shop around to find the best model even if you do insist on the LG brand. The LW1216HR does have heating and cooling settings making it nice for areas where you need to have four-season temperature control. Plus it comes with a whopping five-year warranty. So if you need a heating/ cooling unit and want it all in one, the LW1216HR might be a great deal for you. It has two heat and two cool settings plus a fan for circulation, the 12-hour timer, a remote and the same digital degree-by-degree setting ability.
In conclusion, if you decide to go for an LG 12000 BTU Air Conditioner model, keep in mind to consider the square footage of the space it will cool and the general efficiency of the unit.
Best Frigidaire 12000 BTU Air Conditioner Reviews
The Frigidaire 12000 BTU air conditioner is known for quality, reliability, and last-ability.If you need to cool right around six-hundred and forty square feet of space and want a Frigidaire you have several options. Note that you will want to look at 12000 Btu air conditioners (or more) for this size of space.
1. Frigidaire FFRA1222U1 12000 BTU Air Conditioner Review
Depending on your needs, you can select from several models with this rating. The seventy-nine pound FFRA1222U1 is a compact version, sized at just twenty-one and a quarter, by nineteen by fourteen and a half inches. This is one of Frigidaire’s window air conditioners. The unit’s mounting kit allows it to fit in windows that are from twenty-three to thirty-six inches wide and at least fourteen and a quarter high. It features low voltage compensation, a tilt-out filter for easily cleaning, electronic controls with a remote unit with a number of modes to fit various needs and eight-way air direction. With an energy efficiency rating of 9.8, a 24-hour timer, filter-check reminder, and full one year warranty, this is one nice full featured air conditioning unit.
3. Frigidaire FFRE1233S1 12000 BTU Air Conditioner Review
Another option is the FFRE1233S1. This model of room air conditioners is designed for a narrower window, up to 15 and a half inches wide and from 21 to 40 inches tall. The unit itself works on standard household power and comes with a vertical mounting kit. What it lacks is a remote, relying on touching the electronic controls. It does have a 3-speed fan, a 24-hour timer, and several modes. The energy-efficiency rating is 10.9.
No matter what your need, there is a Frigidaire 12000 BTU air conditioner that can provide you with a nice cool room.
Conclusion
Whether you are a die-hard Frigidaire customer or are willing to consider other brands such as LG or Haier, there are many different options available online and off. One of the most important things to do before seeking the perfect yet cheap air conditioner is get an accurate measurement for the room you want to cool. For a 300 square foot room, or – according to some – even 650 sq. ft. room, a 12000 BTU air conditioner will work very well.
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