How to choose an air conditioner for an apartment: 3 simple tips

Three tips on how to go about choosing a suitable air conditioner for your apartment and how portable, window, and wall-mounted air conditioners are best for apartments.

Overview

If you are living in an apartment and are considering investing in an air conditioner, you should know that it may be difficult to get just any air conditioner. It is rather best to find one that is suited to an apartment-living set up.

If your apartment came with an air conditioning system already installed in it, this is a huge advantage. Those who do not have this privilege, though, will need to know how to go about choosing the right air conditioner for their apartment by carefully considering all their options.

Air conditioners for apartments

With apartment living, some people assume that there are too many restrictions involved in having an air conditioner installed, and that it is too much of a risk for a place you are only renting out. Landlords are also a factor people must consider, specifically whether they will approve of it or not.

Having an air conditioner in your apartment is possible, but you would have to take into account some important considerations about having one and the types of units you can consider.

How to choose an air conditioner for an apartment: 3 simple tips

Apartment spaces are generally not as big as household spaces, so you cannot choose just any air conditioner for your apartment.

You must consider the size of your space to determine the size of the unit you will need in terms of the cooling capacity (BTU) necessary for the size of your home. Measuring the square footage of your space will give you an idea of the size of the unit you will need.

The second thing to consider is setting a budget for purchasing, installing, and running your AC unit. For an apartment set-up you must remember that you are renting the space and so having a reasonable budget for buying the unit and the running costs is important.

The final thing to consider is the type of unit you will need.

AC brand Description Amazon price
Black+Decker Portable air conditioner

Buy it on Amazon
·   Quiet and powerful, with 58dB noise levels at its highest setting

·   Simple and quick installation process

$279.70
GE Electronic Window air conditioner

Buy it on Amazon
·   Low noise operation

·   Designed to cool small spaces of up to 25 square feet, like apartments

$229.00
Keystone Through the wall air conditioner

Buy it on Amazon
·   Energy star rated with a 10.6 EER rati

·   Remote control has a temperature sensing “follow me” setting

$589.00 (cool)

$539.99 (heat/cool)

A portable air conditioner for your apartment

Portable air conditioners can work well in an apartment if they are actually allowed based on the facility management rules.

The reason this may be a concern is because you will need to vent hot air out through a window or the balcony via the venting hose, which needs to be permitted.

In the case that it is, you can get the Black and Decker portable air conditioner starting from $279.70 for the 8 000 BTU size, to $332.95 for the 14 000 BTU size on Amazon, which is perfect for an apartment style living set-up.

Window units for your apartment

A window type air conditioner is another option for your apartment if you have the right type of window, it is allowed by the apartment rules, and the unit can fit into the window with ease.

The GE Electronic window air conditioner is available on Amazon from $229.00 for the 6 000 BTU unit. The unit comes with low noise operation and is a good option for a cooling system suitable for an apartment space.

It is also energy-efficient, meaning you get to save on your budget expenditure of running your unit.

Through the wall air conditioners for your apartment

If you are living in an older building type of apartment, these tend to get very warm during the summer. The units for these apartments are considered one of the most traditional types of air conditioners.

Again, you must first ensure that you can install this unit in your apartment based on your apartment rules.

The Keystone Wall-Mounted air conditioner is a bestseller on Amazon with the 8 000 BTU size unit going for $589.99 for the cool only unit, and the cooling and heating unit going for $539.99.

Final thoughts

Living in an apartment does not mean that you need to suffer through hot summers with no cooling air conditioner to keep your space cool and comfortable. You do, however, need to adhere to rules in terms of the installation of an air conditioner.

It is important to know the size of your space in order to choose the right sized unit for your apartment. You also need to have a budget for the unit and running costs, as well as consider the type of unit you can install according to what is allowed by the facility management.

Leave a Comment