Looking for relief from summer heat and humidity? The window air conditioner is almost as common of an appliance as the toaster, and there are a lot of options to choose from. But if you're tired of buying "mystery brand" units that rattle and roar, guzzle electricity, and tend to die pretty quickly, then you might be interested in choosing a name brand for your next window AC. We've chosen products from Frigidaire, GE, LG, and specialty brand Friedrich to help you choose the best brand and model for your needs!

A 5,000 BTU air conditioner is about as small as you can get in window or portable units. Of course, we recommend that you make sure you've chosen the right size of air conditioner because even if it's cheap, it won't do you any good if it's too underpowered to cool your space.

It's a relief to exchange snow tires for regular tires, boots for sandals, and sweaters for short sleeves, isn't it? And yet... sometimes, no matter how much we appreciate summer, there are a few downsides. If you have a large space to cool down, a 10,000 BTU window air conditioner is a great way to do it. These powerful ACs can handle 350-450 square feet, and many options are still 115/120 volt rather than requiring a 220-volt setup.

We've chosen four popular models from great brands to help you decide. Choosing an air conditioner from an established brand helps ensure that you get a solid warranty and that the unit gives you many seasons of performance.

After winter frosts and snows melt into spring slush, we welcome the heat of summer... to a point. A 6,000 BTU air conditioner is the perfect size for a bedroom, small play room, or home office, and will generally suit small rooms up to 250 square feet (read more about air conditioner sizes here). Although there are lots of cheap air conditioners out there that tend to pop up in stores around the summer months, choosing an AC unit from an established brand can ensure that you end up with a model that is quieter, energy efficient, and more reliable. 

If you are searching for a new window AC unit, you should know that not all air conditioners are created equally. Window air conditioners have become a commodity in the appliance industry and are manufactured under many brand names. These branded air conditioners are available for purchase anywhere from the drugstore to the supermarket, with brand names that you either have never heard of or associate with some other product or industry. These brands usually have no service or parts support after the sale and are made to sell at a lower price with lower end features and quality.

However, there are alternatives to these "disposable" air conditioners: brands like Friedrich and Frigidaire. In our window air conditioner review below we will focus on these two great brands.

Ah, summer: popsicles, cold drinks, sunscreen... But when hot, muggy days turn into hot, muggy nights, it can be hard to enjoy the heat! Window air conditioners are perfect for those of us who live in temperate climates since they can be stored away when the chill of winter creeps back in. 

Crank out windows can be a bummer when the summer heat hits. Also referred to as "slider" windows and "casement" windows, the common window air conditioner won't work here. Typical window air conditioners are wider than they are tall, and they won't fit into a casement window. And unfortunately you can't just tip a normal AC unit on its side for use in a narrower window. 

Dealing with crank out windows can definitely be a hassle. Even if a typical window air conditioner will fit into a slider window gap, you'll need to DIY a support system to keep it in place - and there are plenty of DIY projects online of people doing this!

There are a limited number of casement air conditioners available, so you'll have to compare the cost (both the upfront cost as well as the time and energy of installing it) against using a portable air conditioner instead! (For more information on ACs, check out our air conditioner buying guide.)

I wrote the first draft of this blog post during winter - and despite my longing for blue skies and sun, I knew that, come summertime, I'd be knocked flat by the heat and humidity! If you're as heat intolerant as I am, you might be desperately researching air conditioners to get you through the summer months. (Check out our air conditioner buying guide if you want even more information!)

I'm here to help you decide between portable AC vs window AC units. The short answer is: portable ACs don't work as well, but sometimes they're the only option. Now, let's dig into the details...

Is your old air conditioner getting noisy, or are you sick of how much electricity it guzzles down every summer? Today's energy efficient air conditioner options can help cut down on these costs. Once you know what size air conditioner you need, it's not too hard to figure out what models offer the best energy efficiency.

Which model is the most efficient depends greatly on the size of air conditioner you need, so we won't be making product recommendations in this article. We recommend that you use the Energy Star calculators linked below to sort through products that meet your BTU capacity needs and other must-have features. (For more info on choosing a new AC, check out our air conditioner buying guide.)

There are a lot of things we look forward to in the summer, like the sun setting at 8PM instead of 5PM, but on hot, muggy days you might catch yourself wishing for November! Keeping comfortable with an air conditioner helps us appreciate summer with a little less sweat. Although it can be tempting to grab the closest (and cheapest) air conditioner you can find, figuring out what size air conditioner you need can help you spend your money wisely and get great results.