With the hotter months quickly approaching, the heat might be on to find the right air conditioner to keep your home feeling cool. But ACs can also be costly — many of the models we’ve previously covered range from $300 to $400. These higher-end ACs tend to have more features — this LG air conditioner is Wi-Fi-enabled and works with voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t find an affordable AC that can work well for your space. And a window AC could be an option for those who want to install a more permanent cooling setup as opposed to what portable and personal ACs offer, as Shopping contributor Lauren Levy previously explained. To help you on your search for a window AC unit, we gathered affordable choices under $200 from Shopping favorite retailers including Amazon, Wayfair and Walmart.
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Best affordable window air conditioners
The cooling capacity of air conditioners is measured in BTUs, or British thermal units. According to the experts we previously spoke to, you want an AC unit with around 20 BTUs per square foot of living space. All of the models we found have BTUs around 5,000. Keep in mind that the affordable ACs we found are designed for smaller rooms and feature manual dials (none are remote-controlled).
Beyond the window ACs below, you can find many more affordable models at retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Wayfair, Best Buy and The Home Depot — all of which offer a variety of styles and sizes.
GE 5,050 BTU 115-Volt Mechanical Window Air Conditioner
This General Electric (GE) AC is designed for small spaces that are up to 150 square feet in size. The 36-pound model features two cooling settings and two fanning speeds — the strength of the speeds can be controlled through a cooling system that ranges from one to 10. The brand recommends the filter on this AC be cleaned out every 30 days. It’s a popular pick with Wayfair shoppers, earning an average 4.6-star rating over more than 700 reviews.
Toshiba 5,000 BTU 115-Volt Window Air Conditioner
From well-known technology company Toshiba, this AC boasts an average 4.2-star rating over more than 1,300 reviews at The Home Depot. The bestselling unit features four modes — low cool, high cool, low fan and high fan — and a temperature control button with “Min Cool” and “Max Cool” settings that you can toggle between.
Black + Decker 5,000 BTU Window Air Conditioner
Similar to other affordable models, this window AC unit features four speeds (two fanning and two cooling modes) and a button to control the temperature, with a cooling scale ranging from one to seven. This model is designed for windows that are at least 14.5 inches in height. It has earned an average 4.5-star rating over more than 200 reviews on Wayfair.
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Whirlpool 5,000 BTU 115V Window-Mounted Air Conditioner
Whirlpool’s window AC is designed for rooms that are up to 150 square feet in size. It features the same controls as the aforementioned Black + Decker model with a similar range in speeds and temperature. Notably, the model also includes 8-way directional air flow and can act as a dehumidifier. The brand recommends the filter be rinsed every couple of weeks.
LG Electronics 5,000 BTU 115-Volt Window Air Conditioner
This LG model boasts an average 4.2-star rating over more than 1,200 reviews at The Home Depot. It’s designed to cool areas that are up to 150 square feet in size. The AC also features two cooling settings and two fanning speeds, along with two-way air deflection and humidity control. It can fit windows that range from 21 to 35 inches in width and 12 inches in height.
Emerson Quiet Kool 5,000 BTU 115V Window Air Conditioner
Currently in the top five bestsellers for window ACs on Amazon, this top-rated model is designed to be quiet. It includes two dials for speed and temperature, along with a dehumidifying feature that claims to remove up to a little more than a pint of moisture from the air per hour and 8-way airflow slats. It has an average 4.3-star rating over more than 900 reviews.
Emerson also makes a similar AC under $200 that’s not as highly rated but comes with a remote control and a special function for sleep that automatically adjusts the temperature overnight.
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