Originally Posted By Bigger_Hammer:


Like the Grid?

We kept two to have "cool caves" by running on a generator for Storm / Hurricane situations after Hurricane IKE.  They were priceless as our electricity (& thus whole house A/C) was out for over 20 days.

Having a room(s) with A/C can make recovery in a hurricane situation much better, especially if you have a family member medically susceptible to heat & humidity.

Bigger_Hammer

Originally Posted By frankjt:
We keep one around for backup in case of power outages or hvac issues. We also have one at our farmhouse to supplement the air in one bedroom.

A window unit is more efficient, but portable will cool a bedroom. The portable unit is constantly blowing air out the window, so it's pulling more unconditioned air into the room. It also radiates more heat into the room you're trying to cool.

We've had varied results on condensation depending on the unit. I'm not sure if some have less water output by design (more evaporating and discharging through the window vent) or if the ones with higher output are better dehumidifiers. The one we have now puts out a surprising amount of water.

All this said, if it's a temp solution that won't stay in place when your central air is fixed, I'd get a portable so you can put in a closet or shed when not in use. Mine comes out around once a year on average, but it's worth its weight in gold when we need it. We've bought the cheapest high but units we could find at Sam's or Amazon warehouse.

Originally Posted By brahm:
@Kitties-with-Sigs sorry for the stress i am about to put on your analysis paralysis.

todays home depot specials include a bunch of portable air conditioners.

https://www.homedepot.com/SpecialBuy/SpecialBuyOfTheDay