The smallest portable air conditioners for small room use are quiet and do a good job cooling off a bedroom, small office or other space under about 350 square feet.
Small portable air conditioners range in output from 6,000 to 10,000 using the standard rating system, and there’s a discussion on this page about how much cooling they can really do.
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The Best Small Portable ACs are Here
We have chosen the smallest standing air conditioner models available – and they are highly rated for quality and cooling performance. Browse your options below, and choose the small floor air conditioner best suited to your needs.
Small Portable Air Conditioner BTU Ratings
Pick HVAC covers this topic at length on another page.
SACC BTU DOE vs ASHRAE in Portable AC
The key thing to know here is that there are two ratings systems. The old system, which is still the standard for window air conditioners, no longer applies to portable ACs, but it is still used in advertising.
Because these units sit inside your home, some of the heat they pull from the air leaks back into your home before it can be exhausted out the window. And that reduces the total BTUs of heat they can move. As a result, the new BTU ratings for portable air conditioners range from 50% to 75% of the old ratings, depending on the model.
Terminology: ASHRAE is the old rating; DOE SACC is the new rating. You might see just DOE or SACC used for the new rating.
Now you know!
So, if maximum cooling power for a small room is your top priority, consider a small window AC for your space!
Next on this page, you will find 6 of the highest rated and smallest standing air conditioner models, aka portable air conditioners.
They are listed by their best use:
- Small quietest portable air conditioner for bedroom
- Cheap small portable air conditioner
- Most efficient small portable AC
- Small portable air conditioner and heater
- Small portable air conditioner for camping
- Portable air conditioner with small exhaust hose
Smallest Portable Air Conditioner for Small Room Options
Use our reviews and information to research the right small portable air conditioner for your room. Select the Price button to get more info plus see your buying options.
LG 6000 BTU (DOE) Portable AC
Small Quietest Portable Air Conditioner for Bedroom
Item Dimensions (LxWxH): 13.27 x 17.32 x 27.36 inches
This unit is super-quiet at just 51 decibels, one of the quietest portable air conditioners made in any size.
And all moisture removed from the air is evaporated out the exhaust hose, so the reservoir doesn’t have to be emptied.
LG makes fantastic portable ACs including several highly rated small floor air conditioner models. This one has casters that make it very easy to move into place and from room to room.
The 6000 BTU capacity, rated by the DOE SACC standards, delivers a lot of cooling and drying of the air to make it more comfortable.
Best Use: It is ideal for a bedroom or nursery, anywhere someone is sleeping. And because it is a quiet portable AC, it is a good choice as a small office air conditionerSize & coverage: 6000 BTU – DOE rating, up to 250 square feet
Features: Wheels/casters, AC/Fan-only/Dehumidify (dries air without chilling it) modes, Low/High AC and fan settings, LCD Remote and 24-hour Timer. Humidity is exhausted – it doesn’t collect in a tank that has to be emptied.
Hoses: 1
Moisture removal: 2.43 pints per hour.
Weight: 54 pounds
EUHOMY 5000 BTU (DOE) Portable AC
Cheap Small Portable Air Conditioner
Item Dimensions (LxWxH): 15.2 x 14.3 x 33.3 inches
This cheap small portable air conditioner is affordable but gets excellent ratings for quality and reliability. That makes it a very good value.
Its compact size also means it should be considered as a small portable air conditioner for RV/camper use. It plugs into any standard 110/120V outlet.
The remote has the new Follow Me/I Sense technology. This means that the remote communicates with the AC. The result is that the air conditioning will keep running until the sensor in the remote is satisfied that the air temperature is as cool as you want it to be. Keep the remote near you to ensure that the air around you is comfortable.
This is an evaporative unit, so you will likely only have to empty a tank in extremely humid weather.
Best Use: Bedroom, small living room, home office, dorm room, tiny house or RV/camper. Can be used as a small portable air conditioner for boats that have a cabin and 110/120V power. This is the smallest standing air conditioner on the list, ideal for places where space is tight!
Features: Casters/wheels, Self-evaporation – reduces need to empty the tank, Remote control with I Sense sensor, Sleep Mode, AC/Dry/Fan-only Modes.
Size & coverage: 5000 BTU according to the new DOE/SACC ratings. It will keep up to 225 square feet cool. The product literature says up to 300 square feet, that is using the out-of-date BTU rating of 9000.
Hoses: 1
Moisture removal: 2.7 pints per hour – better dehumidification than most portable air conditioners this size.
Weight: 48 pounds.
Whynter ARC-110WD Dual Hose Portable AC
Most Efficient Small Portable AC
Item Dimensions (LxWxH): 17.3 x 15.4 x 30.5 inches
This is a dual hose portable air conditioner. A dual hose design does a better job removing heat without drawing heat back into the space from somewhere else. That makes a dual hose portable AC more efficient.
Whynter might be the best all-around portable air conditioner brand for quality, dependability and features. And this one is fairly quiet at 56 decibels.
While there are no Energy Star portable air conditioner models, this one is quite efficient and should keep your energy costs under control.
Best Use: Wherever energy costs are high. This is a good choice for any room in your home, and makes an excellent small apartment air conditioner or small air conditioner for garage use where insulation is poor, and you need higher efficiency to keep energy use low.
Features: Dual hoses for faster, more efficient cooling. Its EER (energy efficiency rating) is very good at 6.7 EER. Caster wheels, Remote with all functions, Thermostatic control for temperature accuracy, 24-hour Timer is programmable, 4 fan speeds and 4 Modes – AC/Fan/Dehumidify/Auto. It is self-evaporative, so you probably won’t have to empty the tank often, if at all.
Size & coverage: 6390 BTUs using the DOE/SACC rating system. It should be enough to cool 300-350 square feet maximum.
Hoses: 2
Moisture removal: 3.375 pints per hour
Weight: 65 pounds
Research tip: Amazon and other sellers – even the manufacturers sometimes – don’t mention the EER efficiency ratings, because they aren’t very high for portable ACs. However, if the SACC BTUs and the watts used are listed, divide BTUs by watts. In this case, 6930 BTUs / 1040 watts = 6.7 EER.
SereneLife SLACHT108 Portable Air Conditioner
Small Portable Air Conditioner and Heater
Item Dimensions (LxWxH): 13.4 x 17.4 x 32.1 inches
This is the highest rated portable air conditioner with heat – and the heat is very efficient compared to a space heater.
This unit offers 6000 BTU of cooling when using the new DOE rating. And you’ll enjoy 9000 BTU of heating. This SereneLife portable AC is quiet too.
This quiet portable AC has a noise level of 52 to 56 decibels. Its EER efficiency rating is quite good at 5.2.
Best Use: In rooms where both air conditioning and heating are needed during the year. If you have a bedroom that doesn’t stay as warm as you’d like it to be, this unit will do the job. And if you have a 1-car or 1.5-car garage with some insulation, this makes an excellent small air conditioner for garage use.
Features: 4 Modes – AC, Heat, Dehumidify and Fan-only plus a separate Sleep mode which can be used with any of the other modes. Turn on Swing, and the louvers move to disperse air from side to side. Remote digital control includes most functions for convenience. 24-hour programmable timer.
Size & coverage: 6000 BTU of cooling for up to 350 square feet. The heating should be used just to supplement a central or other heat source such as a gas furnace or heat pump. But it will raise the temperature to a comfortable level in space up to 400 square feet.
Hoses: 1
Moisture removal: 3.1 pints per hour
Weight: 57 pounds
Shopping tip: This small portable air conditioner for small room use is available in a smaller size without heat and a larger size with heat. Check the price, and select the size you want.
Midea 5,300 BTU (DOE) Portable AC
Small Portable Air Conditioner for Camping
Item Dimensions (LxWxH): 13 x 17.1 x 28.3 inches
Midea is the world’s top-selling brand of small floor air conditioner models like this one. Consumer ratings for this unit are very high.
This is a compact unit that won’t take up much floor space in your camper or other recreational vehicle (RV).
Best Use: It’s a great size for campers from 16 to 30 feet. This small portable air conditioner for RV/camper use does a good job in your home too, when you’re not out on the road. At home, consider it for use as a bedroom or small office air conditioner.
Features: Full-function Remote. Casters for moving on any flooring. 3 Modes – AC, Dry and Fan-only. 24-hour adjustable timer. Low-cool setting of 62F. Its efficiency is 5.7 EER, a little higher than average for portable ACs.
Size & coverage: 5300 BTU according to the DOE new ratings. It will serve up to 175 square feet.
Hoses: 1
Moisture removal: Not available, but most models this size remove 2 to 2.5 pints per hour.
Weight: 54 pounds
Shopping tip: This unit is produced in several other sizes and colors. One model has WiFi and voice control with Alexa. Select the Price button, browse your options and select the models that fit your camper size or room in your home that needs a best quality portable air conditioner.
Black + Decker 8000 Portable AC (4000 BTU DOE)
Portable Air Conditioner with Small Exhaust Hose
Item Dimensions (LxWxH): 11.5 x 16.5 x 26 inches
This small portable AC for small room use is a #1 best seller on Amazon.
But we chose it for its compact design with a window kit and hose that can fit into small windows.
Best Use: When window space is tight, this is a good choice. The window kit is adjustable. This Black + Decker room AC has a small footprint. It works well too as a portable air conditioner for small basement window locations.
Features: This compact portable AC is self-evaporative, so you will rarely if ever have to empty its reservoir. It is loaded with features – Timer (24 hours), 3 Modes: AC, Dry, Heat (supplemental heat for rooms not adequately heated by a central heating source), Noise level of just 51-53 decibels. Low/Med/Hi settings. Self-evaporating. Full-function remote. EER rating is 4.2.
Size & coverage: The DOE BTU rating is 4000 BTU, ideal for up to 150 square feet. If the space is really hot or humid, expect it to work well in up to 100 or 125 square feet.
Hoses: 1
Moisture removal: N/A. Estimated to be about 1.7 pints per hour.
Weight: 53 pounds.
Choosing the Right Size
You’re on this page because you are interested in a small portable air conditioner for small room use.
But there might be reasons to choose one that is a little bigger than you think you might need.
Go up 1000 to 2000 BTUs if any of these factors fit your situation.
- Your ceilings are more than 8 feet high
- The room faces south or west and gets really hot in the afternoon
- The room is a kitchen, and you run the AC when cooking (and the stove or range heats up the space)
- You use it in a crowded room or camper – bodies heat up the space quite a bit!
Portable Air Conditioners vs Window Air Conditioners
You might be sold on a portable AC that you can move from room to room or take with you in your RV or on a boat.
But keep these points in mind.
Portable AC Pros and Cons
Portable units are easier to move from room to room than window air conditioners, but they might be harder to get to a room on an upper floor.
These units don’t stick out the window as much, so they’re more visually appealing from outdoors.
A portable AC window kit doesn’t block as much of the view as a window AC.
The major concern is efficiency. Portable air conditioners are not as effective or efficient as window air conditioners. This is why the DOE came up with a new rating system for them.
Window AC Pros and Cons
Window air conditioners are more efficient. There are many Energy Star certified window ACs – there are zero Energy Star portable air conditioners.
Window ACs come in more sizes and range all the way to 25,000 BTU, cooling capacity enough for about 1000 square feet. But that’s probably not what you’re looking for right now.
These room ACs can be quite compact – fitting into windows with a minimum opening 18” wide and about 13” high.
If you want to research and shop for small window ACs before making a final decision, here is a good place to start.
Top 11 Smallest Window Air Conditioners for Small Room
