Annoyingly, every time I turn it on, it forgets my preferred settings. It's one of the louder window units on this list (around 65 decibels). You'll notice its effects quickly, but it does take some time to cool the whole space. It's a smaller 6,000 BTU model and can cool rooms up to 250 square feet-it cooled my 150 square-foot bedroom so well (with the door closed) I had to throw on blankets in the middle of the night. GE doesn't include a bracket, but I still found it easy to install. If that's the case, I've had a pretty great experience with this model over the span of a year. Essentially, you pay less in electrical bills over time with one of those over this GE model, which has an 11.1 CEER rating. The higher the rating, the better 15 is one of the highest ratings you'll find. The CEER measures the unit's cooling capacity as compared to the power input, in both cooling and in standby mode. For example, the Midea, Frigidaire, and LG AC units in this guide each have a Combined Energy-Efficiency Ratio (CEER) of 15. The cheaper you go, the fewer features you'll get, and the less efficient the unit will be. I recommend you ditch the vague steps in the manual and watch this video from the company instead (I found it more helpful). The only main kink is the installation process, which isn't as easy to follow along as I'd like. It's the window AC we've tested for the longest time (three years) and it has performed exceptionally well with minimal maintenance (Midea's app will even tell you when to clean the filter). It cools down a room pretty quickly and can connect to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, meaning you can turn it on remotely before you get home. The AC itself is among the quietest we've tested since most of its components are housed in the part of the machine that sits outside the window. Midea provides lots of foam padding to seal off the few remaining gaps. This helps in a few ways: There's less of a gap around the sides, so your precious cold air won't seep out, and it also means you get better soundproofing. Per the name, this Midea unit also has a big notch between the front and back, allowing you to pull your window deep into the unit. That lets you open up the window without worrying that the AC will fall out. It comes with a bracket that balances the AC's weight by leaning against the exterior wall of your home. Window air conditioners usually mean you lose the ability to open the window, but that's no issue with Midea's U-Shaped AC ( 8/10, WIRED Recommends). Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day. This includes unlimited access to and our print magazine (if you'd like). Special offer for Gear readers: Get a 1-Year Subscription to WIRED for $5 ($25 off). Updated July 2023: We've added the Frigidaire Gallery U-Shape AC and EcoFlow Wave 2. ![]() Be sure to read our How to Stay Cool Without Air Conditioning guide for tips on keeping your home chilly without mounting an AC. However, there’s a ginormous number of these machines out there on the market from a dizzying number of brands-we’ll keep testing more and update this guide as we go. The window AC units in this guide are ones we’ve tested for months, if not years. But it’s important to stay cool during these hot months, or it can seriously affect your sleep. The planet is warming up because of climate change, and even the best window air conditioners contribute to this. I feel a pang of guilt when I turn mine on. They’re heavy machines but are relatively easy to install, and they immediately provide relief to your swelteringly hot space. ![]() If you don’t have central air in your home, a window air conditioner is the next best thing. ![]() Unlike in the winter, when you can just bundle up to stay warm, there are only so many clothes you can strip off to cool down.
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