As is the case for many people, my home cannot be retrofitted with central air. My 100-plus-year-old Brooklyn apartment, which features prominently in my seven years of air quality reporting for WIRED, relies on window air conditioning units to keep cool on our warming planet. While there is the obvious paradox that air conditioners are players in climate change, AC units are evolving with more environmentally safe refrigerants, eco modes, smart apps, modern design, and energy-efficient consumption.
That is to say, while I prefer to keep my AC units turned off, on hot days, my top-floor apartment’s temperature will climb to the upper 90s without the support of air conditioning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 700 people die every year in the United States due to extreme heat. The elderly, young children, pregnant women, and those with existing medical conditions are especially vulnerable.
The number one recommendation from the CDC during extreme heat events is to stay inside an air-conditioned location. The World Health Organization warns that while electric fans can move air onto the body to create a sort of wind-chill effect, when it's 104 degrees Fahrenheit or above, they can actually increase your body temperature. The ideal combination is using air conditioning in concert with fans to move cool air around a space.
The inability to cool down one’s body temperature is what can lead to heat stroke and other heat-related health events. Air conditioning saves lives.
I've been writing about air quality for WIRED since 2018, and as climate change wreaks havoc on our environment, I continue to test and review the latest window air conditioning units on the market. There are two types of window units we review: the recognizable metal box units that hang out of a window, and the increasingly popular “portable” units that use hoses—preferably two—that attach to the window. Both types of AC units offer relief from the heat and protect against heat-related illness. If you’re unsure whether you should turn on your air conditioner, you can check the CDC’s HeatRisk Tracker Map.
Professional Installation Is Worth the Money
Your city or town may not have fines and requirements for window unit installation. New York City requires support brackets, especially for those units above sidewalks. I recently hired a professional AC company to securely install LG’s 12,000 BTU model, above. At over 80 pounds, it was too heavy for me to lift. I’ve yet to test a window unit AC where the manufacturer didn’t recommend two people for lifting and installing the unit, usually with a pictogram on the box of two people holding the same box.
Window units are designed to fit in single- or double-hung windows, usually at a minimum height opening of 13 inches. A window unit's metal support brackets are designed to counteract the downward force of gravity. And there shouldn’t be any books, bricks, or blocks of wood used to level the unit once in the window. There are exceptions—window designs like U-Shaped ACs, like our pick below (an updated model from the one that was recalled this summer), distribute weight equally between the inside and outside of the window sash and may not require brackets.
Smart AC Units Save Money
More and more AC units connect to an app, and while some apps are easier to use than others, smart units have the added feature of turning them on and off remotely or through the use of in-app timers. Smart units have Eco Mode that run at a lower setting, as well as a variety of other features, including temperature settings. Smart ACs give the user so much more agency in knowing when to turn on or off their units.
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