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Quietest With Clean Design and Easy Installation
Windmill
8,000 BTU with WhisperTech
The Windmill is no longer our easiest-to-install air conditioner unit, but it holds a solid second place. This was the first time we tested the Windmill with WhisperTech and it is, in fact, quiet. At its highest setting you may need to raise the volume on your television, but not by much, and at its lowest setting it has the hum of a therapist’s office white-noise machine. The unit’s magnetic face comes off for easy access to the filter, and there’s a holder for the additional small patch of activated carbon filter.
The Windmill is compatible with Google Home and has an app to use remotely if you want to cool your home before you get home. You also have automation options such as scheduling it to turn on or off at a certain time or temperature. The unit’s buttons are easy to see, and it has an auto-dimming LED display. I run the 8,000 BTU unit on the auto setting, and it effectively cools my 120-square-foot living room. While Windmill partners with EcoCart for carbon offsets, what makes Windmill unusual is its first-of-its-kind Eco Rewards program, designed to relieve the energy load during heat waves. Signing up gives Windmill agency to adjust the settings on your unit, taking stress off the power grid. This can include turning the unit to fan mode as well. Most times, program participants will get an alert to inform them of the upcoming changes. In exchange, participants in New York can choose between an annual pack of activated carbon filters, a $20 Windmill gift card, or $10 in cash. This might be the real future of environmental initiatives. Windmill also uses the more environmentally friendly refrigerant R32. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Comes in 6,000 and 8,000 BTU and 8,000 BTU with WhisperTech.
Smart app? Yes Remote Yes Battery Not specified Noise on high 50 dB Heat No Warranty 1 year -
Best for Cooling and Cleaning the Air
Friedrich Kuhl Q Chassis 6,000 BTU
The Friedrich, which I tested in my 160-square-foot dining room, is on the more expensive end of the window air units and the heaviest I tested. It’s also the only installation where I wore gloves. The chassis, the metal sleeve that is installed with the accordion side panels, acts like the unit’s outer shell. It is designed to provide easy maintenance access and prevent “kick-in” break-ins if you live on the ground floor. You can pull the actual unit out of the chassis while leaving the metal box in the window during setup. And it has an easy-to-read screen and real buttons, along with a remote. But even though I downloaded the Friedrich Connect app, I haven’t been able to “find the device.” Of all the air conditioners I tested, pairing my iPhone with the Friedrich was the most laborious and time-consuming. I couldn’t get the device to pair at first, and realized I had to use my older 2.4 Ghz WiFi network—yes, you can only pair the Friedrich on 2.4Ghz, not 5G. Still, I love being able to turn on the air conditioner before I get home. And the Friedrich lets you schedule when you use your unit a week in advance,
I asked to test the Friedrich’s Kuhl Q Chassis because it had the option of adding the custom Friedrich FreshAire MERV 13 filter. The air cooling/air cleaning unit is an attractive combo and one I wish more units employed, though there are a few caveats—to install the MERV, I had to take out the washable filter; this was where the activated carbon filter is supposed to go, so the user has to choose one or the other. The MERV filter removes particles from the air like dust and pollen. The carbon filter is there to remove VOCs—volatile organic compounds, like benzene. I will always go for the MERV. That said, I still run my air purifier along with my air conditioner. And I would use an air purifier that captures both VOCs along with a HEPA to trap those invisible particles. I also wish the Kuhl came with its own air quality sensor. The MERV filter is to be replaced every month, and it feels like it was an afterthought, conjured up post-design. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Smart app? Yes Remote Yes Battery Not specified Noise on high Not specified Heat No Warranty Not specified
Others We Tested
EcoFlow Wave 2 for $1,299: Lisa Wood Shapiro tested the newest model for this update. The EcoFlow Wave 1 has cooled down my wife’s office for more than a year just fine—we can’t use a window AC there because it would block the fire escape. Lo and behold, there’s a new version that’s slightly cheaper (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s a little lighter than its predecessor at 32 pounds, yet has a higher 5,100 BTU rating (up from 4,000). New here is a heating mode rated at 6,100 BTU, so you can keep using it in the winter to warm up a room. The company says it’s best for rooms up to 107 square feet. You do need to place it near a window to have one of the included ducts connected to the vent to take hot exhaust from the back of the unit out of the room. What makes this unit versatile is how you can power it. You can use a standard AC outlet, but you can buy the version with a battery to keep it working when you don’t have access to power, or you can hook it up to solar panels. —Julian Chokkattu
Dreo Smart Air Conditioner for $460: The Dreo Smart Air Conditioner not only cools a large bedroom effectively and quickly, it also can be controlled by the app in my iPhone. Along with the Dreo’s easy-to-use app, it can be paired with Amazon Alexa or Google Home. It has an easy-to-read LED display and control panel, along with a magnetized place for the remote, and louvers that open and close, adding to its robotlike aesthetic. The setup was easy, and I didn’t drill in a single screw, as I was able to close the window on the expanders. It’s not entirely clear how I was supposed to snap the hose into the window hole, but I shoved it in and it seems to fit in there. It’s not super airtight, which is fine. One of the issues with portable air conditioners is the single hose. It can create a vacuum in an airtight space; think pressure in your ears like an airplane. And it can create enough negative pressure that the room can potentially suck in hot air from the outside. So, leave the window open a crack. However, we now only recommend dual-hose portables, as they don’t create a vacuum and are more efficient. —Lisa Wood Shapiro
Zero Breeze Mark II for $900: With its 2,300 BTU, you won’t be able to get the same cooling power as with the EcoFlow Wave, but the Zero Breeze (7/10, WIRED Review) is much lighter at 17 pounds. This bundle includes a battery that will make the whole thing weigh about 30 pounds, but you’ll get four hours of use without needing to be near a wall outlet. Like the EcoFlow, you get a few vent pipes to direct exhaust away and direct cool air to a specific area, but unlike the EcoFlow, you can’t charge the battery and use the AC at the same time. —Julian Chokkattu
Zero Breeze Mark III for $1,300: As WIRED contributor Chris Null notes (7/10, WIRED Review), the Mark III is both larger than the Mark II and quite a bit heavier, now 22 pounds. Add on the 1,022-Wh battery pack and you’ll pack on another 14 pounds, though that frees you from having to be near a power outlet. New for the Mark III is the fact that batteries can now be stacked and charged in sequence, each daisy-chained to the next (though at $600+ per battery, this can get pricey fast). Each Mark III battery also has extra outputs that can be used for other devices—one USB-C port, one USB-A port, and a 12-volt DC socket. However, the Mark II battery has all of the above plus a second USB-A port. No word on why this was removed. However, it’s a bigger, punchier unit by most standards and a worthwhile buy for outdoors enthusiasts.
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