Can I Leave My Portable Air Conditioner On All Day?

There are many instances in which a portable air conditioner is necessary. Many older buildings, especially ones now converted into apartment buildings, do not have a central air conditioning unit. This can be a problem for many people since summer is unavoidable in many cities — it’s even worse if you live somewhere warm year-round. Sitting in high heat and humidity is one of the most uncomfortable sensations, especially since so many of us are working from home and not in nice office buildings that always feel a few degrees too cold.

Portable Air Conditioners

Many people are owners of portable AC units for the reasons listed above. With work from home becoming the regular living situation now though, they are being used for longer periods of time to keep the house cool. Since so many people are sitting in their houses all day while they work, it has prompted the question of — can I leave my portable air conditioner on all day?

There’s nothing stopping you from leaving the AC on all day in terms of safety reasons, but there are a few things to consider when deciding how long you want to have the AC on for and how efficient you want to be. 

Can you leave your portable AC unit on all day?

First of all, if you choose to leave your AC unit turned on all day, it will definitely cost you more money because that’s more energy being used. You will see this on your electric bill and may want to reconsider how much of your portable air conditioner you use after that first bill gets delivered to your house. The good news is that turning the unit on and off throughout the day will not only save you more money, but it’s the more efficient way for your machine to run. This means that it will cool your house more efficiently as well. It’s better if you have your AC unit working at full power throughout the day to get the temperature back down instead of having it at a lesser power maintaining the temperature. This is because the systems are manufactured to work better at full power. 

Maybe you do not work from home but want to get your house cool throughout the day so you can come back home and feel comfortable. If this is the case, an important thing to note is that your portable air conditioning unit uses 3-5% less energy with every degree that you raise the thermostat. So if you want to leave the unit on while you are out of the house and optimize energy savings, the best temperature to set your unit at is 78 degrees. This will be fine because you are not in the house and it’s the best level for the unit to work at if you still want it on while you are gone.

If you do choose to leave the unit on all day often, you should check the filters regularly. Overuse can cause them to be clogged which will only make the efficiency of the unit even worse. Another thing to consider is the size of your AC unit; it’s important that the size is compatible with the size of your house you are trying to cool down. If the unit is too small, it will not be able to meet the demand of your larger space and this will cause it to have to work much harder to maintain the temperature you desire. 

This can result in higher bills and an AC unit dying much faster than it should from being worn out. Lastly, make sure your unit is placed in the house somewhere that allows for the airflow to get to all of the rooms effectively.  

Conclusion

Ultimately, leaving the portable AC unit turned on all day may not be the most efficient way to run it both in terms of your electric bill and the energy required by the machine. Try out the method of having it work at full power throughout the day instead of a lower power all day — the first option is how portable air conditioners are designed to be most effective.