An air conditioner on wheels is called a portable air conditioner. It is used in homes and offices and can easily be transported. They come as two types split and monoblock. Twin pipe units are the best because in the single duct unit air is pumped out of the room and replaced by hot air from the outside reducing its effectiveness.

Portable air conditioners are an alternative to window or wall units and are good to use in apartment buildings that dont allow window units or in homes that have windows that are inappropriate for window models. Since they are portable, they are real easy to roll in and start up. However, they can be heavy weighing between 50 and 80 pounds.

Portable air conditioners are more expensive than window models. They average about $200 more than comparable window units. Some are more expensive because they dehumidify a room as well as cool it, and many can be used as fans, while others can be used as space heaters as well. Because they are more expensive, it is usually smart to buy a portable air conditioner that has functions that can be used throughout the year, making it more cost effective. Portable air conditioners are available at 6,000 to 8,000 BTUs. There is little price differentiation between the smaller BTU units or the larger 10,000 and 12,000 BTU units. One fact to note is that a portable air conditioner requires more BTUs to cool a room than a window model. If you are cooling 300 square feet, youll need about 10,000 as opposed to 8,000 if you were using a window model.