Are you suffering from hot weather and/or humidity? If so, maybe it’s time to consider buying a new room air conditioner—or getting your existing model running properly. An effectively working portable, wall-mounted, or window-mounted air conditioner can change your life.

Whereas central A/C is great for cooling an entire house, a room air conditioner is a sensible cooling solution for apartments or situations where you only want to cool one or two rooms. The obvious advantage is that it consumes only the amount of energy required to cool that space instead of an entire house.

Like central air conditioners, room air conditioners use a blower to pull heat and moisture from the room air through a filter, cool and dehumidify it, and then return the air to the room. The main difference is that a room air conditioner is a single, self- contained unit with an evaporator or cooling coils, a condenser, and refrigerant-filled tubing all in one box.

Air-conditioner units mount in a window or through an opening in a wall since they need to expel hot air.

In this section of HomeTips, you will find buying guides that can help you make smart buying decisions, step-by-step DIY help with installing and maintaining these helpful appliances, and tips for troubleshooting repairs.

For information on whole-house central air conditioners, see Air Conditioners: Central.