Best portable air-conditioners for summer

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- With the summer heat here, you might be thinking about buying a portable air-conditioner. However, many are returned by unhappy customers.

With temperatures rising outside, a seemingly easy fix is a portable air-conditioner. A portable air-conditioner draws in warm air and exhausts it outside through a hose that connects to your window.

Consumer Reports tested eight models from brands including Honeywell, Haier and Frigidaire. Prices range from $250 to more than $500.

Consumer Reports used a special chamber to test cooling power. The temperature outside is kept at 90 degrees, the humidity at 70 percent. Inside, each air conditioner is set to 75 degrees. Strings of thermocouples record temperatures throughout the room.

The results were disappointing.

"None of these units, not even the biggest ones, could get our test chamber below 80 degrees even after an hour and 40 minutes," said Bob Markovich, Consumer Reports.

That was true even of the most expensive unit tested, the $550 Honeywell - which promises it "cools up to 550 square feet." It struggled to cool the test chamber, which is half that size.

"Window air conditioners are much more effective and they tend to cost less," said Markovich.

Consumer Reports found several window air-conditioners to recommend. Top-rated for larger rooms is the $350 LG. For medium-sized rooms, the LG for $240 dollars. And for smaller rooms, the $210 GE is a Consumer Reports "best buy."

Consumer Reports says to be sure to pick the right size air-conditioner for your space. If the unit is too small, your room won't get cool enough. But an air conditioner that's too big may make it feel cold and clammy.