It takes very little time to teach yourself how to make distilled water. Even the best window AC unit ever made is of little use if it stops working properly and is of no use if it breaks down. And some of the louder window AC units do indeed exceed 70 dB (roughly the equivalent to the sound inside a car cruising down the highway at 60 MPH), though often improper installation or unfilled gaps around the units are to blame. Strategist writer Lauren Ro has three of the Midea U Shaped units in her home and said her husband found installation pretty easy. The installation process itself is simple, but differs from that of regularly-shaped window units, so be sure to read through the easy-to-follow instructions carefully. This Midea model is a uniquely shaped, EnergyStar-approved unit that allows a closed window leaf to rest in between the exterior-facing compressor and the interior-facing blower. If you want a more familiarly shaped air conditioner and are willing to put up with a bit more noise, this LG model is also EnergyStar-approved and relatively quiet, just not as quiet as the Midea U Shaped.

Control is pretty simple here too: You set the fan speed – of which there are three options – and desired temperature via remote control or on the unit itself, and there’s a timer function to use if you want the air conditioner to shut off after a given period of time. Below, a breakdown of everything from compressor types to warranty length to unit size to operating options (which range from a simple dial to voice controls), so you can find the best air conditioner unit to cool things off. You can control the unit via an app (or with your voice when it’s paired with a smart-home device). It generates 58 dB when running on high, but when it’s in “sleep mode” it goes down to 44 – about the amount of noise you’ll hear in a quiet library. There are two things about this Frigidaire unit that are small: the price tag, and the size of space it can cool down (about 150 square feet). Strategist writer Dominique Pariso has the LG Dual Inverter and says it cools down a large space very effectively and also handled heat waves with no problem.

RentAnAC’s Jess Mastro says: “LG makes air conditioners with excellent efficiency and noise control.” That’s thanks to dual inverter technology that uses twin rotors to blow out compressed air instead of a single fan. It has four fan speed settings, and the dual inverter technology also helps it waste less energy. But it has a cooling capacity that might trick you into believing you have central air, and you can always set the fan speed lower. You won’t find a much simpler air conditioner, as it features just two dials, one that controls fan speed (and turns it off) and one that controls the temperature. To help prevent that from happening, there are two primary methods for protecting a house from flooding, depending on its structure. ” Senior editor Winnie Yang has two of these air conditioners as well, and both she and Ro appreciate that this model doesn’t obscure as much of the window as more conventionally shaped ones.

If the Midea or dual-inverter LG is sold out and you don’t mind slightly less efficiency and slightly more noise, this Frigidaire is a reliable model that’s easy to install and operate in spaces measuring up to 450 square feet. It works well for the 1,500 square feet of cooling it’s rated for, provided the area is well sealed and you keep doors open (we ended up needing a second, smaller unit for the bedroom, since we shut the door at night). We factored in the many years of experience our experts have with various AC brands as well as the warranties offered by the companies themselves. Although this unit is not EnergyStar certified, Berkson of SuperCoolNYC says that over the years, he has found “Frigidaire window units have been the most reliable.” This model measures 14.65 inches in height and is heavy but easy to install in single or double-hung windows with 18 inches of opening height and as narrow as 28 inches or as wide as 40.5 inches (no special tools needed). Many great window AC units operate at much quieter levels, especially at lower power settings; some are able to run at below 50 dB, which is not much louder than the hum of a refrigerator.