Our Picks
Staying cool shouldn't be a financial burden, especially when around 78% of Americans are concerned about rising energy costs. It's important to find a good, affordable window AC unit. These ACs aren't just about surviving heat waves -- you also need them to maintain comfort without the anxiety of skyrocketing utility bills. However, choosing the wrong window AC can leave you with either an ineffective unit that doesn't cool your space well enough or an energy hog that drains your wallet.
Read more: Window Air Conditioners vs. Portable Air Conditioners: Find Out Which One Is Best for You
Feeling overwhelmed by all the window AC options? CNET's Testing Lab has done the hard work for you. We've put these popular units through rigorous tests, checking their cooling performance, energy consumption and overall value. Whether you're facing a scorching heat wave or simply want a comfortable indoor environment, our picks will help you find the perfect balance between cooling performance and staying on budget. Below are our top picks of the best window AC units for your home.
Best overall window AC unit
The GE Profile AHTT08BC stood out the most during our testing. We'll delve more into performance below, but this window AC unit dominated. It both maintained a set temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit for the longest period and maintained its lowest temperature for the longest period among the models we tested.
This window air conditioner has 8,300 BTUs and costs less than $500. It's designed to cool up to a 350-square-foot space, so it's best suited for small- to medium-size rooms. Take a look at the table below for direct comparisons between this unit and the others we tested.
Overall, the GE Profile AHTT08BC impressed us with its performance and value. For less than $500, you can have a unit that consistently cools a medium-size space and also works with the SmartHQ app so you can manage it remotely from your phone.
Best window AC unit for large rooms
The Keystone KSTAW15CE is a great option if you need a powerful air conditioner to cool a larger space. With 15,000 BTUs, this model can cool up to a 700-square-foot room.
It did well in our performance testing, too. It came in first place among the three larger units we tested for maintaining a 68-degree set point the longest. It also came in a close second for maintaining its lowest temperature the longest.
The Keystone's price is pretty reasonable considering its powerful cooling capacity. It doesn't offer an app, voice control or any other connected features. If you're in the market for a window AC unit that does a good job maintaining its temperature and cooling large spaces, the KSTAW15CE is well worth considering.
Best budget window AC unit
GE's AHEC05AC is a window AC unit made for small spaces. With 5,000 BTUs, this window air conditioner can cool up to a 150-square-foot room. It also costs less than $180, making it the most affordable model of the pack.
It lagged behind the GE AHTT08BC when it came to maintaining a 68-degree temperature, but it did a solid job maintaining its lowest temperature in our testing.
This model doesn't offer any fancy features like an app or voice control but is a great overall value if you're in search of a budget window air conditioner that does a good job cooling a small space. If you need a unit for a large room, consider Keystone's KSTAW15CE. For a window air conditioner that's best for small- to medium-sized rooms -- that also won all our performance tests -- look to the GE Profile AHTT08BC.
The options
We tested six window air conditioners: the GE AHEC05AC, the GE Profile AHTT08BC, the Frigidaire FHWW103WBE, the Toshiba RAC-WK1212ESCWR, the FREO FHCW061AUQ and the Keystone KSTAW15CE. We'll compare each unit in the table below.
Window air conditioners
| Price | Area it covers (in square feet) | BTU | Weight (pounds) | Dimensions (HxWxD, in inches) | Special features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GE AHEC05AC | $166 | 150 | 5,000 | 36 | 12.6 x 16.4 x 15 | N/A |
| GE Profile AHTT08BC | $479 | 350 | 8,300 | 71 | 12.8 x 19.6 x 28 | App-enabled, works with Alexa, Google Assistant and HomeKit |
| Keystone KSTAW15CE | $220 | 700 | 15,000 | 102.3 | 17.9 x 23.6 x 25.4 | Remote control |
| Frigidaire FHWW103WBE | Out of Stock | 450 | 10,000 | 57.3 | 14.5 x 19 x 21.5 | App-enabled, works with Alexa and Google Assistant, remote control |
| Toshiba RAC-WK1212ESCWR | Out of Stock | 550 | 12,000 | 78.5 | 14.6 x 19 x 22.2 | App-enabled, works with Alexa, remote control |
| FREO FHCW061AUQ | Out of Stock | 250 | 6000 | 53.57 | 21.4 x 18.9 x 13.39 | Remote control |
The models we tested cover a range of prices, BTUs, recommended room sizes and features. Costs vary from $159 to over $500. Similarly, BTU ratings range from 5,000 to 15,000. Some models have apps and work with voice commands, while others are more basic, offering only a remote control or no extra options at all (like the GE AHEC05AC).
By testing a variety of different models, we were able to identify strong-performing window AC units that suit different needs. Whether you're looking for a window AC unit on a budget, for large rooms or for small to medium-size rooms, we have a pick for you.
Testing window air conditioners
Now, let's talk testing. The process of testing window air conditioners is identical to how we tested portable AC units. First, we heated a climate-controlled room to 92 degrees Fahrenheit. Then we turned off the heat and turned on the window air conditioner to cool mode with an auto or medium fan speed (depending on the options available) and a temperature set point of 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
We let the unit run for 2 hours and 30 minutes and repeated these steps twice to confirm our results. With the data we gathered, we looked at two main things: how consistently the AC unit maintained a temperature within 5% of 68 Fahrenheit and how consistently it kept the room within 5% of the AC unit's lowest temperature (which may or may not be 68 degrees Fahrenheit).
We then used this information to determine which units held both a 68-degree set point and their lowest temperature the longest. The second test -- which window air conditioners kept their lowest temperature the longest -- is useful if a model doesn't get to 68 degrees Fahrenheit in the 2-hour, 30-minute test window. That way, we can still assess how consistently it maintained whatever lowest temperature it did reach. A higher percentage means better performance.
Keep in mind that we didn't directly compare the performance results of the small and large units, such as the 5,000-BTU GE AHEC05AC against the 15,000-BTU Keystone KSTAW15CE. Instead, we assessed them in two categories -- the small models against one another (the FREO FHCW061AUQ, the GE AHEC05AC and the GE Profile AHTT08BC) and the three larger ones against one another (the Frigidaire FHWW103WBE, the Toshiba RAC-WK1212ESCWR and the Keystone KSTAW15CE).
In addition to performance, we also looked at other factors when arriving at our list of favorites. These included a model's features, price and other options that might add value -- or otherwise make them stand out -- beyond the test results alone.
So how did these window air conditioners compare?
We put together some performance charts to make it easier to see exactly how each unit held up to our testing. In the graphic below, you'll see different charts for larger and smaller units.
The Keystone unit came in first for the larger units, maintaining a set point of 68 F for 54.3% of its run time, followed by the Toshiba unit with 35.1% and finally Frigidaire unit with 26.5%.
The GE Profile AHTT08BC dominated this test, coming in first among the smaller units with an impressive 94.7%, while the other GE unit maintained 68 degrees Fahrenheit for 32.5% of its run time. We aren't directly comparing the performance of the larger and smaller units, but it's worth noting that the AHTT08BC came in first overall, blowing away all of the other units with its ability to maintain a set temperature of 68 Fahrenheit.
In the second test -- how well each unit maintained its lowest temperature -- the results were much closer together. Among the larger units, the Frigidaire came in first with 58.9%, followed by the Keystone with 54.3% and the Toshiba with 43.7%.
The GE Profile AHTT08BC maintained its lowest temperature 61.6% of the time, while the GE AHEC05AC maintained its lowest temperature 53.6% of its runtime.
For the next set of charts, we looked at each unit's temperature changes over time.
Among the larger units, the Frigidaire, Toshiba and Keystone units followed very similar patterns as they worked toward the 68-degree set temperature.
The chart of the smaller units is more interesting, showing the GE Profile AHTT08BC getting cooler much more quickly than the AHEC05AC. The AHTT08BC got cooler faster, but it had more dramatic temperature changes. The AHEC05AC cooled more slowly but showed less overall variation.