As the months get warmer, the struggle to stay comfortable increases. For people in a work-from-home situation, the temperature and humidity of your home might interfere with your productivity. If you have central air, lowering the temperature of the entire house or apartment isn’t a cost-effective strategy, and cooling a room with a box fan does nothing to lower the humidity. How do you create a comfortable environment in just one room in your home or apartment?
De’Longhi has a solution. The company’s PACEM370 is a portable air conditioner with a compact design and a dehumidifier setting. It can also function as a fan. The unit has a programmable timer, and De’Longhi claims the model can deliver a “quieter cool” to a space up to 500 square feet.
This sounded like a great solution for our needs, so we tested the De’Longhi PACEM370. Here’s what we found.
Our tester has used two other De’Longhi portable air conditioners, a Frigidaire dehumidifier and a small Eva-dry dehumidifier. Their home has various sized spaces, ranging from a small 8 by 8-foot room to a 12 by 19-foot living room. During the summer, the weather is typically warm and dry. The winters are mild and short, but they can be wet. Our tester used the PACEM370 in different sized living spaces throughout the home. They tested all three modes, paying particular attention to how the unit worked as well as its noise level.
This portable air conditioner is packaged securely for shipping. The box is made of heavy cardboard and has fitted styrofoam inside. There’s strapping around the outside of the box for added protection.
This model is a three-in-one home climate control unit that can function as an air conditioner, a dehumidifier or a fan. It has a sleek-looking design and a compact build suitable for smaller spaces.
Despite its compact size, the PACEM370 is heavy at 63 pounds. To facilitate transport, the air conditioner has four wheels attached to the bottom. The only problem we ran into was getting it up and down stairs. This was doable using the built-in handles, but it wasn’t easy.
The De’Longhi PACEM370 portable air conditioner is available at De'Longhi for $649.95. Buyers may qualify to purchase in four interest-free payments of $162.48. You can also purchase this model on Amazon for $549.95 or 12 monthly payments of $45.83. This model is available for $50 off from May 12 to May 30 with the promo code: 50BSTRVW370. A model with fewer BTUs is available at Amazon for $499.95.
The setup was straightforward. The hardest part (which can be a little frustrating) was getting the exhaust mount to fit securely in your window. For example, our windows were too narrow for the included window piece, so it needed to be trimmed down. This situation is covered in the instructions, so it wasn’t a big issue. Other than that minor hiccup, we had the De’Longhi PACEM370 up and running and producing cool air in well under 30 minutes.
The De’Longhi PACEM370 is easy to use. It only has a power button, a mode button, two setting buttons, a speed button and a timer button. Each has a small graphic on or above it, so you know what the button does.
One of our favorite features was the remote. This allowed us to adjust settings from the bed if the temperature got too hot in the middle of the night. We didn’t even have to get up — we just grabbed the remote and clicked. The remote features the same six buttons as the unit.
In air conditioning mode, the output is substantial. To test the effectiveness, we put this portable air conditioner in a bedroom on the top floor, which is the hardest room in the house to cool. Within one hour, the temperature plummeted from 81 degrees to 65 degrees. This unit is a great fit for an apartment or a modest-sized home.
Unfortunately, the humidity wasn’t very high during our trial period. While the reservoir didn’t fill up, the De’Longhi three-in-one drew enough moisture from the air to necessitate a little draining every few days.
The timer is a handy feature. It was easy to use, and it could help you save money on your energy bill. We set the timer for four hours about an hour before we went to bed. This way, it shut off at the coolest part of the night, so we were comfortable while sleeping but not wasting energy.
While the volume level is acceptable at lower speeds, sounding like white noise, the higher settings can be a little loud. We don’t think it would be easy to watch TV or have a conversation if this unit was running at full speed in the same room or nearby.
We discovered many benefits when using the De’Longhi portable air conditioner. The setup was painless and the operation was intuitive. The wheels made it easy to move the air conditioner from room to room while on the same floor, and the remote was a joy to use. We were pleased with the unit’s performance in all modes, and its compact size didn’t overwhelm the room.
At high speed, this unit is noisy. If you need to lift the De’Longhi, it’s heavy. However, we truly don’t think the performance would be as impressive if this appliance were quieter or lighter, so it was an acceptable tradeoff for our purposes. Besides the finicky exhaust vent installation and the incompatibility with certain window types, the only real problem we ran into was the air conditioner making a smaller room too cold if you left it running or didn’t have it set properly.
If your apartment or home has rooms that get uncomfortably warm or humid, the De’Longhi PACEM370 is a great solution. It can help you save money with cooling bills by targeting problem areas in your living space. The cost is comparable with other brands. It isn’t a bargain, but it isn’t expensive. The bottom line is this model is a solid buy that performs as the manufacturer claims.
Black and Decker Portable Air Conditioner
This multifunctional portable unit serves as an air conditioner in the summer and a heater in the winter. You can set the temperature range from 61 to 88 degrees. It’s powerful enough for rooms up to 450 square feet.
Sold by Amazon
Whynter ARC-14SH Portable Air Conditioner
This four-in-one unit can function as an air conditioner, a heater, a fan or a dehumidifier. It’s suitable for rooms up to 500 square feet and comes with a remote.
Sold by Amazon
LG Electronics Portable Air Conditioner
If you’re looking for a lower-priced model for smaller spaces, this three-in-one from LG is suitable for up to 250 square feet. It has a washable filter, two fan speeds and a remote.
Sold by Home Depot
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Allen Foster writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
