Best Window AC Unit Alternatives (For Cooling In Summer)

Window air conditioning units might be the best units for cooling, but what if you don’t have a window in the room?

But you won’t have to suffer in the heat; there are more powerful and efficient alternatives to window AC units to choose from.

Efficient alternatives to window unit air conditioners can keep your room ventilated and cool without affecting your budget. Read on to know more!

7 Best Window Air Conditioner Alternatives

Just because you’re letting go of your window AC system doesn’t mean that you don’t have a wide variety of window unit alternatives to select between.

With that said, here are some potent alternatives to window air conditioners:

Floor Fans

Though floor fans are an obvious window air conditioner alternative, the trick is to utilize them with any other air conditioner type such as:

• Ventless portable air conditioners
• Thru-wall air conditioners
• Ductless mini-split air conditioners

This way, the tower fan can better and quicker circulate the cooler air in your window-less room. In addition, the alternative AC system that you choose with a floor fan doesn’t need to work hard. Plus, you’ll be able to save enough money on monthly electricity bills.

In short, a floor fan is a portable device that you can place anywhere in the room. They come in all sizes, whether narrow or tall.

And if you want more control over where the cool air is directed, a floor fan is the best option you can choose!

Benefits

• Simple to use
• Highly affordable
• Compared to other alternatives, they are much quieter
• It comes in contemporary design to enhance room aesthetics

Drawbacks

• This fan uses more power than most other fans
• It doesn’t provide effective cooling

Ceiling Fans

If you’re seeking a permanent solution to cool your windowless room, choose ceiling fans – they’re increasingly popular and an excellent alternative to window AC units.

Remember, a ceiling fan can spin counterclockwise and clockwise as well. So for better cooling results in the scorching summer heat, always set your ceiling fans to rotate counterclockwise. This way, the fan will push the cooler air evenly throughout the room.

However, in colder months, you should set it to rotate clockwise. This way, the fan will draw all the hot air present in the room and disperse it better throughout.

Overall, a ceiling fan is both aesthetically pleasing and functional, helping to spread air in your windowless room while enhancing the décor.

Even without an air conditioner, ceiling fans can keep you cool on hot days and warm during cold nights. Not to mention, they can also create peaceful ‘white noise’ as you sleep.

Benefits

• Ceiling fans are cost-effective devices
• Provides convenient comfort
• Environment friendly and offers a gentle breeze
• Reliable and long-lasting

Drawbacks

• It doesn’t offer effective cooling as AC units
• Some users claimed they are pretty noisy

Wall And Desk Fans

Looking for an effective and affordable way to overcome the summer heat? If so, then choose wall or desk fans.

These are some of the best alternatives to window AC systems as they can make you feel cool not only in a window-less room but in other places such as a cabin, attic, etc.

Desk fans, also known as table fans, are standard fans that can sit atop a table or a desk. The wall fans are also similar to desk fans.

However, they are wall-mounted. These fans are compact and usually 2-feet high. This means you won’t have to let go of a significant chunk of the room to facilitate them.

Desk and wall fans and floor fans are perfect for cooling a room when you don’t want an air conditioner.

In addition, they’re especially helpful in homes that use a ceiling fan. Moreover, desk fans can be more cost-effective and energy-efficient than window air conditioners.

You can save adequate money on utility bills.

Benefits

• Easy to move
• Reaches broader space
• Provides even air distribution
• Budget-friendly
• Consumes less energy

Drawbacks

• The desk fans often cause accidents
• Hard to maintain

Evaporating Spot Coolers

Evaporating spot coolers are a kind of portable air conditioners. They are self-contained and standalone units where all their crucial components are integrated and placed in a single highly-insulated cabinet made of metal or plastic.

In terms of cooling, spot coolers cool down your space the way air conditioners do – taking out the indoor heat through heat exchange and dehumidifying a room to eliminate humidity.

One of the best things about evaporative spot coolers is that you can use them to cool down areas where conventional air conditioning systems won’t be effective.

In addition, it’s a low-maintenance system, which means you can virtually use it anywhere you like.

Compact, highly portable, and portable, the spot cooler allows homeowners to cool a specific area rapidly. And since you can switch it off and on anytime, the energy savings will be pretty substantial.

Also, you can perform whatever adjustments to these spot coolers to meet particular needs. For example, if required, you can extend the air ducts to help reach the air to specific spaces and spread it without impacting the comfort level.

Benefits

• Easy to clean and use
• Extremely quiet during operation
• Relatively affordable than air conditioners
• Highly effective
• Cheaper to operate

Drawbacks

• They aren’t ideal for humid places
• Some users claimed it stops cooling now and then

Through The Wall Air Conditioners

Like a window air conditioner, a thru-wall AC unit takes the hot air from a room and exhausts it outside while sending back the cool air.

Like portable and window air conditioning systems, these units are unitary or self-contained systems.

For a room with no windows, thru-wall AC units are an ideal option to go with.

However, you have to plan cautiously before installing these air conditioners as they’re mounted permanently on the wall and can’t be removed.

And even though you can also perform the installation process by yourself, the best way is to let the professional do the installation as it will involve complex tasks such as cutting the wall, among other things.

Compared to window AC units, thru-wall AC systems are more efficient primarily because they make an airtight seal in the room.

Benefits

• Enhances room aesthetics and doesn’t block the window view
• Compared to window AC units, they have a high cooling capacity
• Relatively cheaper to run and replace than window AC
• Quite in operation

Drawbacks

• They don’t cool down your entire house
• If you don’t maintain these units, they don’t last longer

Ventless Portable Air Conditioners

A ventless portable air conditioner is a kind of mobile AC unit that doesn’t require a window.

Homeowners can use these units anywhere in the room as they’re self-contained and standalone systems, providing cooler air without the hose.

If you’re seeking effective window unit alternatives, ventless portable AC units are the best bet, especially for windowless rooms.

They don’t use a compressor or refrigerant to make cool air. Also, these AC systems neither extract nor create heat in the space, which is why they don’t need the hose for aeration.

Ventless portable AC units work similar to evaporative spot coolers, providing chilled air wherever needed in the room.

And one of the best things about ventless portable air conditioning systems is that they are equipped to eliminate odors, pollutants, and dust.

Benefits

• Highly portable
• Simple to install
• Easy to use and maintain
• Cost-effective unit for windowless rooms
• Environment-friendly

Drawbacks

• Lower efficiency
• Some users claimed it takes longer to cool down a space
• It often has some ventilation problems

Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioners

Another popular alternative to a window air conditioner is a ductless mini-split air conditioning system.

If you’re seeking better efficiency and performance, want to get rid of ductwork, or cool a room with no windows, look no further than ductless mini-split air conditioners.  They are perfect for modern houses, including rooms without windows.

This AC system includes an external unit (a condenser and a compressor) that powers the system and an indoor unit mounted on the ceiling or wall based on your preferences and building type.

In addition to that, the air handling unit is equipped with a blower fan. The outdoor and indoor units are attached through the tubing, where refrigerant circulates based on the usage.

And since mini-splits are compact and small, they can be installed easily in any room, providing homeowners with effective cooling or heating when required.

Benefits

• Provides homeowners with practical and better performance
• High energy-efficient units
• They are environment-friendly and easy to use
• Flexible and long-lasting
• Compact

Drawbacks

• High upfront cost
• Routine maintenance

How To Cool A Room With No Windows?

Looking for a reliable and effective way to cool your windowless room? Here are a few practical ways to cool down a room with no windows:

Use A Ventless Air Conditioner

If you’ve got a room that lacks windows, you can use a ventless portable air conditioner or an evaporative cooler to cool your windowless space.

This portable ventless AC unit is akin to a floor or tower fan; however, it provides homeowners with much more effective cooler air than conventional fans using evaporation laws.

Water – or ice – is added to the tank, transformed into cold air.

Try A Floor Fan With Ice

You can make a DIY variation of evaporative coolers by using floor fans and some batches of ice. Wondering how to do it?

First, take a big bowl and fill it with ice cubes. Now, place the bowl of ice directly ahead of the floor fan.

The floor fan will drive the coldness released from the icicles around your room and make it extraordinary. Though it’s a pre-air conditioner technique to get rid of room hotness, it still works effectively.

Turn Off Incandescent Lights In The Room

In case you have incandescent lights, you should switch them off straight away. That’s because they create about 80% of the heat in the room. And if you’ve got a windowless room, the heat may increase further.

The best way to deal with this scenario is to replace them with “Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL)” or LEDs as they discharge less heat and consume less power.

Turn Off Appliances In The Room

Apart from incandescent lights, other appliances generate heat as well – the oven, stove, lightbulbs, laptops, computers, and others emit heat that can make your windowless room hotter.

Doing little things such as turning the lights off when not required, switching the computer or laptop to standby, and keeping warm items out can significantly minimize the heat building up in your windowless room.

Keep Doors Closed

Though this may seem counter-intuitive, shutting down doors may keep unneeded heat from ingressing your space. But, unfortunately, it’s a fact that where there’s light, there’s heat!

When the door is open, light filters into your space, raising the temperature and making it feel hot. Therefore, always keep the doors closed so that light or heat is unable to filter in.

Focus On Your Internal Temperature

Rather than reducing the external temperature, you can feel cool by lowering your body’s temperature. Here’s how you can do this:

• Drink cold beverages
• Wear loose fabrics
• Take cold showers

People Also Ask (FAQ)

Is there an air conditioner for a room without windows?

Yes, there are a few air conditioners you can use in rooms without windows. For example, ventless portable AC systems are perfect AC units that homeowners can utilize in a room as they don’t need a window to operate effectively. Moreover, you can also use ductless mini-split and through-the-wall air conditioning systems.

Is a ductless AC more efficient than a window unit?

Though it varies based on several factors such as model type, brand, energy efficiency ratings, among other things, ductless mini-split air conditioners are more efficient than window air conditioners and are a better option for rooms without windows.

What room temperature becomes dangerous for people?

Any room under 66 F is hazardous for people, particularly if it continues for about two or more hours. Though all rooms are essential, you’ve to be extra careful when it comes to the bedroom as sleeping individuals don’t move enough to increase their body temperatures.

Will dehumidifiers help reduce room temperature?

Though dehumidifiers aren’t explicitly designed to reduce room temperatures, they can cool your space. In addition, they can cool down a room by reducing humidity, the main culprit behind a room’s discomfort.

Conclusion

Window AC units provide good cooling; however, what if there’s no window in the room. Does it mean you’ll have to sweat in the sweltering summer heat?

Of course not! Some of the best alternatives to window air conditioning units available that you select from make your windowless room relaxed and liveable.