Room air conditioners.(Product Updates)(Buyers Guide)

WHAT'S NEW

Plenty of high-efficiency models. As of Oct. 1, 2000, air conditioners were required to meet higher U.S. Department of Energy efficiency standards. Models rated at less than 8,000 British thermal units per hour (Btu/hr.) must have an energy-efficiency rating (EER) of at least 9.7. Models rated at 8,000 to 14,000 Btu/hr. must have an EER of at least 9.8. EER is a measure of how much cooling you get for the electricity used; the higher the number, the more energy efficient the air conditioner.You'll find the EER on the air conditioner's removable yellow tag and on its model-information plate or sticker.

The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), a trade group, certifies the accuracy of most models' capacity and efficiency specifications and lists them on its web site, www.aham.org. In the Ratings, we've footnoted the tested models not certified by AHAM. You can't be positive that the EER of uncertified models is as claimed.

Similar-capacity models can differ by at least 1 EER. Buying a model with an EER of 11 instead of 10 can mean not only contributing to energy savings nationwide but receiving a slightly lower energy bill--maybe $50 over the life of the unit. For more immediate savings, you may be eligible for a rebate from your local utility or state energy authority if you buy a model with Energy Star compliance--a seal indicating that a model's EER exceeds the federal standard by at least 10 percent.

Electronic controls common. All but two of the newly tested units have electronic, not manual, controls. Electronic controls are generally better at maintaining a preset temperature. They also allow for useful features, like the ability to set the temperature via remote control and the ability to program the air conditioner to start cooling a room at a certain time--say, before you get home.

Minuses. Our single samples of the Whirlpool Designer Style Series ACQ102XK, ACQ058PL, and ACQ122XK came with flaws. Our ACQ102XK had a misplaced thermal sensor that caused it to misjudge the air temperature; our ACQ058PL was missing screws; and our ACQ122XK had two leftside panels instead of a left and right. We had too small a selection of Designer Style Series models to say whether such problems are common in that product line.

Most of the air conditioners were quite noisy on High--loud enough to make it hard to listen to soft music in the same room. And most directed air more effectively to one side than to the other. That's most likely to be an issue if you plan to install the unit in a corner of the room.