apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Oh, just buy one people!

i'm hoping to not use mine this summer and utilise fans instead, if only so i don't have to bring it up from my storage unit and back down at the end of summer.

I agree... just buy one. I resisted buying a window unit A/C for far too long. After one too many hot & humid sleepless summer nights, I finally broke down. Not sure why I waited so long! If you don't want to store it during the off season, than perhaps donate it to the Salvation Army or maybe a homeless shelter that could use one.

where i'm at the heat just laughs when you pull out a fan. it just move hot air around. No effect at all on 100 degree heat.

yeah i think mine cost about that much to buy, and they really aren't hard to put in. i guess if you REALLY didn't want to store it that would be different, but i can't imagine paying for a new ac every summer just because you don't want to store it.

in two summers of renting, they'll make back their purchase. assuming they buy retail, if at wholesale prices, it'll be paid out in one summer and they can keep renting it out for years.

Best Buy sells them starting around $80 and they last for a few years at least. What's the point of renting one? Installing them isn't so hard either - you just need a small drill. The only crappy part is carrying them up and down stairs - they're really heavy.

yeah a brand new AC unit costs that same price, and i doubt you would have that many problems in it's first years of use.

So pay 125 the first summer, then next summer it is basically free, and so forth until it breaks...

Also, what to the call a "summer" because i know last year it was hot really late into the season, so are you then stuck without one?

Agreeing with everyone else, I think I bought one online from Wal-Mart, had them deliver it for like $40 via UPS and they take about 5 minutes to install.

Maybe they are offering much, much nicer units, but if you could survive without AC in a hot New York summer, living with a tiny window unit in your bedroom is plenty

Buy it and have them install.

Also buy an air-king 18" revolving wall fan and install it as near the ceiling as you can.

The main expenses are the utility bills, which can be steep, not the hardware.

I think the market for this is highly Boston-specific. There are lots of students who will only be here for one summer. (Two year grad program = 1 summer) Also, college dorms close in the summer, so if you want to stay in Boston, you sublet. Why would you buy an air conditioner when you are going to be living in another city (or back in the dorm) in September? The hassle factor of getting to the suburbs to buy one reasonably cheap and selling it at the end of the summer would be high.

There are companies in NYC that will pick up, service and store your AC for the winter (and reinstall in the summer). I can't remember what the cost was, but most of the AC repair places do that. Definitely worth it when living in a 250sft 5th floor walk up...

I don't think this is necessarily a stupid idea. You definitely need an AC unit in the Northeast for about three months (at the most), but that's it. If you live in a really tiny place, you might not have space to store it and leaving it in the window means dealing with an eyesore and/or drafts for most of the year.

This might also make sense for students. Sometimes it is a big PITA to buy a new (or even a used unit), install it just to use for a few months, then try to sell it again when you leave.

If only there were such a thing as an affordable, compact and unobtrusive, efficient and quiet AC unit!

I was just wondering about renting an AC! Granted I am from Boston and now live in NYC. I agree with slowdown. You only need an AC in the northeast for 3 months maybe 4 if you have an Indian summer ( hate that term). I really dont feel like using precious closet or floor space for an ugly AC unit.

It would be a different story if we had more of those combined heating/cooling units like they have in Europe. In that case I would totally buy it outright. If anyone knows of a AC rental place in NYC I would love to hear about it.

I wish I lived in a place where you could survive most of the year without an AC. Living in Florida, we pretty much use them all year. It actually costs more to run a window unit....so most places here come with a full AC unit.

After having an AC unit fall out of a window in my 4th floor Brighton condo (defenestration is the technical term), I rented one the following year. It was terrific.