For a long time, I got by with an ancient, portable A/C. The A/C was bulky, seriously heavy however particularly powerful. Once it was installed into the window, it could practically cool the entire home. However, it was noisy and used a tremendous amount of energy to run. It offered particularly few features beyond low or high speed operation. I stored the portable A/C in our attic. Every Spring, I’d need to haul that heavy piece of device down a particularly tight and steep set of stairs. In the fall, I’d struggle to reverse the process. In order to move the A/C, I’d need to set it on a towel and slide it across the floor. Bumping it down the attic stairs was a rather risky and dangerous process. In order to set the A/C into the window, I’d first lift it onto a chair. I’d then haul it the rest of the way, using all our strength, and I’d often hurt our back. Two years ago, I pushed a bit too hard and shoved the A/C right through the window. Apparently the window frame was a bit rotted, and the A/C ended up falling to the concrete many stories below. I was lucky that it didn’t land on our car. I was not ecstatic about needing to purchase a new A/C. I was pleasantly surprised by the options available at the local hardware store. Modern portable cooling units are compact, lightweight and exceptionally energy efficient. They are quiet to operate, and offer all sorts of convenient features.