Midea 8000 BTU U-shaped Air Conditioner review: energy efficient without sacrificing performance

In early July, I bought my first house, which I have been dreaming about for my whole life. However, in fact, I did not have a crazy-high funds, so I knew I would should buy an older house that wanted some work.

The home I ultimately purchased was inbuilt 1882, making it 140 years outdated as of this 12 months. It is had some work achieved on it lately, however for probably the most half, it is nonetheless a fixer-upper.

As it’s an older house, it did not come geared up with central air. With the warmth routinely leaping into the 90s, I knew I would not final lengthy and not using a window AC.

Nevertheless, I did not wish to accept simply any air conditioner. I wished one thing that would not run up my electrical invoice and would work properly for my area.

I did my analysis and landed on Midea’s line of U-shaped Sensible Air Conditioners. Not solely are they extremely vitality environment friendly, however they’ve developed a cult following.

So, I bit the bullet, charged my bank card, and introduced one house.

Midea’s U-shaped Air Conditioners characteristic a singular design that enables the window to sit down “inside” of the air con unit. This has a number of benefits over the normal fashion, the place the window merely rests on prime.

First, it signifies that your unit is extremely steady. With the air conditioner locked in place by the pane of glass, it feels safer.

Second, it additionally makes it extraordinarily quiet. Locking the compressor behind the glass prevents you from listening to the compressor the way in which you’d with a conventional window unit.

Midea says it is 9 occasions quieter than a conventional window unit operating on the similar stage. In response to my ears, it is considerably quieter than the traditional window unit in my bed room and much more subdued than the HVAC-based central air I had at my final residence.

I have not had any points making telephone calls or FaceTime calls in the identical room because the air conditioner. I appreciated this, as turning off the AC to make an hour-long telephone name when it is 90 levels outdoors is hardly perfect.

Lastly, it is sealed off higher. With conventional window models, you will wind up fussing with a type of plastic accordions and attempting to seal off any cracks with fussy items of climate seal.

With Midea’s U-shaped Air Conditioner, you will solely be left with a small hole on both aspect on the backside, which you’ll be able to simply seal off with a thick piece of froth that Midea contains.

All the design looks like the logical evolution of the place window models ought to have ended up already.

Whereas it’s kind of of a tough promote to assert that any electrical machine can genuinely be “eco-friendly,” the Midea U is at the moment the most suitable choice for electrical utilization.

When determining how vitality environment friendly an air conditioner is, the US authorities makes use of a system known as CEER, which stands for Mixed Power Effectivity Ratio.

The auto mode can gradual fan speeds, saving vitality and stop overcooling of your area

CEER is outlined as “The ratio of measured cooling output (in BTU per hour) to measured common electrical vitality enter (in Watts) and measured standby/off-mode energy consumption (in Watts).”

Meaning the upper the CEER ranking, the extra vitality environment friendly the machine. For an 8,000 BTU air conditioner to be thought of “good,” it must have a CEER ranking of not less than 11. Power Star fashions may have a CEER ranking of 12.1 or increased.

The 8,000 BTU Midea U Air Conditioner has a CEER ranking of 15. It gained the Power Star 2020’s Most Environment friendly award — the primary window AC unit ever to take action. It makes use of 37.61% much less vitality than the US Federal Commonplace, too.

The estimated yearly price of the Midea U is below $50, assuming that you simply’re utilizing it for 8 hours a day for 3 months, with the typical electrical energy price of 13 cents per kWh. However, in fact, your mileage could fluctuate.

Whereas the design is unbelievable, it’s essential to work to take pleasure in it. Putting in such a air conditioner will not be as straightforward as Midea would have you ever consider.

I’ve put in window unit air conditioners myself prior to now. Positive, it wasn’t enjoyable, but it surely’s fairly easy.

Putting in the Midea U was not like that — in any respect. Not solely did it require me to learn the handbook from entrance to again, but it surely additionally required me to name in extra assist from my father.

The Midea U should sit on a bracket, not like many different window models available on the market

In contrast to any air conditioner we have put in earlier than, the Midea U has a non-optional bracket that you will want to make use of. This was a brand new expertise, because it required us to assemble the bracket, connect it to the window, and place the unit on it.

We additionally needed to do some fiddly work within the spot the place the window slots into it. It is a 10+ step course of, and even should you watch the included set up video, it will not be abundantly clear the right way to do sure steps.

Simply maintain returning to the handbook as a result of it is going to be instrumental in getting you thru the set up.

General, it took us a full hour and a half from unboxing to switching it on for the primary time — about an hour longer than it took us to put in the normal window unit upstairs.

I counsel that should you set up one your self, be sure you have not less than two folks, if potential. Not solely did this make it simpler to rapidly verify the handbook, however the unit itself can be fairly heavy — simply over 55 kilos — and cumbersome to maneuver round.

I’ve been utilizing the Midea’s U for almost two weeks now, and I have been extremely impressed with how properly it is managed to maintain tempo throughout a scorching stretch.

I opted to go together with the 8,000 BTU unit, regardless of the warnings that it will be a lot too small to chill my downstairs.

Nevertheless, I discover that it manages to maintain all the downstairs of my two-story, 2000-square foot house comfortably at 73 levels and would not must run 24/7 to take action.

As a bonus, the Midea app is fairly first rate. It is not good, and it has a wierd concern the place it logs me out each 12 hours, however not like many different sensible machine apps, it is truly intuitive.

You’ll be able to change the settings in your air conditioner immediately from the app, together with fan pace, temperature settings, which mode you are in, the route of the vent, and extra.

You too can arrange schedules, which may be very helpful.

I did not wish to cool the areas of my home that I wasn’t actively utilizing, as that will be a waste of electrical energy. At evening, the AC turns off two hours earlier than I’m going to mattress, turning again on within the morning simply as I get up.

One thing I didn’t financial institution on was simply how far the protection bracket of the air conditioner stands out — a full 18.5 inches from the window. Whereas this will not be an issue for some folks, it presents an enormous downside for others.

I stay in a neighborhood the place the homes are positioned fairly shut collectively, and I share an alleyway with my neighbors the place we retailer our rubbish and entry our outside spigots.

The bracket sits a full 18.5 inches out from the window

If our homes have been positioned any nearer, the air conditioner will in all probability obscure the trail an excessive amount of and would must be moved to a different window.

These air conditioners will not be advisable for these residing in residence buildings with fireplace escapes. In spite of everything, it isn’t price it to hinder your security and the protection of others, irrespective of how properly the air conditioner works.

The Midea U is likely one of the greatest window unit air conditioners I’ve had the pleasure of utilizing. It is quiet, has unbelievable app integration, and hasn’t resulted in a multi-hundred-dollar electrical invoice.

If central air is not an choice for you — or should you do not notably like central air within the first place — it will be exhausting to do higher than a Midea U.

It may be exhausting to find out one ranking that will work for each person in each use case. In truth, it falls someplace between a 3 and a 4 and will depend on a number of components.

• you’ve got normal or near-standard, double-hung home windows
• you might be considerably useful or are prepared to dedicate time to studying on the fly
• you’ve got not less than two folks to assist set up it

• you’ve got home windows which are rather more slim or a lot wider than common
• you’ve got a singular window state of affairs, corresponding to overhanging a hearth escape or right into a shared alley
• you intend on putting in this by your self

• Close to silent operation, even at increased ranges.
• Extremely vitality environment friendly
• Nice app integration
• Retains massive areas cool

• Troublesome, gradual set up
• Could stick out too far for sure customers

Midea’s U-shaped Air Conditioner is accessible at Amazon in 8,000, 10,000, and 12,000 BTU capacities beginning at $399, although the upper capacities are inclined to promote out quicker.