Moving to a New Apartment: Should You Keep or Sell Your Portable Air Conditioner?

A portable air conditioner can be a treasured possession if you’re living in apartments without built-in cooling. But it may not have a home in your new apartment, with the varying sizes of windows and storage. It also may not be worth the cost and effort of moving it from place to place, if you feel that you can survive the summer months with a few good fans in its place. Be sure to properly evaluate all relevant factors when determining your decision on the air conditioner’s future.

Determine Whether or Not It Will Fit in the New Apartment

Not all apartment windows are created equal. A portable window air conditioning unit might fit perfectly in your old apartment’s window, and be completely wrong fit in the new place. If you can, measure all relevant dimensions in the new place before deciding to lug the air conditioner over to it. If you can’t get over to do measurements and have any doubt about whether it will fit, it might be best to part with it and make some cash in the process. You wouldn’t want to waste the effort of carrying the air conditioner to the new place only to find out it doesn’t have a home there. Also consider the storage options in your new apartment. Most regions of the country don’t require air conditioners year-round, meaning you’ll have to stow it away in a closet or basement in the off-season.

Consider the Cooling Options in Your New Apartment

It’s important to ask yourself how necessary the portable air conditioner will be in your new apartment. Is the new place likely to get as hot and stuffy as your previous residence? Are your new roommates planning on having air conditioners as well and will theirs be strong enough to successfully cool the entire home? Your answers to these questions will help determine whether or not it’s worth it to bring the air conditioner to the new place. Also consider the cost involved in running an air conditioner at your new apartment. If you live in a part of the country that doesn’t get unbearably hot in the summer, you met be able to get by with a few room fans, rather than a large window A/C unit. Air conditioners consume a lot of electricity, which translate to higher utility costs and a bigger price tag on your apartment. Substituting fans would reduce the electricity costs, adding more cash on top of the money you’d make from selling the unit.

Weigh the Cost of Transporting It Vs. Selling It

Evaluate the overall moving process of transitioning from one apartment to the next. If either your current or future apartment take many flights of stairs to get to, it may be more worth it to sell the A/C unit. Also take stock of how much else you’ll be moving and if it’s worth adding on another heavy belonging, especially with limited moving van space. It could be worth it though, if you’re bent on having the cooling convenience and the move involves going from one first-floor apartment to another.