Easy Home Air Conditioners: Window Unit + Portable Unit

Last Updated on July 9, 2023

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In most of the United States, the end of May is the beginning of the hot season. Swimming pools across America open on Memorial Day weekend, and in much of the South, East, and Midwest, daytime temperatures in the 80s and 90s become increasingly common.

In that situation, air conditioning for a home isn’t just a luxury: in some places, and for some people, it can be the difference between comfort or discomfort, or even life and death. Central air conditioning is usually the best choice, but central air conditioners can be expensive to repair and thousands of dollars to replace. In those times when central air isn’t possible — or in homes where, say, central air isn’t as effective in certain parts of the home — smaller or portable air conditioning units can be a godsend.

Aldi frequently sells two different air conditioning units around the end of May as limited-time ALDI Finds (Special Buys). Here’s a look at them.

Easy Home 5000 BTU Window Air Conditioner

Easy Home 5000 BTU Window Air Conditioner

The Easy Home window unit runs $99.99, which is considerably less than most other 5000 BTU air conditioners out there. The unit is manufactured by Danby, a Canadian appliance company. There are no manuals online for this unit that we can find. It comes backed by a 1-year warranty, serviced by Danby.

On the feature front, the window unit cools up to 150 square feet, with two different fan speeds, two different cool speeds, and two-way air direction. It also features an adjustable thermostat, and a loss of power protection that enables it to auto-restart when power comes back on. It comes with a window installation kit, but the unit can be removed from a window and reused as well. The air filter is washable.

One more note: like virtually all air conditioning units now, this unit comes with R32 refrigerant, which is more environmentally friendly than older refrigerants and is far less costly to replace.

Easy Home 8000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

Easy Home 8000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

In a double-hung window installation.

The Easy Home floor unit runs $199.99. Like the window unit, this portable unit is significantly less than most comparably equipped portable air units. As with the window unit, this unit is made by Canadian appliance company Danby. The model number for this unit, EPA080BAUW, was the same in both 2018 and 2019, so the models for those two years is essentially identical. Aldi has a manual online for this model, and Danby also has a parts page as well. The 2019 version comes with a 2-year warranty, serviced by Danby.

The portable unit has a few key features. It can run in two different speeds and functions as a 3-in-1 design, since it can act as an air conditioner, a fan, and a dehumidifier. If the unit needs to be moved, it does come with four castors that allow it to be rolled from room to room.

In can be installed in a couple of different ways. One is into a double-hung window. The other is in a sliding door.

Easy Home 8000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

In a sliding door installation.

The unit has both a built-in electronic control panel with an LED display, and a remote control. The remote is notable in that it has a “follow me” function which can act as a thermostat, allowing for temperature control based on where the remote is, rather than where the unit is located. The unit also can be set using a 24-hour timer.

Easy Home 8000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner

The remote control, which can also act as a thermostat.

The Verdict:

Aldi has been selling portable air conditioning units for years, both in the wall unit and portable wheel versions, and these are a lot less expensive than most other models of their class that we’ve seen. We have not tested either of these units, but we’d be interested to hear thoughts about them in the comments.

About Joshua

Joshua is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. He is also a writer and novelist. You can learn more about him at joshuaajohnston.com.

71 Comments

  1. I would love to know how well these units work. The box says Made in China but you say made in Canada

    • The company is based in Canada. Like many companies (including many American companies) they likely import their products from China.

    • The air conditioners likely are made in Shenzhen China. My box says China. Having been there a couple times, nobody knows hot humid heat better than the southern Chinese/Malay area. They DO know what they’re doing when it comes to manufacturing A/C units. Although Danby is Canadian-based, my relative lives in Findlay OH where they make stuff too. Quite a few places, actually.

    • Richard Bednarik

      I just bought easy home portable AC unit and turned it on before I installed it in the window and I’m trying to set the temperature but the unit runs the temperature indicator all the way up to 88 every time and then it shots down for no appearant reason. I’m going to return it. Piece of junk.

    • Michael Saccamozzone

      I bought one last year and it does not cool very well at all even in a small room. Says it’s a 8000 BTU but my 4,000 btu window unit that I bout at Walmart does way better. Not recommended if using it for an AC maybe a dehumidifier but haven’t tried that option.

    • All a/c units are made overseas. The representation is in Canada. Call them up asap and be very nice if you have an issue. Ask about a local rep if there is such a thing.

    • mine was junk right out of the box. trying to fix it as we speak. theres some malfunction that keeps tripping it of and i have to unplug and reset it. does this in dehumid mode too, so its clearly messed up.

      • Is it a good 115 Volt receptacle which can handle the heavy start up current? This should be considered too.
        Do you touch the thermostat often or do you leave it be be for at least 6 or more minutes?

    • There amazing I just got one

      • Did you get the 8000 BTU portable air conditioner? I just bought one and deciding if I should go ahead and use it or return it as there are mixed reviews.

    • bought it because it said it could be used as a dehumidifier – 2 pints/hour…… after 5 hours and running in flooding very humid room I got less than a cup off water out…. doesn’t work as a dehumidifier

      • Put the thermostat on Maximum and don’t change the fan speed.
        Place a small thermometer by the intake, then follow up with the same thermometer on the output side. There should be an ‘approximate’ temperature difference of about 17 degrees. If these numbers don’t show then it’s time for professional assistance.

  2. How often should the portable one be drained? It seemed to start to cool down but when i came home from work it wasn’t cooling just fan blowing and won’t stay in cool mode.
    Frustrated and hot

    • Danby, the manufacturer, should be able to help you with that question. You can reach them at [email protected].

    • Hi Lois, from what I read in the manual, it doesn’t say “when” or how often. It does say it will give a P1 error if it needs to be drained but I’m also thinking that this happens when it’s on “Dry” mode which is used separately from the “Cool” mode (AC). Also, you need to have the hose connected (plastic about a foot long) and placed near a drain (or be creative) to use the dry mode.

    • The easy room, 8000 btu air doesn’t stay on, and the thermostat is set for the lowest temperature at 61 degrees is it broke

  3. Just started using it and it is making a loud noise near or at the location where warm air exits. Is that normal or did I just buy a defective ac?

    • I just purchased one a few weeks ago and I’m having the same problem. Did your’s ever stop making noise?

      • If it sounds like water droplets hitting a fan, that’s normal operation if you are in a warm humid climate. It’s supposed to do that, helps it operate more efficiently.

  4. Brought the portal 8000 BtU on Saturday. Place vent in window, it does not cool very good will be taking back tomorrow

  5. Why it doesn’t cool room just noise and working as fan even in cool mode

    • Only the “Cool” mode is suppose to actually decrease the temperature in the room. Fan is just that, a fan, I do believe.

  6. CAN I buy it in online?

  7. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! We live in a very small studio apartment and the remote says 87° in here and it’s set to 62°. Only place you can feel somewhat cooler is if you stand directly in front of the vent.

  8. Bought the window unit less than a month ago. Piece of junk. Compressor doesn’t kick in most of the time, just makes a loud grinding noise. Save your $$$.

  9. Bought mine a month in a half ago didnt have to use it till now and its leaking water from the bottom i dont understand why ? Wish i never bought it now

  10. I purchased two 5K units in July ’17 and I like them. Cools well, not too noisy, very sophisticated remote control with a handy backlight for night, don’t see that in this price range. I’ve had good luck with Danby products in the past, these seem to be holding up and were a great value.

  11. Bought the portable unit in June and it works great!
    I have always had Danby products in my campers and never ever had any problems.
    Dont expect to cool your whole house, that’s not what they are designed to do.

  12. Just bought this unit yesterday at Aldi’s. We are expecting 100 degree weather over the next 3 days (Midwest). Cools my kitchen and den area VERY well about 350 square feet. I haven’t tried the dry mode although I’d be very curious to see how it works since this house tends to collect moisture (humidity) quite a bit. It works and cools well. I had to leave it standing upright for six hours (per the manual) after I bought it because it was sitting on its side in the store. It says you can haven’t plug the thing in until six hours after it’s been sitting straight up so I didn’t want $200 to go down the drain and actually read/followed the manual for a change.

    I haven’t tried the sleep mode yet or the fan mode, just cool and set it to 75 just to see if it works well and it DOES indeed. I was worried because it’s very cheap compared to even Walmart and of course, Home Depot but this is going to a life saver for us. I’m going to try the follow me feature later today. Supposedly, it detects the temp where the remote is and adjusts the temp accordingly. I don’t know how but as long as it cools, I really don’t care. OH, one more thing, I like the window kits that it came with. Made installation a breeze and you can tweak it if you plan on moving the unit around to another window.

    • PS. I should have mentioned that I bought the portal 8000 BTU unit.

    • Where does the water go which the unit produces?

      • The cool water that forms on the evaporator coil INSIDE the house makes its way through a small hole to the hot condenser coil OUTSIDE the unit. The outside fan then picks up that cooled water and throws it against the hot coil. That’s why you sometimes hear a pinging sound when the unit is running. It’s using the cool water to make it more efficient through the evaporative cooling principle. It’s also why every window unit instruction says ‘make sure the unit is tilted at least 2° towards the outside’.

  13. You know, I’m still not sure. But apparently, there’s an internal tray. I was thinking it was a tray I could remove but it’s not. So, when this AC unit’s internal drain pan becomes full, it’ll beep 8 times and give a P1 message. It says to roll the unit to a place where you can drain it (like a laundry floor drain, etc) and remove the bottom drain plug to release the water. Apparently, after plugging it back in, the P1 message will disappear.

    I’m still not sure how to use “dry mode” though. I’m not sure if that’s part of the humidifier or if that’s to help dry the internal water pan??? I have no clue. I tried removing the upper drain plug before and adding the tube to it and placing it on dry mode since my house stays humid and placed the hose in a bucket…No dice. It didn’t do anything.

    Still the AC is kicking out some seriously cold air so that’s good. I’ll update this thing when I give Danby a call and figure it out.

    • Thanks for the comments.
      If you want be further educated contact the number which is usually displayed on the box or in the warranty manual.
      Write down your questions before calling and the staff is usually very helpful.
      Just my observation.
      May I suggest to make a few copies with your phone of the instructions and date this, because when the manual magically disappears you’ll have a back up.

  14. The exsaust hose puts out a lot of heat ,even though its connected to out side.dont like the opening .going to try to put dryer vent cover see if that helps but .you have to be really creative with this to get to cool room .like make sure vent hose goes all the way to screen so no heat goes in window seal and walls .feel window see if its heating .room I reall insulated and not extended hose and made a box so heat exsaust dont escape but to out side only.the 8k btu isnt all there you think it is but its rated lower like 6btu.i have a gauge tells me and pressure.and security I dont see this worth it .someone can easily even though I secured it making a box .it might be ok for a guarge or utility room.im still trying to improve it.before I take it back.if i leave for a couple of days i would really worry.about security and that drain but i put it in a water heater pan ,also tried putting that hose in a bucket. I wish it would be 12000 or more btu.i would make it work.

  15. I am leaving a review for the Easy Homes Portable Air Cooler. Save your money. The highest fan speed, in my opinion is weak. In my opinion, you are better off buying a fan.

  16. Jorge Rodriguez

    the 8000 BTU number is very misleading for the portable unit, the effective/REAL BTUs is probably like half of that, the unit is quiet and it does work but only for 1 room or similar and it seems to work hard non-stop to lower just a couple degrees, however since it also dehumidifies you can sleep better , also putting a swiveling fan in front to blow the colder air coming out of the vent helps and should be ok, but please expect no miracles , i should have bought a stronger machine , IF you live in a very hot place and/or want to cool down a bigger place buy something else.

  17. I do not recommend the window AC! I bought a window AC (EasyHome 5000 BTU) a bit over 1 year ago. Already this summer its not working properly anymore, its doesnt cool down. And I did remove the unit over the winter! Now I need to buy another one, but not EasyHome anymore.

  18. In Houston’s July heat and humidity, this unit is not up to the task of cooling a 8’x20′ room. Can probably handle a closet sized room 1/2 the size of advertised capability.

  19. exhaust hose diameter?
    does anyone knows that? I was thinking on shorten the exhaust hose, because my portable AC is close to the exit hole and having such a long exhaust hose that gets so hot then a lot more heat its transferred from the hot long exhaust to the bedroom environment than with a shorter 2′ or less exhaust, that should help

  20. I have a 10 x 12 bedroom and it cools down my bedroom very well, better than the window units already in the apartment. Overall I’m very satisfied with it.

  21. I use this unit to cool down a grow room, performs wonderful here in southern california. I only have one concern; in fan mode it sucks air from the outside but there isn’t any type of filtration to filter the outside is there? what happens when the blower fan inside the unit gets gunked up? overall I love this product.

  22. My unit doesn’t have any openings to let outside air in. Decades ago some brands offered that option but the one I have doesnt, wish it did but that’s a rare option nowadays. More parts = more cost

  23. I wasn’t aware that outside air can come in. Wouldn’t ambient air which may be hot or colder affect the room’s environment?
    May I suggest going to a Home Depot and walk around the thermostat and filter section. I’ve seen all kinds of ways to get air in for plumbing purposes which prevents rain from coming in etc.
    The information educated me to other ways for solving another similar problem. If there is really an opening for fresh air, wouldn’t you be concerned about critters coming in?

  24. The 5000 BTU window units are garbage! I bought 2 of them last year. One failed in less than a month. Returned it. That one lasted a little over a month. The 2nd one I bought originally failed in less than 60 days. All 3 had their compressor lock up. Bought a cheap one at Fleet Farm several years ago, and it’s still working great.

  25. My two 5000 btu window units from Aldi work well enough on maximum cool settings, but are pretty useless when dialed down to a less cool setting. In that instance, they seem to cycle off and never cycle back on again. But who turns down a tiny little 5000 btu unit anyway?
    I simultaneously run two, in a bedroom window and a living room window. They work hard, but still adequately cool down my little 700 sq ft bungalow home, and then I maintain a cool house by running only the one that’s not in the same room I am occupying (I don’t like cold air blowing on me). This is more comfortable, and uses less electricity, than a big 12,000 btu unit I had cooling the entire house from a middle room.
    Bottom line: I ask more of these little guys than I should, and they deliver (on maximum setting). I would buy them again.

  26. Set an inexpensive oscillating fan towards the louvres of the a/c. Set it about 3-5 feet away and on low. This way there can be no common flow pattern established which could otherwise give you a stiff neck from the typical draft.. You’re getting the humidity out which is most important with a little bit of air movement. Just my thoughts. Years ago we had a window a/c with motorized louvres which either froze in position as you set it or it mixed the air up with continuous oscillating back and forth.

  27. Annette Campbell

    Bought the 5000 but unit last year, absolutely love, love, it. Second season and going strong. Run it on low cool and you need your comforter. Wanted to get another one for my dining room but aldi hasn’t gotten them in

  28. We have two portable units and they are pulling a vacuum. Do not understand why. Also, do ceiling fans help to distribute the air?

  29. We really like our portable 8000 BTU so far. It works well for our upstairs master bedroom/bathroom. Sometimes we will move it to help cool off the spare bedrooms before bed. We only use it at night. We keep it on 68 ish degrees. I wouldn’t say it’s quiet…I mean, it is an air conditioner so maybe keep that in mind. I feel like the noise is far better than being stuffy and hot when trying to sleep.

  30. Well, my 8000 BTU portable machine now stays stuck on P1 error and only blows out air. I have tried draining the thing and it’ll go back to working for about 10 minutes or so and then go right back to P1. Of course, it’s no longer under warranty now. So just wonderful. Oh well. I’m having to crank up my regular AC to the house just so the upstairs attic/room is ‘bearable’.

  31. We have the 5,000btu window unit for our bedroom and it works great. We are in the south and it’s about 98-100 degrees outside. Our room is nice and cold 🙂

  32. Purchased the 8k BTU portable model and it has been great all summer. I compare it with an older LG unit and it is better in terms of lighter weight, quietness, and more automatic features such as full shut down when the desired temperature is reached. I have central AC but some rooms upstairs never cool down so this has been a lifesaver.

  33. I have had my 8000 BTU portable unit for a couple of years now. I only use it on occasion for any emergencies that pop up. It’s been working great out of the box since I’ve gotten it with no problem. It’s not too noisy, but definitely generates some noise. My main home A/C decided to go out the Friday before Labor Day here in Houston this year. Only one company had a service opening for me that Friday….and it was at 6:00 pm. Until then I got out the 8K BTU unit and set it up in my living room (open concept. It did it’s job holding the temperature down for 10 hours (I closed all the blinds and curtains and had ceiling fans going to circulate are in the house). I only set it to 76 and it was really cold close to the unit and comfortably cool about 5-6 feet around the unit, but the fans really help move the air around the area. The last few time before that I used it was with a generator when I lost all power during a hurricane and with other strong storms. It held it’s own when set up in the master bedroom, guest bedrooms and the dining room (all relatively closed off areas of the house). Again, I don’t use it continuously or even everyday. I’m sure there are better portable units out there that have better output to cool bigger spaces, but for the price, I’d buy this again without hesitation.

  34. I bought the portable unit for my basement, earlier in the summer, since the air doesn’t seem to circulate well down there. It’s be amazing out of the box! It runs quietly, Is energy efficient and keeps a large area very cool and comfortable. We LOVE it! It does such a good job, we don’t have to keep doing anything with it. It turns off and on when needed and the cost was terrific!! I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one to keep my she-she’s cool next summer!! Thanks Aldi!!

  35. I used it last summer. By the end of the summer, it got a little noisy, so I don’t know if it will break down soon or not. I’ll find out this summer.

  36. I just bought this unit on Monday..It keeps shutting off after 1min..called customer service, which was no help, right away she said take it back to the store after I hit the test and reset button on plug. I will never buy a unit like this again from Aldi’s…The company need to test these units before sending them out.

  37. The first thing which must be checked is the receptacle. If it’s not up to par, such as the wire connections not being very tight– going to the receptacle, then such things could happen. When one talks about high Amperage draw such as an air conditioner starting up, shutting down then can happen. Try another receptacle and no extension cord please.

  38. tl;dr: Broke down within months, not worth repairing.

    When the AC in my house broke down last year, I was told that I need to replace the entire system because R22 refrigerant (Freon) has been phased out, for the cost of over $6000. Since I didn’t have that kind of money, I bought 2 portable units ​and 1 window unit from Aldi’s for a little over $500, hoping they would tide me over until I could save up the money to replace my central system.

    I might as well have saved that money because all 3 units ended up being useless. The 2 portable units worked for a few months before the fan died in both. Since I am mechanical and often fix things, I took apart one of the units to see if I could replace the fan motor. Unfortunately, the bolt attaching the fan is welded on, meaning the fan can’t be removed without breaking it entirely, which defeats the purpose of replacing the motor.

    As for the window unit, I never even got to use it as several parts were missing when I opened it. I don’t know exactly which parts because the manual and the warranty were also missing. As luck would have it, I didn’t open the box until after it was too late to take it back to Aldi and exchange it. Although, I assume it would have ended up as broken and useless as the portable units.

    When the temperature gets cooler and more bearable, I plan to take apart all 3 units and recycle the copper. In the meantime, since money has been increasingly scarce due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all I can do is hope that I don’t burn to death in my boiling oven of a house before the weather changes.

  39. I’m still using mine. I think I bought it in 2018 for $100. I don’t use it on its own, but to support my central a/c. I’m in Florida and the heat and humidity were killing me. I was working overnights and needed to sleep in the day. My room was the hottest in my apartment. I now work days, and only run the a/c at night. I cannot sleep unless it’s on.

  40. We purchased the portable air conditioner three years ago when we first moved to Florida. I use it primarily at night to keep the bedroom as cold as possible for my lungs otherwise I have trouble breathing. But a week ago a P1 code popped up and it will only blow the fan now. My husband tried to drain it but only a few drops came out of it but the P1 code persists. Does this mean the unit is no longer operational as an air conditioner?

  41. I have purchased the 8,000 btu standup. It says for a 10×20 room, according to the manual. If you have windows, hallways, this will not cool as well. Mine has been great, I purchased for $59.00 clearance. I use in the garage, my 5th wheel Trailer. So far so good, for that price no complaints here.

  42. What does E6 mean on the unit?

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