Air coolers work. Unfortunately most air coolers you can find locally don't work all that well - I know, because I've wasted money on several. There is exactly one company that I've come across that knows their swamp coolers (evaporative coolers), and that's Convair.

Yes, they aren't cheap - often times the models exceed the typical cost of a typical window box air conditioner but there are a lot of advantages. Convair excels where other's fail, and the total package gives me the best cooling results compared with the competition - by far.

Pros:

Economical to operate. They typically sip 90% less electricity than an air conditioner.
No special installation required, just plug into a power outlet and pour in water.
Cools surrounding air by about 10 degrees Fahrenheit.
Circulates fresh air.

Cons:

Does not get as cool as freon based air conditioners.
Not as effective in humid climates.
Requires fresh water.
Lots of ineffective coolers on the market.
Most effective with fresh air (not enclosed room usage).

Recommendation? Get a Convair Air Cooler. On low, it only consumes about 45 watts of electricity (vs 1000 watts for my box air conditioner). On high its less than 90 watts.

Millenia Advantage Convair Portable Evaporative Cooler With Durable Polymer Construction is the closest one to my model except that it has a high pedestal which I recommend when used say in the office. My model provides approximately 5000 btu of cooling and you can sometimes find it in stock at local membership warehouses.

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