I know a secret you'll want to know too but you'll need to read this page to find out what it is.
Update 01/26/2020: First, I want you to know that I've updated this post for the 2020 cooling season to bring you the latest information regarding the most economical and Earth-friendly way to keep cool this year!
I believe I'm right in saying you want a means of keeping cool in the heat of summer but you don't like the high utility bills that you get when running air conditioning in your home or office space.
Am I pretty close? Thought so!
A much more economical alternative to AC that will still give you all the cold air you desire in a portable, vent free package is the ever more popular evaporative cooling unit. It's the genre of products this website is not surprisingly highly focused on, after all.
Top Rated Free Standing Evaporative Cooler
In my experience over the last three years, certainly, the top model of the non-AC class of air cooler has consistently been the Honeywell CO30XE indoor/outdoor cooler. This year it still beats all the other models in its class for sheer cooling power, capacity, ease of use and features as well as its incredible economy rating and affordable purchase price over comparable portable air conditioners and coolers without exhaust vents.
With its very generous 7.9 gallon water reservoir tank and high power evaporating system and fan making it capable of cooling an area of up to 320 square feet by as much as 25 degrees, this model is simply the best I've ever used. It works indoors and outdoors, making it great for cooling you on porches, patios and terraces as well as in the home.
Sure, there are cheaper models but they don't stand up to this baby for sheer cooling power and long term economy.
You can buy the CO30XE online from Amazon by clicking the image or link displayed above right and get a really great deal on price as well as their free shipping deal if you qualify (see the info on shipping when you visit the target product page by clicking on the image).
The Best of the Rest
Just to show I'm not totally biased toward the Honeywell ventless cooler, I will also recommend two additional highly rated evaporative coolers that come a close second to the above. They're both on sale at Amazon at surprisingly low prices considering their capabilities, so be my guest and check them out as well if you want to see what else is available to get the job of keeping you cool well and truly done!
Luma Comfort EC110S Visit Amazon for Details 
#ad You'll love this stylish compact portable cooler that can chill a room of up to 250 sq ft by as much as 25 degrees. With a 1.75 gall water tank, it's smaller and lighter than the other models. However don't let its small size fool you. It will provide several hours of continuous cooling before needing a refill. It comes with a convenient remote control and is easy to move around the place on its easy glide wheels. This Luma portable cooler represents great value for money, is cheap to run and looks distinctively chic. |
Port-A-Cool Cyclone 1000 Visit Amazon for Details 
#ad This high power unit is made in the USA and as you'd expect, is of superior build quality and will perform better and last longer than the cheaper imported models. The Port-A-Cool Cyclone PACCYC06 1000 has a powerful room cooling capability of up to 300 sq ft by 10-25 degrees. It can also be used outdoors on patios, porches and anywhere people need some cool respite from the heat of the summer sun! It has a massive water tank capacity of 8 gallons for long periods of cooling without needing a refill plus a standard hose fitting for continuous running. With two fan speeds and no complex electronic gadgetry, it is really easy to use. Fully portable and easy to move around makes this model perfect for larger area cooling situations, with a very low carbon footprint and is very inexpensive to run! |
Know Your Humidity Rating
To reiterate the most important factor about owning and using an evaporative or swamp cooler, you must have a relatively moderate to low humidity level in your area. These devices are NOT air conditioners and they will lose functionality when the humidity levels are high (above 60% is a ballpark figure).
If you live in a place that has high levels of humidity on average, please DO NOT BUY ONE because you may be disappointed. Unfortunately, the only effective way to cool your home or workplace when the humidity level is high is to opt for traditional air conditioning, even though it costs a lot more to run, with up to 20x the energy consumption of a comparable evaporative (swamp) cooler.
As I explained in another articles on this site, "What is a Swamp Cooler," these cooling devices work by chilling the air by evaporation. As more moisture is evaporated to produce cold air, the amount of moisture (humidity) rises in the room being cooled until it reaches saturation point.
When that point is reached, the effectiveness of the process is greatly reduced as the air simply cannot hold more moisture (reaching 100% humidity). For that reason, you need to keep a window open to allow air from outside to circulate and carry excess moisture out of the room.
This works perfectly well when the ambient humidity outside is low enough to absorb the additional moisture created by the evaporation process in the cooler. But if that ambient humidity is very high, the air is saturated and will not assist in keeping you cool.
Of course if you're lucky enough to live in an area with low to moderate humidity, you can take advantage of the low energy consumption and high output of these innovative air chilling machines. Go right ahead and buy one and enjoy the healthy cooling capability combined with low energy bills that these give you over conventional portable air conditioners and they don't need venting or an exhaust hose either!
