12 volt air conditioners are small, portable units that run off of batteries, as well as having wiring hookups so that they can be plugged into a basic wall outlet. The majority of them are rated at 6000 to 7000 BTU, which is large enough to cool a car, boat, or small camper, which is what they were originally designed for. These 12 volt air conditioning units can be found in various different places, including on the internet, but the majority of them are sold at sporting good outlets across the nation.

These versatile units can be plugged into a car or truck lighter socket, a wall, socket, and some of them even contain rechargeable battery packs. A few of them can even run off of D batteries when an emergency arises, but when this feature is used they run low on power very quickly. The best units are the ones that have large, built in rechargeable batteries that are designed for long use.

The original use for these 12 volt air conditioning units, as was stated above, was for sportsman and truck drivers when they were away from home. Now, though, they are used everywhere from camping to traveling to staying cool will sleeping. People have recently begun to turn them on before going to bed, with the unit pointed directly towards them. This allows them to stay cool throughout the night without having to run a big air conditioner or central air unit. This may seem like it saves on energy bills, and if the unit is only ran for a short time off of the battery, then it can. But if it is plugged into the wall all night, the energy consumption is almost the same as running a high efficiency unit because of the demand that the unit has for power.

The one plus side about these 12 volt air conditioners is that they are easy to carry with you. For instance, if you are planning to go on an overnight camping trip during the middle of the summer, it is nice to have a way to cool off other than having to jump into a lake or river. For all practical purposes, the 12 volt air conditioning unit is best used for instances such as these, when actual air conditioners or central air units are not available.

Many different companies manufacture these so they can be purchased in all different shapes and sizes. Before spending money on one of these items, though, be sure that you have assessed your specific needs so that you buy one that can be used throughout your daily activities.