Having an air conditioner is a must when the temperatures start to rise. It keeps the inside of your house nice and cool, and that can feel amazing when you’re hot and tired after a long day. It can feel even better at night when the temperature outside hasn’t dropped and the inside of your bedroom feels like a sauna.
With summer heat officially here in most parts of Canada, I was very excited to install and test out the Insignia window air conditioner. Now that I have it set up in my window, this summer is going to feel cool and comfortable. Here’s what I thought of the Insignia 5000 BTU Window Air Conditioner I just installed in my living room.
Features of the Insignia window air conditioner
The 5000 BTU Insignia Window Air Conditioner is lightweight and fairly small. It measures 30.6 cm (12.1″) H x 40.6 cm (16″) W x 33.5 cm D (13.2″) and weighs 16 kg (35 lbs). As it’s a 5000 BTU air conditioner, it will cool a room that’s about 150 square feet. If you’d like more information on how to size an air conditioner, check out how to properly size your window air conditioner.
- Fits on standard double windows that are 58.4 to 91.4 cm (23 to 36 inches) wide
- Includes mounting kit and hardware required to mount air conditioner
- Seven temperature settings and two fans speeds
- Adjustable airflow directs cool air to your right, centre, or left
- Has a washable air filter so you can just wash and replace
- Runs very quietly
Installing the Insignia window air conditioner
I’ve only ever installed one window air conditioner before and it was in a much higher window than the spot I placed the Insignia Window Air Conditioner. Typically, window air conditioners are really heavy. The Insignia 5000 BTU air conditioner is only 35 lbs., so I wasn’t worried about installing it myself at all. All of the parts you need for the install are right in the box, too.
My windows are not a standard shape so I knew I would have to make a few adjustments when installing the air conditioner. I wanted to have it in my living room window as that’s the room that gets the hottest in the summer, but given how easy the installation was I may move it to another window after using it for a while.
To install the window air conditioner you’ll need to attach a top bracket and two side slides. These attach with the included screws, and the sides will expand as much as you need them to so they can completely cover the width of your window. Your window slides down on the top bar to hold the air conditioner in place, and you’ll attach the side extensions to your window with screws and included clips.
There are two types of clips to secure your window air conditioner; wood and vinyl, so you can choose which type of window you have. Because of the gap in my window frame, I couldn’t use either of the clips, but I did secure the air conditioner to the window using the included screws.
I placed the foam insulation strips all around the air conditioner to prevent gaps. Because my windows are not standard, we added a supporting block of wood underneath it on the outside window sill. You’ll want to make sure you tilt the air conditioner back slightly so it’s just off-level. That way the condensation will drip straight out and not gather inside the machine.
It took about 15 minutes total to install the Insignia Window Air Conditioner. Once it was securely mounted in the window I turned it on and it was ready to cool the room.
Using the Insignia 5000 BTU window air conditioner
With its all-white design, the Insignia Window Air Conditioner looks great when installed in the window. I don’t find it’s distracting to have it where it is at all.
You can use the air conditioner as a fan and it blows a nice cool breeze toward you. I turn it on fan mode when it’s not that hot outside. It reaches approximately 5 or 6 feet so you can sit on the couch and feel comfortable just with the breeze from the air conditioner.
When it’s hot outside you can turn it on low cool or high cool, adjusting the cooling temperature from maximum to a minimum as needed.
Setting the temperature
It’s easy to set the temperature on the Insignia Window Air Conditioner. There are two dials. One dial will control the temperature from minimum to maximum and the other dial controls whether you set the air conditioner for low fan, high fan, high cool, or low cool. There are seven settings on this machine.
How well does the Insignia Air Conditioner cool the room?
As mentioned, the Insignia window air conditioner is 5000 BTU, so it will cool a room that’s around 150 square feet. One thing I’d recommend to keep in mind when sizing an air conditioner for your home is to take into consideration high ceilings. While my living room is about 120 square feet, it also has vaulted ceilings. That means my square footage is a bit larger than 150 square feet, and that will affect the cooling capability of the air conditioner.
That being said, I found the Insignia 5000 BTU air conditioner very effective at cooling things down. We had a day that was 26 degrees outside and it was stifling in the house. I turned it on and left the room, coming back an hour later, and it was nice and cool. It was set to max cool for temperature and high cold and I could feel a nice breeze of cold air from a few feet away. It’s so refreshing.
Multi-directional airflow
There is a small tab in the top grill of the Insignia Window Air Conditioner that lets you direct the airflow. You can move it from right to left to the centre depending on where you’re sitting, and I can’t tell you how nice of a feature this is. Normally, you have to sit right in front of an air conditioner to feel the cool breeze, but you can just move the tab from side to side and the air will be directed at you.
Runs quietly
The first few times I turned the Insignia air conditioner on, I didn’t think it was actually running. That’s how quiet it is. It’s still quiet even when standing directly behind it outside. I’ve had the TV on watching a movie with it running on high and it’s not distracting at all. It’s also great white noise at night when you’re sleeping.
Removable screen makes cleaning easy
If you’ve ever had a window air conditioner and you found that the air intake would get really dusty, you’ll love how you can remove the screen on this air conditioner. Just pull it from the right-hand side and you can rinse it, shake it, or use your vacuum to remove any excess dust. Just keep in mind that if you’re going to rinse it out in a sink, you should wait until it’s 100% dry before you put it back in the machine.
Should you choose the Insignia window air conditioner?
Based on the price point and the weight of this window air conditioner, it’s one I can recommend as a great choice for anyone who wants to cool a small room. I still had an easy time installing it even though my windows aren’t set up for a window air conditioner, and if I want to move it, I can just remove the screws, pick it up, and put it in another window.
It runs so quietly that you’ll never be bothered by loud window air conditioner rattle or fan sounds, and the choice of cooling or fan means you can run it whenever you just want a cool breeze. It’s amazing to have on at night when it’s hot outside, and I really like a window air conditioner over a portable model as it takes up less space.
You can find the Insignia Window Air Conditioner on Best Buy right now.
