LG LW8000ER 8200 BTU Thru-Wall/Window Air Conditioner

We installed this air conditioner in the middle of last summer, when the old rusty monster in our bedroom died. Having suffered from its noise and inefficiency for several years, we set out to find a better and quieter one on the Internet.

There are numerous calculators on the Web, and based on the size of the room, we figured out that 8,000-9,000 BTU should work fine. Then we went to Consumer Reviews to learn about their recommendations. LG was listed among the most efficient (and quiet) ones. Indeed, this cute-looking unit has an Energy Star, which means that it is highly efficient. To meet Federal Energy Star requirements, room air conditioners must use 10% less energy than the industry minimum standard.

Having picked the model, my husband continued looking on his own (God bless him - he excluded me from this arduous task!) in search of the best price possible. As a result, he found the unit for $240 at some obscure shop in Brooklyn – I think it's a great price for our little LG marvel.

Like most its counterparts, LG has a timer for better temperature control, allowing you to use the minimum amount of energy you need to cool your room. That is, you can set it to work for 6 hours and go to sleep – it will turn off in the cool morning hours automatically (and then you will start sweating by 7 a.m.). The feature that I find even more appealing is the temperature sensor, which allows the air conditioner to turn off as soon as, say, 73 degrees F are reached. Should the room start heating up again, the air conditioner then turns back on by itself and works as long as it takes to cool the room the desired temperature.

I also like the fact that you can set the desired fan speed (there are three choices), and on most days, the lowest one – which appears as F1 on the electronic display – will suffice. This speed is also the quietest – you can hardly hear its "white noise".

Oh, what a relief it was when we installed the unit! Compared to our old contraption, it was literally a breath of fresh air! So for the second summer in a row now, we are enjoying hot days (and nights) in the city to the fullest extent possible (which is not much, but the air conditioner is not to blame). When it gets really-really hot outside (over 90 degrees or so), we switch the fan to a higher speed, and then the air conditioner becomes somewhat more audible. But even when set to F-3, it makes just about half the noise the old one did.

It also helps that our LG has a remote control. At first, it was not easy to figure out which buttons to push in the dark, when I would decide to change the settings in the middle of the night. That is a hint to the manufacturer that a lighted remote display would not hurt. But let us not be too picky – I don't think it's an option with any air conditioners. Anyway, now that I am well acquainted with the device, pushing right buttons is no problem.

We also got better at setting the right temperature: we no longer wake up to find a blanket after setting the temperature to 69 (for some reason, the room gets really cool this way) - we are now content with 73 or so. On really humid nights, it is also good to set the unit to its "dry" mode. That way, it keeps the fan speed of previous settings, but also starts dehumidifying the air – a very useful feature in New York. The air conditioner also has a reusable filter, but we have not taken it out so far.

As for installing this A/C, I have seen several people complain that it is really difficult. Well, I have seen my above-mentioned husband Reinstall it this year, and it was no problem. But when we put it in for the first time last year, he was so afraid to drop it from the 12th floor that he called in a professional. So I am not sure about instructions in Korean and wrong-size screws – the ones the man from the shop used last year worked just fine the second time around.