A window air conditioner in a bedroom does most of its work at night, a few feet from someone trying to sleep. So skip the headline number and find the figure for the setting you will run at 2am, then check whether the unit stays at that setting or keeps changing its mind.
The window AC is usually the loudest of the bedroom machines; how it fits with the rest is on our page about keeping an apartment quiet.
Our main window air conditioner guide compares every published figure. This one starts from the room. We sized each pick with ENERGY STAR's chart and the maker's own room figures, then read each owner's manual for what it says about sleep mode, the lowest fan speed, energy saving modes, display lights and beeps. The picks overlap, but the order and the advice do not.
Our picks are listed above, with full specifications for each.
Size it to the bedroom first
Bedrooms are smaller than the rooms most window units are sold for. ENERGY STAR's chart, for rooms with an 8-foot ceiling, reads:
- 100 to 150 sq ft: 5,000 BTU
- 150 to 250 sq ft: 6,000 BTU
- 250 to 300 sq ft: 7,000 BTU
- 300 to 350 sq ft: 8,000 BTU
- 350 to 400 sq ft: 9,000 BTU
- 400 to 450 sq ft: 10,000 BTU
A 12 by 12 foot room is 144 sq ft, which is the 5,000 BTU band. A 12 by 14 foot room is 168 sq ft, the 6,000 BTU band. Only a fairly large bedroom, 300 sq ft or more, needs the 8,000 BTU unit that most "quiet" models are sold as. ENERGY STAR says to reduce by 10 percent for a heavily shaded room and add 10 percent for a very sunny one.
Oversizing costs you twice at night. ENERGY STAR warns that a unit that is too big will cool the room before it has a chance to remove the humidity, leaving cool, moist air that feels damp and clammy. And the bigger units list higher figures. LG's 10,000 BTU inverter lists 58, 54 and 50 dBA from high to low, while its 8,000 BTU inverter lists 54, 50 and 46. That is 4 dBA more at every fan speed for capacity a small bedroom does not need.
That is why the picks are grouped by room size. The Frigidaire Gallery, LG LW8022IVSM and Midea U are 8,000 BTU units that their makers rate for up to 350 sq ft. The GE Profile PHNT10CC is 10,300 BTU for 350 to 450 sq ft. The LG LW6023IVSM is 6,000 BTU for up to 250 sq ft, per its features text, though its spec table says up to 300.
Makers quote their quietest setting. In a bedroom that is not a trick, because the quietest setting is the one you will use. The problem is that each maker's quietest setting is a different thing.
Low fan. Frigidaire lists the Gallery at 40 dBA on low. LG lists the LW8022IVSM at 46 on low. Among the 8,000 BTU standard window units we read, the Frigidaire's 40 is the lowest published low-fan figure, and its high figure of 50 is published too.
Sleep. LG is the only maker here with a sleep figure in its spec table: 44 dBA for both the 8,000 and 10,000 BTU inverters. That is 2 dBA below LG's own low-fan figure for the 8,000 BTU unit.
Quiet Mode. GE lists 40 dBA for the PHNT10CC in Quiet Mode, labelled "Low Cool". Its manual says Quiet Mode sets the fan to Low. GE lists low fan in ordinary Cool at 51. The manual adds that in Quiet Mode the unit runs for longer at lower energy consumption levels, which is the likely reason for the gap, though GE does not say so.
No setting named. Midea's as low as 32 dBA and LG's as low as 44 dB for the 6,000 BTU unit name no setting at all.
We do not rank these against each other. A low-fan figure, a sleep figure and a Quiet Mode figure describe different settings, and no maker states a distance or a test standard. Compare within one maker's sheet, where the conditions are at least the same.
What sleep mode actually does
The word means different things on different units, and the manuals are clear about it.
Frigidaire Gallery. Sleep can only be switched on by remote or app. The display shows SL for 3 seconds, then the display and lights turn off. The unit "will automatically select the Auto fan speed", raises the set temperature by 2 degrees F after 30 minutes and 2 more after another 30, and holds that for 7 hours. The catch is in the same manual: on Auto, the fan starts on High and speeds up again if the room warms. For the quietest night, use Cool on Low fan and let the display dim on its own.
LG LW8022IVSM and LW6023IVSM. Sleep Mode "keeps operating noise to a minimum and turns the air conditioner off after a set time", from 1 to 12 hours, and raises the set temperature by up to 4 degrees F. Set the timer long enough to reach morning.
Midea U. Sleep raises the set temperature by 2 degrees F after 30 minutes and holds it for 7 hours. The manual says nothing about the fan speed in sleep.
GE Profile PHNT10CC. Its manual lists no sleep mode. For quieter nighttime cooling it says to use Cool with Low fan, and it offers Quiet Mode. It also warns that in Quiet Mode it is normal to hear the unit switching speeds when it senses the room becoming uncomfortable.
Inverter or fixed speed: the cycling you hear at night
In the daytime you hear the steady noise. At night you notice changes: the compressor starting, the fan ramping up, a click. That is where the compressor type matters most.
ENERGY STAR describes a conventional compressor as working "like an on/off switch", on at maximum capacity or off, alternating to hold the temperature. A variable speed compressor varies its speed to continuously control the temperature. GE's manual for its non-inverter ClearView units says you may hear the thermostat click when the compressor cycles on and off.
An inverter does not end cycling entirely. GE's inverter manual says the compressor "will cycle on and off and also change operating speeds". Frigidaire's manual says an inverter model may make a "da-da" sound within the first thirty seconds as the compressor starts. But the steady figures still favor the inverter strongly on the makers' own sheets. Frigidaire's conventional FHWC083TC1 lists 53.5 dBA on low, 13.5 above the Gallery inverter's 40 on low.
Energy saving modes that restart the fan
This is the bedroom problem we did not expect, and it is on by default on four of the five picks.
- LG: the unit defaults to Energy Saver each time it is switched on. At the set temperature the compressor and fan turn off, and the fan turns on approximately every 3 minutes to sample the room.
- Midea U: the Energy Saver feature is on by default. The fan runs 3 minutes after the compressor stops, then cycles on for 2 minutes at 10 minute intervals.
- Frigidaire Gallery: runs with Eco on at first use and turns Eco back on when restarted in Cool. It cycles the fan the same way, 2 minutes every 10.
- GE PHNT10CC: Eco mode cycles the fan with the compressor, and GE says the fan may pulse intermittently to sample the room air.
A fan that is silent and then starts is more noticeable at night than one that runs steadily at low speed. If the restarts wake you, switch the mode off at bedtime and use a low fan.
Display lights and beeps
A bright display in a dark room and a beep at every button press both matter more in a bedroom than anywhere else.
- Frigidaire Gallery: the display and indicator lights turn off after 60 seconds of inactivity. It beeps twice when you hold the temperature button to its upper or lower limit.
- LG: a Light Off function turns the control panel display off. Hold Mode on the remote for 3 seconds, or press Mode and Sleep together on the unit.
- Midea U: the remote's LED button turns the display, and on some models the buzzer, on and off. The unit beeps when it receives a remote signal.
- GE PHNT10CC: the panel lights turn off after a minute without use. Button sounds are on by default; hold Filter for 5 seconds to silence them.
U-shaped and saddle designs in a bedroom
A U-shaped unit like the Midea straddles the sash, and a saddle unit like the GE hangs over the sill. ENERGY STAR says that in most cases the control panel and vent sit inside the room while "the noise-producing compressor is located outside the room", and that these designs provide greater noise reduction. It gives no figure. Soleus Air's saddle unit is the only one we found with separate figures: 38 to 49 dB(A) indoors and 51 to 63 outdoors.
For a bedroom there are two more points. Both let you open the window with the unit installed, which helps if you like air on cool nights. And they are heavy: the GE PHNT10CC weighs 80 pounds, and needs a wall and window of the right size.
What else keeps a bedroom awake
The makers' manuals list the same normal sounds: rushing air, a gurgle or hiss from the refrigerant, a high pitched chatter from the compressor, and pinging as water is thrown against the condenser. A bedroom at night has little background noise to cover them. Vibration is the one you can fix: LG's manual says to install the unit securely and firmly to prevent vibration and noise, and Midea's says a unit may vibrate because of poor wall or window construction or incorrect installation.
New to the units? Read dBA explained, and see how quiet is quiet enough, room by room for what to aim for in a bedroom. For why two brands' figures do not line up, see why you cannot compare dB ratings across brands.
How we chose
We started from ENERGY STAR's sizing chart and each maker's room size, then read the product page, spec sheet and owner's manual for each unit. We recorded each noise figure in the maker's words, with the setting it describes, and compared figures only at the same named setting. Prices and stock are as shown on the makers' sites; the Frigidaire price is from September 22, because its site did not load when we rechecked on September 27.
We did not measure decibels ourselves. The rankings follow the room first, then the published figure at the setting you would sleep on, then what the manuals say about sleep modes, fan cycling, lights and beeps. None of the makers states a measuring distance or test standard, so treat a gap of a decibel or two between brands as no gap at all.
