So two weeks ago, my 5-year-old swamp cooler broke and I started to look online and in stores for one that was better and would last me longer. I found the Symphony Sumo-J portable evaporative cooler, so I started to look for information on that. Air & Water provided the most information, as well as the most informative information. However, I found the lowest price on Amazon.com.

I got it after about a week, and I’m pretty happy so far! The unit is working well. It says on Air-N-Water that the unit is best suited for areas approximately 300 square feet in size – which my room is. It comes with 3 speeds, too, so that makes me happy. I plan to use this as a humidifier only once the winter comes. It’ll be very handy. I don’t think I’ll see a huge spike in my energy bill, either, since the unit only uses 150 W. It’s also very easy to clean. The grill slides right out and right back in when I’m done. The only thing is that this unit is actually kind of loud. However, I’m rather used to it, seeing as my older one was louder. Great product!

Because I live in Southern California, the weather varies A LOT and I end up using an air conditioner and a heater all in the same week. And with global warming, it becomes rather difficult to keep up with switching the different appliances every day. Plus, it gets quite costly! Unfortunately (or fortunately, however you look at it), my NewAir air conditioner recently broke after more than 5 years of use, so I looked at Air-N-Water’s website to find a new one. Apparently, they just put up the brand new AC-14000H, which was perfect for my whole apartment (it’s pretty small, about 500 square feet).

The NewAir AC-14000H is perfect for my every need. It actually features 4-in-1 technology that includes an air conditioner, a heater, a dehumidifier, and a fan all in one. I feel like this unit was made specifically for me! Now, I don’t have to take out the heater all the time because I can just switch the portable AC into heating mode and I’m set! Plus, I live in a city where the humidity levels are off the charts. This PAC makes my apartment feel much more comfortable. Instead of the old R22 refrigerant that my old AC used, the AC-14000H uses the new R-410A, which is more eco-friendly (I’m all about going green!) and efficient. I’ve since noticed that my energy costs have gone down, which makes me extremely happy, of course.

I already recommended this super-awesome unit to a bunch of my friends. They all love the sleek and compact 4-in-1 design. One even purchased hers from www.air-n-water.com right away! Thank you for such an amazing product!

The unit works fairly quick; it makes 12 pieces of ice within about six minutes. And with a stainless steel finish, I’m not even worried about this unit giving out anytime soon. What I don’t like is that it can’t store ice, which can be a little inconvenient. But it’s not a big deal because I can just turn it off if it’s making too much ice too quickly. Plus, I believe it uses the melted ice water to make new ice, so I don’t have to worry about always refilling the tank! If I needed another one, I’d definitely get it from here.

I read through the entire air purifier guide, and let me just say that the people at Air & Water are really informed! I found the perfect unit for me while looking through the guide about allergies and asthma. I bought the Airgle 750 air purifier, and I love it. It doesn’t use up a lot of energy, so I keep it on 24/7. It’s not too loud, which is a common problem among air purifiers. Since using this air purifier, I am happy to say that I have been feeling much healthier and my whole house has been smelling fresher. And best of all, an air purifier doesn’t make me sleepy – that was something I had to deal with all the time when using over-the-counter allergy medicine. PLUS, ground shipping was free! Nothing beats saving money. Overall, I’m a very happy camper. Take a look at the air purifier guide – you won’t regret it!

I grew up with Sparkletts water dispenser in my kitchen. My parents spent quite a bit each month to have the Sparkletts brand water jugs delivered to our house, and our delivery man would actually come into our kitchen and set up the jugs for us. Today water dispensers (or water coolers, as they’re also commonly referred to as) are becoming popular again as people realize the important of drinking clean, fresh water. In fact, I think the ubiquitous water cooler is pretty common in most offices in this country.

I’ve noticed that there are generally 2 different types water dispensers – floor standing and countertop. The freestanding ones are a little more expensive than their tabletop counterparts, but you can get a larger jug on the floor standing models which means less jug changes overall.

Since my wife and I still like the convenience of having hot and cold water at the push of a button, we chose to purchase a water dispenser for our apartment. We looked at several different manufacturers, and were surprised by the selection. Some of the more popular brands we found were Avanti and Vitapur on the low end side to super high end ones from Aquaverve that cost well over $1000. We did find a good mid-range model from a brand called Clover. But the next step was to decide whether we want a bottled or point-of-use model.

In recent years we’ve all become aware of the large waste associated with plastic water bottles and jugs, and seeing as we now live in super eco-conscious San Francisco, we decided to purchase a point-of-use water dispenser – specifically the Clover D14 hot and cold point of use water dispenser. Unlike bottled water coolers, this unit doesn’t use or reuse plastic bottles. Instead, it hooks up directly to your water line. Installation wasn’t that simple, though; we had to have our apartment maintenance guy come help us set it up. However, we can’t say enough good things about this dispenser. It looks sleek, works well, and is much nicer than some of the Sparkletts models I grew up with! The cost was less than $300 shipped, so not too bad at all.

My first idea was to get a powerful window air conditioner, but after speaking to my landlord and being told that it would be out of the question, my only choice was to get settle for a portable unit or suffer through the summer heat.

While a lot of independent review sites praise units like the Royal Sovereign ARP1000ES portable air conditioner for its performance and ease of use, I found that most units like that one are just plain ugly. As somewhat of a design nerd, I needed something that not only looked great, but would also be able to cool my small 200 square foot bedroom sufficiently. After doing a few Google searches online, I came across some sleek-looking Sharp portable air conditioners and was impressed by one of their newest units, the CV-10NH. With 10,000 BTUs of cooling, it can supposedly cool a room of up to 250 square feet. So does it deliver?

After ordering my unit online, I’m glad to report that it does a great job. It’s quieter than most portable air conditioners, and this specific model comes with a remote control plus a dehumidifier function that can be used separately. A huge selling point was the piano black finish. It’s definitely the best looking air conditioner I’ve seen. Some reviewers say they have owned their Sharp portable air conditioners for years, which speaks well of its durability.

Amazon.com hosts the most reviews for the Sharp CV-10NH portable air conditioner. But given that it’s a new unit, only 16 owners posted detailed comments at this site. Epinions.com has reviews of a similar model, the CV-P10MX, but not for this one. Because there seem to be no expert reviews or comparison tests of this unit, Amazon.com is the only place to find reviews for this portable air conditioner.

Usually I would jump at the chance at purchasing any product from Amazon (I love my Prime membership), they’re not carrying this unit themselves. You can only get it through merchants selling their products through Amazon. I was, however, glad to find that Air and Water, a store I’ve purchased from before and had great experiences with, was offering the Sharp CV-10NH at a competitive price. Online Air and Water reviews are almost all positive, so once again, I had a great shopping experience with the company. Plus I’m loving my new portable air conditioner!

Electric space heaters are safe and easy to use, making them the most popular choice among consumers. They’re almost 100% efficient in converting electricity to heat, but the money spent on generating a unit of heat can be high if it’s not used correctly.  I’m sure we’ve all heard stories about how these things can start fires, but rest assured that most models are now equipped with safety tip-over switches to prevent any heat or fire related mishaps.

Fueled space heaters, on the other hand, are less common but still available.  These space heaters are usually powered by kerosene, natural gas, or even wood.   The biggest advantage of fueled heaters is that they can easily warm up a large area. Many people are wary of using these heaters because they give off carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide.  I personally prefer to use them outdoors for this purpose. 

If you’re looking to purchase a space heater to add supplemental heat to your home, consider the pros and cons of each type.

Because the summer months often wreck havoc on my allergies, I’ve decided to do some research on air purifiers and indoor air quality in general.  Many air purifier recommendations made by actual air purifier online retailers appear to be based on factors such as appearance, features, and price.  Although these criteria might be important if all air purifiers worked equally to clear the air of allergens like mold, pet dander, dust, and smoke, performance varies greatly, so test results are especially important when it comes to identifying the best air purifiers.   I’ve also noticed that while air purifier retailers often tout testing data in their advertising, the majority of these studies are sponsored and paid for by the manufacturer (not surprisingly).

In any case, after searching high and low for some honest air purifier reviews and recommendations, I had just about given up.   Thankfully I came across a site called Blog My Air, which aims to educate consumers on different topics relating to indoor air quality.   The group of bloggers on this site does a great job of discussing everything from DIY air cleaning tips to actual air purifier reviews without links to any commercial sites.  While I still haven’t found the right air purifier just yet, Blog My Air has given me a wealth of insightful information that will point me in the right direction.

Few people handle criticism well, so it’s natural for someone to want to refute or even lash out against any type of bad publicity (especially when it comes to business owners).  Since one of my issues with review sites like Complaints Board and Ripoff Report  is their refusal to give business owners a legitimate voice, I decided that I would post my personal, unbiased reviews on my site and allow emails or comments from other business owners on my site in their entirety.

That said, I’d like to mention that I stand by all of my posts and articles, including negative product and store reviews.  Anything I write here is strictly my opinion, formulated based on my experience with a business or product, and my intention is to give consumers an unbiased opinion about heating and cooling products.

I offer my opinions for anyone who cares to read them, and advise visitors to take my articles with “a grain of salt”. They may find that they end up liking a product or business to which I was indifferent or poorly disposed.

If you have a review about a home appliance retailer you’d like to share, please send them my way!