Powerful and mostly portable single-room cooling

Air conditioning is becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity in places where it was previously rare. Some homes and apartments may have only one window air conditioner or none at all. 

Where there is no central air and a window or split-type air conditioner is difficult or impossible to install, a portable air conditioner like the De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner may be a solution. Although a little heavy, the De’Longhi PACEM370 can be moved from room to room and vent out any nearby window. It proves itself a solid choice for cooling a single room that may not otherwise be able to support an air conditioner.

Testing the De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner 

The BestReviews Testing Lab strives to investigate every claim the manufacturer makes about the product. For this article, the testing lab evaluated the PACEM370 portable air conditioner in real-world conditions in rooms of various sizes using the air conditioning, dehumidifier and fan functions, paying attention to the noise level of each.

Before storing the PACEM370 at the end of the warm season, fully drain the unit of any residual water by removing both the external and internal caps of the lower drainage hose.

What is the De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner?

The De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner is an 11,500 BTU portable air conditioner with a maximum cooling area of 500 square feet. As a portable air conditioner, it has casters and handles that allow it to be moved from room to room. It vents via a 4-foot expandable accordion duct hose and a universal window bracket kit. It features a room thermostat, three fan speeds and a remote control. The PACEM370 measures 16.7 inches wide by 13.6 inches deep by 34.5 inches tall and weighs 63 pounds

De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner price and where to buy

The De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner is sold for $549.95, somewhat costlier than similar products, and is available from Amazon and Home Depot, sometimes at a discount.

How to use the De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner

It can take as little as 10 minutes for an experienced consumer to have the PACEM370 up and running. Install the included window bracket in a convenient window. Once all packing material is removed from the unit, connect the exhaust hose to the rear air exhaust housing with the included adapter, and the other end to the window bracket. Make sure there are no sharp kinks in the exhaust hose. Plug the PACEM370 into a safely grounded outlet. Turn the PACEM370 on from the top control panel. Set the desired operating mode, such as cool, fan or dehumidify, as well as the temperature by means of the control panel or remote control. The unit will maintain the desired room temperature as needed thanks to its internal thermostat. It's recommended to wait six to 24 hours after transport before operating the unit.

The dust filter of the PACEM370 should be vacuumed once a week during regular use.

De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner benefits

Cools rooms quickly

The De’Longhi PACEM370 cooled rooms quickly in testing, taking only minutes to cool a room when set on high. The output of cold air from the unit is substantial. The PACEM370 lowered the temperature of a room on the highest floor of a house during the warmest part of the day from 81 degrees to 65 degrees over the span of one hour. If left with the thermostat on a very low setting and without the sleep timer set, a bedroom could cool as low as 63 degrees with the PACEM370 operating.

Portable

The PACEM370’s casters allowed the unit to be moved with relative ease from room to room during testing, as long as those rooms were all on the same floor. The unit’s physical dimensions made it less obtrusive and easier to install than a larger unit or more particularly, a window unit. 

Convenient remote

The remote control included with the De’Longhi PACEM370 was definitely handy during testing. It allows the user to adjust the PACEM370 from a couch or chair across the room from the unit, or while in bed if the room grew warm during the night, without having to get up. 

De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner drawbacks

Heavy

The De’Longhi PACEM370 portable air conditioner’s 63-pound weight detracted from its portability during testing, making it inconvenient and somewhat difficult to move up and down the floors of a multistory dwelling without additional help or assistance.

Requires draining

Like all air conditioners, the De’Longhi PACEM370 may cause water to form on its condenser coils. This water may evaporate in rooms and areas with low humidity, but the PACEM370 does not automatically evaporate this water like some competitors do. It was necessary during testing to regularly empty the collected water from the unit. In humid climates, an exhaust hose may be needed. The PACEM370 comes with high and low water hose ports.

Loud fan

The De’Longhi PACEM370 has three fan settings. During testing, the two higher fan settings were noticeably loud. The high setting may be unpleasantly loud when eating a meal or watching a movie or TV show. The lower settings were not as bad and the low setting could be used as white noise for sleep.

Should you get the De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner?

The De’Longhi PACEM370 Pinguino Portable Air Conditioner works well in isolating and cooling one room at a time without running up the utility bill. It's a decent solution for anyone who doesn’t have air conditioning in their home, or for those who would prefer to cool only one room as opposed to running the air for the whole house.