LG Portable Air Conditioners

LG’s lineup of portable air conditioners includes

8,000 BTU

• LG LP0817WSR
• LG LP0818WNR

10,000 BTU

• LG LP1017WSR
• LG LP1018WNR

12,000 BTU

• LG LP1217GSR
• LG LP1218GXR

14,000 BTU

• LG LP1417GSR
• LG LP1417SHR
• LG LP1419IVSM

LG model numbers always follow this format:

LP [first two numbers of BTU class] [year of release] [letters that specify specific attributes]

So, for example,

For the LP0818WNR

08 = 8,000 BTUs
18 = released in 2018
WNR = a particular design shared with all other “WNR” units. Thus, there are two “WNR” models: the LP0818WNR and the LG LP1018WNR.

For the LG LP1217GSR

12 = 12,000 BTUs
17 = released in 2017
GSR = a particular design that’s shared with the LP1417GSR. Thus, there are two “GSR” models: the LP1217GSR and LP1417GSR.

For the LG1417SHR

14 = 14,000 BTUs
17 = released in 2017
SHR = a particular design that comes with a Heater

Note how there two models in each of the 8,000, 10,000, and 12,000 BTU categories. The primary difference between them? The year of release.

For example, the  LG LP0817WSR was released in ’17 and the LG LP0818WNR was released in ’18. These models are essentially identical in terms of performance. The only real difference between them is their year of release and the accompanying change in aesthetic.

The same concept applies to LG’s pair of models in the 10 and 12,000 BTU categories.

In the 14,000 BTU category we do see a significant difference in performance between different models.

The LG LP1417GSR is a standard 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner.

The LG1417SHR is essentially a LP1417GSR with a heater.

The LP1419IVSM is an entirely different design than the two models above with a dual inverter compressor that provides better cooling capacity and energy efficiency. It’s also significantly more expensive than the LP1417GSR.

LG portable air conditioners vs models by other brands

Currently, two different standards specify portable air conditioner cooling capacity.

By the old standard, units would be tested in favorable conditions and most units on the market (including all LG units) would fall into one of these four “size” categories:

• 8,000 BTUs
• 10,000 BTUs
• 12,000 BTUs
• 14,000 BTUs

By the new standard, units are tested under more difficult conditions (at higher outdoor temperatures indicative of temperatures over different seasons) and two major portable air conditioner inefficiencies are accounted for:

• heat added back into the conditioned room by the unit’s ducting radiating heat back into the room
• heat added back into the room by infiltration air

The heat added by these inefficiencies is essentially subtracted from the unit’s total cooling capacity to give a new adjusted cooling capacity. Combine this with the new outdoor temperature requirements and you have the new standard – seasonally adjusted cooling capacity (SACC).

SACC is much more indicative of actual real life cooling capacity than BTUs measured by the old standard.

As such, we will use SACC to compare LG units to units made by other brands for the rest of this guide.

Comparisons according to BTU category

LG units consistently have a higher SACC than units by other brands in each respective BTU size category.

8,000 BTU Units

In the 8,000 BTU category, the LG LP0818WNR and LG LP0817WSR have the highest SACC in the category – each has a SACC of 5,500 BTUs. In other words, these LG models have a higher actual real world cooling capacity than all other 8,000 BTU models on the market.

Models by other brands have a SACC between 4,000 and 5,000 BTUs – significantly less than the 5,500 BTUs of each of the LGs.

10,000 BTU Units

Again, we see LG units outperform the competition in the category. Both the LG LP1017WSR and LG LP1018WNR have a SACC of 6,500 BTUs. Either unit is a great option if you’re shopping for a 10,000 BTU portable air conditioner.

Models by other brands in the category have a SACC between 5,200 and 6,000 BTUs.

12,000 BTU Units

This is the only category in which we see an LG portable air conditioner outperformed by a model from another brand.

The Frigidaire FGPC1244T1 has the highest SACC in the category at 7,200 BTUs.

The LG LP1217GSR and LG LP1218GXR each have a SACC of 7,000 BTUs. If you’re looking for the highest SACC unit in the category, buy the Frigidaire. Otherwise, both LG models are solid performers.

14,000 BTU Units

LG manufactures both the best and one of the worst performers in the 14,000 BTU category.

On the negative side of things, the LG LP1417GSR is one of the worst performers (note how both “GSR” LG units – the 14 and 12 - are not good performers)  in the category with a SACC of only 8,000 BTUs. It’s not the 7,500 BTUs of the absolute worst performers in the category but it’s close. This unit is not recommended.

On the positive side of things, the LG LP1419IVSM is the best performer in the category. Its SACC of 10,000 BTUs is the highest of any portable air conditioner currently on the market. Unsurprisingly, this is also the model we recommend as the best portable air conditioner you can buy as of the writing of this guide.

Conclusion

We do not recommend the following LG portable AC units because they have a significantly lower SACC than models by other brands in the same size category:

• LG LP1417GSR
• LG LP1417SHR

We do not recommend the following LG portable AC units because they just don’t have enough capacity for even the smallest least difficult to cool rooms:

• LG LP0817WSR
• LG LP0818WNR

We recommend the following units only for small rooms (under 150 sq. ft.) and/or rooms that are reasonably easy to cool (e.g. the outdoor temperature rarely gets above 90° F):

• LG LP1017WSR
• LG LP1018WNR

And to a lesser extent:

• LG LP1217GSR
• LG LP1218GXR

We recommend the LG LP1419IVSM for all other applications.