The Best Portable Air Conditioner and Heater Combos of 2026
Yes, a portable air conditioner can heat a room too, and the ones worth buying do it with a heat pump rather than a cheap electric coil. A 4-in-1 unit cools, heats, dehumidifies, and runs as a fan, so one box on wheels covers a spare room, a garage office, or a rental all year. The catch: a portable heat pump only makes real heat down to about 40 degrees outside, so treat it as shoulder-season and backup heat, not a January furnace. Our overall pick is the Midea Duo MAP14HS1TBL, an inverter heat-pump unit that cools hard, heats efficiently, and runs quiet. Below are four real models you can buy today across price ranges, then the buyer questions that actually decide which one to get. Size any of them with the BTU calculator first, and if this is for a room you will heat and cool for years, compare the running cost against a mini split before you buy.
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Midea Duo MAP14HS1TBL Heat Pump Portable AC
Who it is for: A main bedroom or living space up to about 550 sq ft where you want strong cooling in summer and efficient heat in spring and fall from a single unit.
- +It pairs a heat pump with an inverter compressor, so it both cools and heats, and Midea rates it at over 40% more efficient than a standard single-speed portable. The heat pump works from roughly 41 to 86 degrees outdoors, which covers the shoulder seasons.
- +The hose-in-hose dual-hose design draws outdoor air for the exhaust instead of pulling conditioned air out of the room, so it cools harder (14,000 BTU ASHRAE, about 12,000 BTU SACC) and holds temperature better than single-hose units.
- +It runs as low as about 42 dBA, among the quietest portables made, and adds WiFi with Alexa and Google Assistant control.
Watch out: It is one of the pricier portables, and the tall cabinet plus dual hose take up more floor and window space than a small single-hose unit. Heat output falls off below 41 degrees outside, so it is a supplement, not a whole-home heat source.
De'Longhi Pinguino Arctic Whisper PAC EL390HLWK
Who it is for: A big open room or a bedroom where quiet matters, since this line is built around low noise and rates for larger spaces than most portables.
- +It is a 4-in-1 heat-pump unit (cool, heat, dehumidify, fan) rated for large rooms up to about 700 sq ft, more coverage than a typical portable.
- +De'Longhi's Arctic Whisper line is tuned for low noise, so it is one of the easier portables to sleep or work next to.
- +The heat comes from a heat pump, not an electric coil, so shoulder-season heating costs a fraction of resistance heat. WiFi and app control are built in.
Watch out: Large-room portables are big and heavy to roll around, and like every portable heat pump the heat fades as it gets truly cold outside. De'Longhi rotates model numbers often, so confirm the exact model and room rating on the listing.
Whynter ARC-14SH Dual Hose Portable AC with Heater
Who it is for: A room up to about 500 sq ft where you want strong, simple dual-hose cooling plus a heat mode without paying inverter prices.
- +It is a proven dual-hose 14,000 BTU unit (about 9,200 BTU SACC) that cools a 500 sq ft room hard, and it earned a best-overall nod from Good Housekeeping.
- +It adds a heat mode for chilly mornings, doubles as a dehumidifier, and ships with the window kit so there is nothing else to buy.
- +The design is straightforward and durable rather than packed with electronics, which is part of why owners keep them running for years.
Watch out: It uses a single-speed compressor, so it is louder and less efficient than an inverter unit like the Midea, and there is no WiFi. Check the exact heating spec on the listing before you count on it in cold weather.
BLACK+DECKER BPT10HWTB Portable AC with Heat
Who it is for: A small bedroom or home office up to about 450 sq ft where you want the cheapest way to get both cooling and heat in one unit.
- +It cools a room up to about 450 sq ft (14,000 BTU ASHRAE, roughly 10,000 BTU SACC) and adds electric heat rated to warm a room up to about 88 degrees, so one box covers both seasons for the lowest price here.
- +It is a genuine 4-in-1 that also dehumidifies and runs as a fan, and the wheels plus light weight make it easy to move room to room.
- +The remote and LED controls are simple, and single-hose setup is quick.
Watch out: The heat is electric resistance, not a heat pump, so it warms like a built-in space heater and costs more to run than the heat-pump picks. Single-hose cooling is less efficient and louder, and you should follow the manual's guidance on unattended use.
What actually matters when buying
Can a portable air conditioner really heat a room?. Yes. Many portable ACs are 4-in-1 units that cool, heat, dehumidify, and run as a fan, and the good ones heat with a reverse-cycle heat pump instead of a resistance coil. A heat pump is just an air conditioner that can run backwards: in summer it moves heat out of the room, and in heat mode it reverses and moves outdoor heat in. That is why it can warm a room using far less power than a plug-in space heater. The limit is temperature. A portable heat pump makes useful heat down to about 40 degrees outside, then output drops fast, so it shines in spring and fall and as backup, not in a deep freeze. If you only ever want cooling, a plain portable air conditioner costs less.
Heat pump or electric heat: which should you buy?. Buy the heat pump if you will actually use the heat. A heat-pump portable like the Midea Duo or the De'Longhi Arctic Whisper delivers roughly two to three times more heat per watt than the electric-resistance heat in budget units. Electric heat, the kind in the BLACK+DECKER, is a built-in space heater: fine for the occasional chilly morning, expensive if you run it for hours. The one thing electric heat does better is keep working when it is truly cold outside, since it does not depend on pulling heat from frigid air. For most people the answer is a heat pump for efficiency, with the understanding that below about 40 degrees you will want another heat source. To heat and cool a whole room cheaply all year, a mini split beats any portable.
How big a room will a portable AC with heat handle?. Match the BTU to your room: most 14,000 BTU ASHRAE portables land around 8,000 to 12,000 BTU SACC and cool 450 to 550 sq ft, and they heat a slightly smaller area than they cool. Watch the two ratings. The big ASHRAE number on the box is optimistic; the SACC figure (Seasonally Adjusted Cooling Capacity) is the honest one, so compare units on SACC. Do not oversize, because an oversized unit short-cycles, cools without pulling out humidity, and leaves the room clammy. Plug your room's square footage, ceiling height, and sun exposure into the BTU calculator and buy to that number rather than the biggest unit on the shelf.
Does a portable AC with heat still need to be vented?. Yes. In both cooling and heat-pump modes a portable AC must vent through a window, because it moves heat between inside and outside through the exhaust hose. There is no such thing as a truly ventless portable AC; the no-hose gadgets sold that way are evaporative coolers, not air conditioners. A dual-hose unit like the Midea or Whynter vents and draws air through two hoses, which is more efficient than a single hose that pulls already-conditioned room air. All of them use the included window kit, so you need a window (or a wall or sliding-door vent) within hose reach.
Is a portable AC with heat worth it, or should you get a mini split?. A portable AC with heat is worth it for a single room, a rental, or a space you cannot modify, because it needs no permanent install and rolls where you need it. For a room you will heat and cool for years, a mini split is quieter, far cheaper to run, and cools and heats better. The honest trade: portables are cheap up front and require nothing but a window, but they are louder, less efficient, and take up floor space. A mini split costs more to install and is permanent, but it pays that back in lower bills and comfort. Renters and short-term needs lean portable; owners planning to stay lean mini split. Compare the two honestly in our window AC vs portable AC breakdown before deciding.
How we picked
These picks are research-based, drawn from manufacturer specs, published SACC and ASHRAE ratings, the difference between heat-pump and electric-resistance heating, and owner feedback, not bench-tested in our own lab. Portable AC brands rotate model numbers, hose designs, and heat specs constantly, so confirm the exact model, the SACC cooling rating, and whether the heat is a heat pump or an electric coil on the listing before you buy.
Useful next
Best Portable Air Conditioners (cooling only), Window AC vs Portable AC, Best Mini Splits (cheaper to heat and cool a room).
Frequently asked questions
Can portable air conditioners also heat?
Yes. Many portable air conditioners are 4-in-1 units that cool, heat, dehumidify, and run as a fan. The ones worth buying heat with a reverse-cycle heat pump, which is far cheaper to run than electric-coil heat, while budget models use a built-in electric heater. Either way, a portable's heat mode works best in spring and fall; a heat pump makes real heat only down to about 40 degrees outside.
What is the best portable AC with heat?
For most people the best portable AC with heat is the Midea Duo MAP14HS1TBL, an inverter heat-pump unit that cools 550 sq ft, heats efficiently in the shoulder season, and runs around 42 dBA. For a large or quiet room the De'Longhi Pinguino Arctic Whisper is the pick, the Whynter ARC-14SH is the best simple dual-hose value, and the BLACK+DECKER BPT10HWTB is the budget choice for a small room.
Is there an air conditioner that also heats?
Yes. Any heat pump both cools and heats, and heat pumps come in portable, window, and mini split form. A portable or window heat-pump unit is the plug-in version for one room, while a mini split is the permanent, far more efficient version for a room or a whole home. If you want one system to cool and heat a space for years, a mini split will cost much less to run than a portable.
Does a portable AC heater need to be vented?
Yes. A portable AC has to vent its exhaust hose out a window in both cooling and heat-pump modes, because it works by moving heat between the room and outside through that hose. A truly ventless portable air conditioner does not exist; no-hose units are evaporative coolers, not air conditioners. Dual-hose models vent and draw air through two hoses and cool more efficiently than single-hose units.
How cold can a portable AC heat pump work?
A portable AC in heat-pump mode makes useful heat down to about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, then output drops quickly as it struggles to pull heat from cold outdoor air. That makes it a good shoulder-season and backup heater, not a primary heat source for winter. Units with electric-resistance heat keep working in colder weather but cost much more to run. For dependable winter heat, use a furnace, a cold-climate mini split, or another dedicated heat source.