Cool down without cranking the AC

We may earn revenue from products available on this page and may participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›

With temperatures and utility costs constantly rising, it’s easy to feel like you have to choose between being uncomfortably hot and watching your electric bill skyrocket—unless you have an evaporative air cooler. Also known as swamp coolers, these devices draw warm, dry air over a water-saturated pad, using natural evaporation to cool the outgoing air stream. And because they rely on just a small pump and fan motor instead of an energy-hogging compressor, they use a fraction of the electricity of a traditional air conditioner.

When making these devices cool down Sensation on your skin rather than lowering the temperature of the entire room, most models made a noticeable difference in our comfort during testing. One of our favorites—and the unit we’ve had in our bedroom for 2 months—is Dreo 712S Evaporative Air Cooler. Below, I’ll cover the pros and cons of this particular model and how it performs in everyday use.

Size, Power and Sound

If you have ever owned or seen one Evaporative air coolerChances are the beast you’re picturing in your head looks nothing like it Dreo 712S. Instead of a giant monster that’s borderline bigger than you, it looks like a standard tower fan – about 12 inches in diameter and just under 4 feet tall. Inside, the brand is equipped with dynamic air ducts, 35-blade turbines and large cooling pads called its “IceWind Cooling System”. These features allow it to push out an impressive 1,327 cubic feet per minute (CFM) of cool air in its 85-degree oscillation sweep.

During the day, I mostly use the 712S as a standard fan since I’m rarely in our bedroom. This can reduce the humidity in that room (these units work best when the air is drier) while still producing a refreshing breeze. At night, I refill the 6-liter water tank if needed and pop in two reusable ice packs from the cooler to cool the water. Then I choose one of four modes (normal, natural, auto or sleep), one of four speeds, and enjoy the quiet air in our room without any annoying hums or whines—it produces just 33 decibels on low and just 50 decibels on high.

Daily use and additional features

Whether you use the touch-sensitive top panel, the included remote or the app, Dreo Evaporative Air Cooler It’s incredibly easy. The app provides additional information such as the room’s current temperature and humidity level, and if you connect it to Amazon Alexa or Google Home, you can also make adjustments using voice commands.

Even though it has its permanent home next to our bed, the 22.5-pound unit is also very easy to move thanks to the five built-in caster wheels in the base plate. Refilling it is just as straightforward—when the low-water indicator lights up, either slide out the 6-liter tank to fill in the sink, or bring up a pitcher to pour water directly.

For undisturbed sleep, the auto-brightness display automatically dims based on ambient light, and you can use the programmable shutdown timer or sleep mode (which reduces fan speed every 30 minutes) to gradually power down the unit. If you have small children around, the child safety lock will ensure they don’t change your settings, and if the power goes out, the memory function will restore everything once it’s back on.

After testing 20 air purifiers, we found one that the rest couldn’t

Same functionality, different package? Not with this Sans air purifier, which offers more advanced filtration and features than most models I’ve tested — without the premium price tag.