Paragon Eco-Conditioner by Haier

I live in New York City, where we have four seasons - fall, winter, spring and 'smelly'.

With the last few days of 90-degree heat, we had an early introduction to the smelly season.

I also live in an apartment building that has centralized heating and air conditioning. According to the building's maintenance man, the air conditioning won't be turned on until May 15. Fortunately, the heat wave broke today, but the last couple of days I found myself wishing for a room air conditioner like the Paragon Eco-Conditioner(TM) from Haier America.

According to the press release I received today from Haier, the Paragon (model #ESAD4066) was just named by Consumers Digest as a "Best Buy" for Small Capacity room air conditioners.

Haier says that Consumers Digest called the Paragon "the most efficient room unit that you can buy."

As far as I can tell from the press release and online product descriptions, here are the key eco-friendly selling points:

1) Haier says the Paragon uses 11% less energy than other energy-efficient room air conditioners.

2) The air conditioner is Energy Star qualified.

3) In addition to providing cooling power, the Paragon also uses ultraviolet light to purify the air.

4) Apparently uses a refrigerant that does not damage the ozone layer (although I couldn't find any information on the product page about exactly what chemicals are used in the Paragon ESAD4066).

Very, very sadly, I did not have a chance to test this air conditioner myself this past week.

Where to Buy:

The Haier Paragon ESAD4066 is available via Amazon.com for $259.99 - $289.99 from several sellers.