Reviews You Can Rely On

SereneLife SLPAC8 Review

This unit is highly portable and easy to install, but it's louder than most and not powerful enough to chill large or stifling hot spaces
gearlab tested logo
SereneLife SLPAC8 Review
Credit: Brian Walker
Price:  $431 List
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Manufacturer:   SereneLife
By Austin Palmer and Adam Stout  ⋅  Nov 10, 2023
63
OVERALL
SCORE


RANKED
#8 of 9
  • Cooling - 35% 5.6
  • Energy Consumption - 15% 7.4
  • Noise - 20% 4.0
  • Portability / Install - 25% 8.5
  • Convenience - 5% 5.5

Our Verdict

Like its higher-powered sibling, the SereneLife SLPAC8 has one of the best window interface kit designs we've seen, making for one of easiest installs of all units tested. It's lightweight, highly portable, and very energy-efficient, but the accolades end there. The SereneLife is loud for a portable AC with such underwhelming cooling capability. In fact, it's one of the loudest and least capable ACs of all units in our review. This is one to avoid if you require a lot of cooling capacity or value quiet operation.
REASONS TO BUY
Excellent window kit for easy installation
Relatively lightweight
Very energy-efficient
REASONS TO AVOID
Louder than average
Single-hose design
No medium fan setting

Compare to Similar Products

 
serenelife slpac8
This Product
SereneLife SLPAC8
Awards   Best Buy Award
Best Portable Air Conditioner On a Budget
  
Price $431 List
$269.99 at Amazon
$330 List
$339.97 at Amazon
$350 List
$295.99 at Amazon
$570 List$339 List
$389.70 at Amazon
Overall Score Sort Icon
63
68
67
67
64
Star Rating
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Bottom Line This portable air conditioner is easy to cart or carry around and set up; just don't expect tons of cooling powerThis versatile unit goes easy on the wallet in terms of power-consumption and purchase priceThis portable AC is easy to install and even easier on the budgetThis unit is one of the most straightforward to set up and has impressive cooling power, but it trails behind in energy efficiencyThis portable AC is a breeze to set up and take down and demonstrates excellent energy efficiency, but it's loud and underperforms in cooling
Rating Categories SereneLife SLPAC8 Black+Decker BPACT08WT SereneLife SLPAC10 Black+Decker BPACT14WT Midea MAP08R1CWT
Cooling (35%)
5.6
6.6
6.2
7.2
5.8
Energy Consumption (15%)
7.4
6.7
6.3
5.0
7.2
Noise (20%)
4.0
5.5
5.5
6.5
4.5
Portability / Install (25%)
8.5
8.3
8.8
7.3
8.6
Convenience (5%)
5.5
6.2
6.0
6.4
5.0
Specs SereneLife SLPAC8 Black+Decker BPACT08WT SereneLife SLPAC10 Black+Decker BPACT14WT Midea MAP08R1CWT
Manufacturer Recommended Cooling Area Up to 350 sq ft Up to 150 sq ft Up to 450 sq ft Up to 700 sq ft Up to 350 sq ft
Single or Dual Hose Single Single Single Single Single
Wi-Fi / App Enabled No No No No No
Modes (fan speeds) - Cool (Low, High)
  • Fan (Low, High)
  • Dry (Low)
- Cold (1-3 + Auto)
  • Fan (1-3)
  • Dehumidify (Auto)
- Cold (1-3)
  • Fan (1-3)
  • Dry (1)
- Cold (1-3 + Auto)
  • Fan (1-3)
  • Dehumidify (Low)
- Cold (Auto)
  • Fan (Auto)
  • Dry (Low)

  • Cannot change fan speed on the A/C unit
Energy Star Certified No No No No No
BTU 8000 BTU (ASHRAE)
4000 BTU (DOE)
8000 BTU (ASHRAE)
4000 BTU (DOE)
10000 BTU (ASHRAE)
6000 BTU (DOE)
14000 BTU (ASHRAE)
8400 BTU (DOE)
8000 BTU (ASHRAE)
5300 BTU (DOE)
24-Hour On/Off Timer Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Control Type Button Touch Button Touch Button
Remote Control Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Washable Dust Filter Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Manufacturer Window Width Minimum 26.7" * 20.5" 26.7" 26.5" 19.4"
Manufacturer Window Width Maximum 50.1" * 59" 50.1" * 48.4" 62.2"
Measured Window Kit Width 4" 6.5" 4" 6.4" 6.5"
Refrigerant Type R410a R32 R410a R32 R32
Child Lock No No No No No
Manufacturer Dehumidify/Moisture removal 2.5 pt/hr Not Specified 3.1 pt/hr Not Specified Not Specified
Measured Weight 44 lbs 3 oz 46 lbs 52 lbs 4 oz 63 lbs 4 oz 50 lbs 14 oz
CEER 5.7 5.4 6.6 6.05 6.5
Estimated Summer Cost $125.50 $156.88 $167.34 $231.83 $132.48
Average dBa Reading on High 63.7 58.6 61 58.9 60.2
Difference of averaged temps 4.9 7 6.3 8.3 5.4

Our Analysis and Test Results

The 8,000 BTU SereneLife SLPAC8 has above-average installation thanks to its cleverly designed sliding window interface kit. It's lightweight and highly portable, and it leads the pack in energy efficiency.

Performance Comparison


serenelife slpac8 - the compact serenelife slpac8 is ready for testing.
The compact SereneLife SLPAC8 is ready for testing.
Credit: Brian Walker


Cooling


The lower-powered SereneLife SLPAC8 didn't wow us in the cooling test as it came in around the bottom of the pack. We heated the room to 82.6 degrees Fahrenheit and turned the SLPAC8 to its highest cooling setting for one hour. By the end of the test, the air temperature dropped to 77.6 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a far cry from our top scorer.

serenelife slpac8 - the serenelife is very lightweight and portable.
The SereneLife is very lightweight and portable.
Credit: Brian Walker

Portability/Install


The SereneLife SLPAC8 did well in our portability and installation tests. We weighed the SereneLife SLPAC8 at just over 44 pounds. It's one of the only portable air conditioners we tested with only one carry handle positioned at the top center of the unit. While it may be light compared to other units, and carrying it around isn't terrible, we prefer units with two handles. Rolling on hard floor was nice and smooth with straight steering. Rolling on short pile carpets is fine as well, but there is more resistance on medium to high pile carpets.

serenelife slpac8 - thanks to this excellent handle placement, the serenelife slpac8 is...
Thanks to this excellent handle placement, the SereneLife SLPAC8 is one of the most portable units we tested.
Credit: Brian Walker

Like its sister unit, the SLPAC10, installation is an absolute breeze and can be completed in around five minutes, with little more than your hands and a couple of basic hand tools.

Just like on the more powerful SLPAC10, we appreciated the packability of the SereneLife SLPAC8 for those who put their AC away at the end of the summer. All you do is unlock the tabs, remove the unit, unscrew the hose from the window panel, and simply twist off the hose from the back of the AC. Unfortunately, we were unable to find any onboard storage in our testing, so you'll have to store other components elsewhere.

Noise


The SereneLife SLPAC8 didn't perform well here. It was one of the loudest units out of all that we tested. We listened to each unit and also broke out our sound meter to measure the number of decibels produced by each AC unit.

serenelife slpac8 - the slpac8 is pretty noisy, and the spl meter concurs.
The SLPAC8 is pretty noisy, and the SPL meter concurs.
Credit: Brian Walker

The SereneLife SLPAC8 produced 63.7 dBa running several feet from the SPL meter with the fan on high. The fan and the compressor are both very loud compared to other units. In fact, the SLPAC8 is even louder than its more powerful 10000 BTU big sister by a noticeable margin.

Energy Consumption


The 8,000 BTU SereneLife SLPAC8 performed exceptionally well in this metric, taking top honors as one of the most energy-efficient portable air conditioners in the review.

serenelife slpac8 - we measure every unit's power consumption with a watt meter.
We measure every unit's power consumption with a watt meter.
Credit: Brian Walker

The SereneLife SLPAC8 consumed a mere .72 KWh over an hour. Over a 90-day period with 12 hours of daily use, we calculated that it will consume 777.6 kWh and run up an approximate electric bill of $125.50. It reigns supreme as one of the most efficient and affordable portable ACs we've tested.

Convenience


The lowest portion of the review score (5%) is how we rated the convenience features of each AC. The SereneLife SLPAC8 was one of the lowest scorers in this metric.

This unit does have all of the basics you need to run it, like vertically adjustable air vents, basic modes, a remote control, and a highly legible screen, but the SereneLife SLPAC8, but it fell short compared to other units with smart capabilities that allow users to control their device remotely.

serenelife slpac8 - the serenelife slpac8 is low on frills and extras, but it does have...
The SereneLife SLPAC8 is low on frills and extras, but it does have a remote.
Credit: Austin Palmer

Should You Buy the SereneLife SLPAC8?


The SereneLife SLPAC8 isn't powerful enough to cool large rooms or rooms in scorching hot climates, so we only recommend it for small spaces and to those who value energy efficiency and portability above all else.

serenelife slpac8 - the slpac8 is hard to beat on portability and ease of setup.
The SLPAC8 is hard to beat on portability and ease of setup.
Credit: Brian Walker

What Other Portable Air Conditioner Should You Consider?


If you're looking for easy installation, good portability, and better cooling capability, check out the SereneLife SLPAC10 for a few more bucks. If you want decent cooling and the quietest portable AC in the game, go for the well-rounded LG LP1022FVSM.

Austin Palmer and Adam Stout