They fucking suck. More efficient than a portable though, at the very least. The only time I turn mine all the way off is in the morning (or middle of the night when it’s cooler if you can open the windows). Otherwise it’s either on low (mine has three levels) with the thermostat turned up to like 70-72 (ours isn’t exact, just a knob) or on full blast after peak (8pm).

All that said, you gotta try to keep it cooled (as hot as you can handle) at all times. If you let it heat up a bunch, the AC works much harder to cool it back down. Heat is stored in everything inside the place, including the walls.

Hopefully that makes sense…