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
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
Credit: Brian Walker
By Austin Palmer ⋅ Senior Review Analyst ⋅ November 10, 2023
Contributions From: Adam Stout
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, still within an affordable price range, check out the SereneLife SLPAC10, which is only a few more bucks. If you want decent cooling and the quietest portable AC in the game, go for the well-rounded LG LP1022FVSM.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product SereneLife SLPAC8 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Buy on a Mid-range Budget | Best Buy on a Tight Budget | |||
| Price | $431 List $269.90 at Amazon | $400 List $289.99 at Amazon | $400 List $369.99 at Amazon | $320 List $229.99 at Amazon | $246 List $236.00 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
|||||
| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | This portable air conditioner is easy to cart or carry around and set up; just don't expect tons of cooling power | This versatile unit goes easy on the wallet in terms of power-consumption and purchase price | This portable AC is easy to install and even easier on the budget | This budget-focused AC was louder and had less cooling power than some other models | This 8000 BTU portable air conditioner is a solid, affordable option that is effective in cooling smaller areas |
| Rating Categories | SereneLife SLPAC8 | Black+Decker BPACT08WT | SereneLife SLPAC10 | Shinco SPF1-08C | Costway 22783 |
| Cooling (35%) | |||||
| Installation & Portability (25%) | |||||
| Noise (20%) | |||||
| Energy Consumption (15%) | |||||
| Convenience (5%) | |||||
| Specifications | SereneLife SLPAC8 | Black+Decker BPACT08WT | SereneLife SLPAC10 | Shinco SPF1-08C | Costway 22783 |
| Measured Noise Level | 63.7 dBA | 58.6 dBA | 61.0 dBA | 61.0 dBA | 59.1 dBA |
| Cooling Test | 4.9°F | 7.0°F | 6.3°F | 6.1°F | 4.8°F |
| Measured Power Consumed | 0.72 kWh | 0.88 kWh | 0.96 kWh | 0.81 kWh | 0.84 kWh |
| Estimated Summer Cost | $131.26 | $160.43 | $175.01 | $147.76 | $153.14 |
| Measured Weight | 44.2 lbs | 46.0 lbs | 52.3 lbs | 41.8 lbs | 43.8 lbs |
| BTU SACC (DOE) | 4000 BTU | 4000 BTU | 6000 BTU | 4550 BTU | 5000 BTU |
| BTU ASHRAE | 8000 BTU | 8000 BTU | 10000 BTU | 8000 BTU | 8000 BTU |
| CEER | 5.7 | 5.4 | 6.6 | 6 | 6.1 |
| Energy Star Certified | No | No | No | No | No |
| Single or Dual Hose | Single | Single | Single | Single | Single |
| Cooling Area | 350 sq ft | 150 sq ft | 450 sq ft | 200 sq ft | 230 sq ft |
| GearLab Installation TIme | 5 min | 10 min | 5 min | 5 min | 25 min |
| Wi-Fi / App Enabled | No | No | No | No | No |
| Modes (fan speeds) | - Cool (Low, High)
|
- Cold (1-3 + Auto)
|
- Cold (1-3)
|
- Cool (Low, High)
|
- Cool (Low, High)
|
| Control Type | Button | Touch | Button | Button | Button |
| Child Lock | No | No | No | No | No |
| Manufacturer Dehumidify/Moisture Removal | 2.5 pt/hr | Not Specified | 3.1 pt/hr | 1.7 pt/hr | Not Specified |
—Austin Palmer and Adam Stout
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