Cincinnati Engineer Invents Smart Alternative to Air Conditioning — for Under $150

What started as a frustration project in a Cincinnati garage is now one of the country's best-selling cooling devices. We spoke to the inventor — and he held nothing back.

Advertorial | published 4 hours ago

It's 2:47 a.m. The apartment is 82 degrees. And nothing is helping.

That's what summer nights in 2025/26 look like for millions of Americans. The old box fan is pushing tired warm air around the bedroom. The window is open, but it's 79 degrees outside. A lukewarm glass of water sits on the nightstand. At 6 a.m. the alarm goes off and you already know: today is going to be a long day.

Anyone who wants real central air doesn't just have one cost — they have five:

• $900 to $3,300 for the unit itself, depending on room size and brand.
• A hole drilled in your exterior wall for the outdoor unit — plus written approval from your landlord, HOA, or building management. Renters typically don't get that approval, period.
• A licensed HVAC contractor with an open slot. As of summer 2026: most licensed HVAC contractors in the big metros are booked solid for the season and get to pick which jobs they take. Order in May and the earliest you'll get on the schedule is August — if at all.
• $250 to $400/month in extra electricity per summer month.
• Annual EPA Section 608 refrigerant servicing by a certified contractor — that's a federal mandate, not optional.

Run the numbers on a 400-square-foot rental apartment in Chicago, Dallas, or Phoenix and most people give up. That's exactly where Mike Bennett comes in.

Three months in a garage. Over a hundred attempts.

Bennett, 48, is an HVAC engineer from Cincinnati's West End. University of Cincinnati alum, mechanical engineering. 20 years in commercial cooling — he knows the industry from the inside. He knows what a system costs to install, what it eats in electricity, and what the big brands have been quietly leaving out of the sales pitch for years.

The idea hit him last July. He had just installed a split-system A/C for a 71-year-old customer in Cincinnati-Hyde Park — the whole package: unit, install, inspection sign-off. Final bill: $3,300. The customer had tears in her eyes when she saw the invoice.

I sat in the truck afterward and thought: this can't be right. We have satellites in orbit cooling themselves to minus 290 degrees without a compressor. And in a Cincinnati apartment you're supposed to drop three grand to get one room down to 72 degrees? — Mike Bennett, inventor of EpiCooler

For three months he was in his workshop almost every night. Different geometries for the cooling chamber. Different fan configurations. Different materials. Over a hundred attempts, most of them dead ends. By early September, the prototype ran stable for the first time.

95 degrees to 63 degrees — in under two minutes

Bennett set a digital thermometer on the workbench. Outside temperature that day: 95 degrees. He switched on the prototype. After 1 minute and 47 seconds, the thermometer read 63 degrees. He repeated the test four times on different days. Every time the result landed between 61 and 65 degrees.

His neighbor, a 67-year-old former HVAC service technician with 35 years on the job, came over, looked at the readout — and didn't say a word for a full minute.

The principle is simple at its core — and that's exactly why nobody had built it before: warm room air gets pulled in, routed through a specially shaped cooling chamber, and blown back out cold. No compressor. No chemical refrigerant. No outdoor unit. No drilling.

From the garage to 60,000 households

What began as a one-off in the workshop is now in over 60,000 American apartments, houses, and RVs. Bennett kept the name simple: EpiCooler — no marketing speak, no fancy branding, no twenty product variants. One device, one job.

Ask him why the thing is taking off so fast and he gives you three reasons:

First: it actually cools. Second: it uses about 90 percent less electricity than a split-system A/C — on the power bill, that's around $160 less per summer month. And third: you unpack it, hang it on the wall or set it down, plug it in, done. No drilling. No outdoor unit. No approval from the landlord. — Mike Bennett

On top of that: at under 40 decibels, the EpiCooler is quieter than a normal conversation. No problem in the bedroom at night. Just over two pounds — fits in the RV, in a vacation rental, in the home office. And unlike a traditional A/C, it doesn't dry out the air in the room.

What users are saying

Used to have a built-in Frigidaire A/C unit that cost $1,490. The last two power bills were a shock. With the EpiCooler my June bill came in $150 lower than last year. Honestly, I was skeptical — but this thing does what it says. — Linda Bennett, 58, Boston

My neighbor asked if I'd finally gotten the old central A/C fixed. Nope. It's that little white thing on the wall. First night I slept through in three weeks. For me, the verdict is in. — Robert Walsh, 67, Cleveland

I ordered the unit for my 79-year-old father. He lives alone in a top-floor apartment — 90 degrees plus in summer. He called me last week and said it was the coolest night he'd had in years. Worth every penny. — Karen Mitchell, 51, Dallas

Who is the EpiCooler really for?

Bennett describes his customers pretty clearly these days:

Bedroom cooling — anyone who wants to finally sleep through an entire night without the room hitting 82 degrees again by 5 a.m.

Renters and rental apartments — no outdoor unit, no exterior-wall approval, no A/C argument with the landlord.

Seniors and parents with young kids — quiet, maintenance-free, without that dried-out-room feel of a regular A/C.

RVs and motorhomes — runs off a normal 120-volt outlet, compact, light.

Attic home offices — where a split system is either not allowed or just plain out of budget.

What does it cost right now — and why hurry?

Bennett decided to run a 60 percent launch discount off the eventual list price. The unit currently goes for $137.99 instead of the planned $379. On top of that, there's a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee — if the EpiCooler doesn't deliver, it goes back free of charge.

The launch promotion runs while current stock lasts. Bennett's small-batch manufacturing operation in Cincinnati-Norwood has been running three shifts since March, but they still can't keep up with orders. Where things stand right now:

• Currently tightly limited stock in the active shipping queue
• Next major restock won't arrive for several weeks
• Once current stock is gone, full list price applies

Wait, and you risk both: a few weeks with no cooling — and the full price after the supply gap.

Lock in the launch price now » $137.99 instead of $379 · 30-day money-back · free shipping

Frequently asked questions

Do I need any kind of connection or installation?
No. Unbox it, plug it into a regular outlet, done. You can hang the unit on the wall with the included mount or just set it down on a surface. No drilling, no outdoor unit, no approval needed.

Does it really work without refrigerant?
Yes. That's what's unique about Bennett's design: cooling happens through the specific airflow geometry inside the unit — no compressor, no chemical refrigerant, no outdoor condenser. A short guide explaining the principle is included in the box.

How loud is it at night?
Under 40 decibels. That's quieter than a normal conversation. Most customers say they barely notice the unit in the bedroom, even when it runs all night.

Does it dry out the air like a regular A/C?
No. That's one of the most common praises in the reviews — especially from seniors and families with kids. The air stays comfortable, no dry throat in the morning.

How do the electricity costs compare to an A/C?
About 90 percent less. A standard split-system A/C adds $250 to $400 a month to your power bill in summer. The EpiCooler runs in the range of $18 to $30 a month — even with continuous use.

Is there a guarantee in case it doesn't work out?
Yes. 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. You test the unit in your home, and if it doesn't work for you, it goes back free of charge. According to Bennett, the return rate is under 1 percent.

Where is the unit made?
At Bennett's manufacturing facility in Cincinnati-Norwood. Final assembly, quality control, and packaging all happen in the United States. Individual components come from American and select international suppliers.

Check Availability » Redirect to the official manufacturer page · 30-day money-back