4 Best Climate-Controlled Storage Companies of 2024

Our top pick: Extra Space Storage is our #1 choice. Not only does the storage unit company have the best online climate control info, but it also leads the way with over 2,000 locations and strong customer reviews.

Extra Space Storage, Public Storage, and Life Storage offer temperature and humidity-controlled storage, but you’ll be paying more for Public Storage and Life Storage. U-Haul offers both at a much lower price, but their low customer review score may be an issue for you. 

• Temperature controls. Look for a unit that keeps your belongings within a temperature range of about 50°F–85°F. Be aware that recommended temperatures for your particular belongings can vary. For example, you should keep wine closer to 55°F, while vinyl records do best between 65°F–70°F. Your local storage unit company can give you more guidance on your specific items.

• Humidity controls. Very few companies offer humidity control, so if you’re interested in it, the first thing is to verify whether they have it. After that, you should ask about the specific relative humidity range of the unit and see if it’s a good fit for your belongings. Humidity-controlled units are ideal for areas with high humidity (think coastal areas like Florida or Maine) because they fight against mold, mildew, rust, and rot.
• Low prices. Don’t pay more than you have to. Our research shows that you can usually get a climate-controlled unit for about $190 per month.
• Solid reviews. Do a quick Google search for company reviews. Low prices don’t matter much if the company treats you poorly or has tons of complaints about damaged items or hidden fees.
• Wide availability. Many storage unit companies have excellent value but are available in only a few hundred places across the country. Be sure the company that you like has a nearby location.

Climate control monitors a storage unit’s temperature and/or humidity. Storage companies use the term in different ways. The general idea is that there is some kind of monitoring system (temperature, humidity, or both) in place to extend the life of your belongings in storage.

We’ll break down some basic info, but availability and the way a company defines climate control can vary by location (even within the same company). We recommend contacting your local self-storage facility for more information.

For our rankings, we include companies that monitor temperature levels, humidity levels, or both.

You likely want to get climate control if you live somewhere with extreme temperatures or humidity. Similarly, look into climate control if you live somewhere with big temperature or humidity swings. You generally want the temperature inside of your storage unit to stay around 50°F–85°F.

Climate control is ideal for items that don’t do well in extreme conditions. There are several belongings that many storage unit companies recommend for climate-controlled units:

• Antiques
• Artwork
• Books
• Clothing and fabric
• Computers
• Electronics
• Wooden or leather furniture
• Household appliances
• Important paperwork
• Musical instruments

The temperature range of your climate-controlled unit should match the belongings you plan to store. Since different items do better in different temperatures and humidity levels, it’s important to ask a storage expert what works best in your situation.

To help keep humidity levels low, store moisture-sensitive items like electronics with silica gel packets. These are a cheap alternative to soak up excess moisture when you need to store electronics with other items in your unit.

Extra Space Storage is our #1 choice for climate control. The company keeps its units between 55°F–80°F and provides detailed climate control information to help keep your belongings safe. Extra Space Storage has facilities in nearly 2,000 locations, so it’s easy to find. Customers routinely give it some of the best reviews in the business.

Extra Space Storage has some of the highest-quality climate control knowledge we’ve seen. On its website, the company walks you through specifics on climate control, which of your items it applies to, and overall benefits in using a climate-controlled unit for your stuff. It focuses on several key issues:

• Climate control definition. Extra Space Storage spells out climate control so you don’t have to guess what it means. It recommends a specific temperature range for storage units holding sensitive items that might be damaged by extreme heat or cold.
• Temperature range. Not all companies can tell you what their storage unit temperature range is. Extra Space Storage specifies that the range for keeping your valuables safe is between 55°F and 80°F.
• Climate control benefits. Climate-controlled units give you the peace of mind in knowing your sensitive items are okay sitting for a while. It also makes your time visiting the storage unit facility more comfortable.
• Types of climate control. Extra Space Storage has different kinds of climate control depending on where you live, including basic climate control, air-cooled storage, heated storage, and humidity-controlled storage. Though climate-controlled units are the most common option, air-cooled storage, for example, comes in handy for people who live in states with extreme hot temperatures throughout the year.
• Preparation guide. The self-storage facility includes a helpful checklist of what to do before putting your items into a climate-controlled self-storage unit. Tips range from creating an inventory of your sensitive items to not placing your furniture directly on the ground (it protects against “unforeseen circumstances”).

The web page helps eliminate confusion around climate control by answering some of the top questions customers ask. If you have a question, chances are someone else has the same one.

Extra Space Storage offers climate-controlled units that specifically match your needs. Like Life Storage, Extra Space advertises separately heated, humidity-controlled, and cooled units. Depending on your area’s weather patterns, this feature could be a lifesaver for your belongings.

Extra Space Storage has more than 1,000,000 storage units located in 41 different states. That’s a lot. Chances are you’ve seen its green logo driving down the street. With nearly 2,000 locations, it’s not hard to find a storage facility in your area. Easy Space Storage is easily the best nationwide storage unit company we’ve seen.

• Alabama
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• Connecticut
• Delaware
• Washington DC
• Florida
• Georgia
• Hawaii
• Idaho
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kansas

• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maine
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• Nevada
• New Hampshire
• New Jersey
• New Mexico

• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• Rhode Island
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Utah
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin

Want to try Move.org’s #1 storage company?

Public Storage gets fantastic customer reviews. Customers Love Public Storage for its clean storage units, professional reps, and outstanding customer service. Public Storage routinely delivers in customer service, delivering a 4.7 out of 5 stars in overall customer rankings—the highest of any self-storage company. The downside is the price tag. Public Storage climate-controlled units cost, on average, about $200. That’s around $10 more than the industry average.

We haven’t found a storage unit company that gets better reviews than Public Storage. It even beats out Extra Space Storage—our #1 overall company. Customers love Public Storage’s customer reps, clean facilities, and a great storage experience.

Public Storage offers a solid insurance policy through the Orange Door Insurance Program. Details vary state by state, but the program provides $5,000 worth of coverage for your belongings. It costs around $15 per month, so it’s well-within budget for most customers. The policy covers the following, but consult your customer rep for more info:

• Fire
• Hail
• Lightning
• Smoke
• Vandalism
• Water
• Flood and windstorm
• Burglary
• Vermin and fungus (limited coverage)

Want excellent service and lots of options?

CubeSmart is your pick if you’re looking for low prices and tons of perks. Outside of storage, CubeSmart can even offer professional movers and a moving truck at most locations. Considering all of these perks, it’s surprising that CubeSmart climate-controlled storage only costs about $160 per month. The issues with CubeSmart come from less-than-stellar customer reviews (3.8 out of 5 stars) and their limited number of locations. With about 1,300 locations, CubeSmart is tougher for customers to find when compared to companies like Extra Space and Public Storage.

CubeSmart has more size options for climate-controlled storage units than anyone else we’ve seen. Here’s why that matters: you essentially pay for empty space if you don’t fill your unit to the brim. And since climate control is the most expensive kind of storage, CubeSmart’s size options mean you can find the perfect fit—and put money back in your pocket.

CubeSmart goes the extra mile by ensuring you’re as comfortable as the items in your unit. Some perks make your visit more enjoyable (like free Wi-Fi and fresh coffee), while others beef up your storage unit (such as remote-controlled access and video monitoring). We haven’t found a storage unit company that offers so many useful services.

• Flexible lease terms (month-to-month storage leases)
• Free local moving truck (anything over two hours costs extra)

• Free Wi-Fi
• Item storage and retrieval (by CubeSmart employees)

• Automatic door openers
• Full-service moving
• Individual unit lighting and electricity
• Moving and labor assistance
• Organizational supplies

• Professional organizer
• Remote-controlled access
• Shelving options
• Truck rentals (more than 2 hours)
• Video monitoring

For a complete list of free and premium services, check out CubeSmart’s website.

CubeSmart breaks the mold when it comes to storage contracts. While it’s becoming more common in the industry, CubeSmart offers month-to-month leases for their storage units, including their climate-controlled ones. If you need short-term storage for home renovations or lengthy traveling, CubeSmart has you covered.

Need affordable climate control?

If security is at the top of your list, look no further than Life Storage. While some companies shy away from mentioning security on their websites, Life Storage lets you know exactly how well your belongings will be protected. You’ll have your pick of a variety of climate-controlled options, but it comes at a high price—around $240 on average. You’ll get what you pay for with Life Storage, but be prepared to pay about $50–$60 more than the industry average. 

Life Storage has a variety of climate-controlled storage units. The storage unit company helps you match your situation with the right storage space whether you live somewhere that’s hot, cold, humid, or dry:

• Climate-controlled storage units
• Humidity-controlled storage units
• Heated storage units
• Air-cooled storage units
• Air-conditioned storage units

Life storage advertises several key security features that you won’t see at every storage company:

• Digital surveillance system. Life Storage has 24-hour video surveillance. Rather than using old-fashioned videotape storage, Life Storage uses digital storage that preserves high-quality video and lowers the risk of blank spots (from switching out tapes).
• Life Storage lights the exterior of its storage buildings to scare away thieves and uses motion-activated lights inside your unit so that you’re never in the dark.
• Life Storage says it uses the best storage unit locks in the industry. While we haven’t compared these locks to our top locks for self-storage, we think it’s a good sign Life Storage talks about locks on its website (many companies don’t mention security at all). Locks can be purchased on-site, or you can bring your own.
• Password protection. You’ll receive a unique password that you must enter into an electronic keypad to enter a Life Storage facility. This security feature lets Life Storage limit who can access the facility and gives Life Storage the ability to track every person who enters and exits the storage buildings.

There’s nothing worse than shelling out too much money for storage space that you don’t need—especially with Life Storage’s high prices. Luckily, Life Storage has a virtual size estimator tool. By using this online feature, you can see exactly what fits in each of their unit sizes, so you know exactly how much space you need.

We compared climate-control features and looked at thousands of quotes to find the best climate-controlled storage unit companies:

1. Extra Space Storage . Nobody educates customers about climate control better than these folks. Customers love Extra Space Storage (we do too). And with nearly 2,000 facilities, it’s easy to find a nearby location. 
2. Life Storage. Your go-to source for customer service. Life Storage gets the best customer reviews in the business, and the company has five types of climate control to keep your valuables safe.
3. Public Storage. When you want a smooth, customer-oriented, climate-controlled storage experience at a good price, head to Public Storage.
4. CubeSmart. Don’t waste money getting a unit that’s too big. CubeSmart has nearly a dozen sizes of climate-controlled units to help you find the perfect fit.

Climate-controlled storage is a self-storage feature that monitors the temperature and humidity in your storage unit. These premium units are ideal for valuables that suffer damage in extreme heat, such as artwork, clothing, and household appliances.

Yes, moisture can damage belongings in a storage unit. Most self-storage companies recommend climate-controlled storage units that monitor humidity levels if you live somewhere with fluctuating temperatures or high humidity levels.

Yes, Public Storage has a temperature-controlled storage unit. Monthly prices for climate control at Public Storage range from about $120 for a small unit to $300 for a large storage space.

You can store anything in a climate-controlled space that you would also keep in traditional storage. However, climate-controlled storage units better protect your belongings against extreme heat, fluctuating temperatures, and high humidity.

Yes, some storage units have temperature control (or climate control). However, pricing and availability vary by location, so Move.org recommends you contact your local climate-controlled storage facility for more information.

You can find air-conditioned storage units at any self-storage company that offers climate-controlled storage. Move.org recommends highly rated companies such as Extra Space Storage, CubeSmart, and Life Storage.

Storage with AC is typically expensive. However, while most companies tell you that storage units with air-conditioning often cost 20%–50% more than traditional storage spaces, Move.org found that you can often get these premium units for less if you shop online.

No, all storage units are not temperature-controlled. Standard storage units can get hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but temperature-controlled units keep your belongings within a specific temperature range.

Extra Space Storage has the best climate- and humidity-controlled storage, according to Move.org. The storage company keeps these storage units between 55°F–80°F and can help you pick the best unit for your belongings.