Portable air conditioners FAQs
How do portable air conditioners work?
What makes portable air conditioners so effective is that, unlike fans, which just coolyoudown, portable air conditioners physically lower the temperature in the room. It does this by sucking up the hot air inside the room, expelling that hot air out through the window, via an exhaust hose, and then replacing that hot air with cooler air. Fans, on the other hand, just circulate a breeze around the room, which is still effective, but not on extremely hot days.
How much does a portable air conditioner cost to run?
Portable air conditioners can cost anywhere between £250 to more than £1,000, depending on the product’s BTU rating. Whilefansare considerably cheaper, portable conditioners are worth investing in if you’re looking to cool down a larger space.
Cheaper models with a lower BTU rating tend to be below the £300 mark and generally aren’t worth buying unless you want to condition a small room. Higher BTU models are bigger, pricier and can cool a larger space.
Portable air conditioners cost significantly more than fans to run. They cost roughly44p per hour. If you use your air conditioner for 4 hours and 18 minutes during the day – the UK average – and 4 hours and 48 minutes at night, it’s estimated you’ll pay roughly £28 per week. Air conditioners with an A energy rating are the most efficient to run.
If you’re not investing in an air conditioner that can set timers or has a smart app, we’d recommend investing in a smart AC controller, such as theTado smart AC control V3+, as this will help you manage and control your unit, so it runs more efficiently.
Are portable air conditioners quiet?
While portable air conditioners are loud machines, they’re not noisy enough to disrupt your sleep. Most range between 40dB and 60dB. To quantify that, a regular conversation is about 50dB, while a washing machine is about 70dB. The models in our round-up range between 44dB and 64dB.
On the whole, portable air conditioners are going to be loud, but not as loud as a washing machine spinning next to your bed. If you’re after a particularly quiet model, the EcoFlow wave 2 is the quietest portable air conditioner in our list, at just 44dB. Bigger or more BTUs doesn’t mean louder, either. Both MeacoCool models on our list range between 51dB and 53dB, despite the series 14000 having double the BTUs of the series 7000.
What features should I look for in a portable air conditioner unit?
The most important thing to pay attention to when buying a portable air conditioner is the number of British Thermal Units (BTUs) of each model. A 5,000 BTU portable air conditioner is typically the smallest and will cool down a small room; a 7,000 BTU air conditioner is rated to cool down an 18 square-meter room. Medium-sized rooms and bedrooms roughly 24 square-meters in size will need something between 8,000 BTUs and 10,000 BTUs to run efficiently, and larger rooms will need something with 12,000 BTUs and above.
We’d also recommend looking for some specific features that make your portable AC more efficient and smarter to run. An in-built fan, dehumidification mode, a timer and smart controls are all useful features to have.
How do I vent a portable air conditioner without a window?
There are a few ways to vent a portable air conditioner without a window. These include placing the portable air conditioning unit near an external door or adding a vent to a wall or ceiling.
How much electricity does a portable air conditioner use?
Portable air conditioners typically use anywhere between 700W to 1,500W, depending on the BTU rating. The amount of electricity used per hour then varies according to this wattage number.
How do you install a portable air conditioner?
To install a portable air conditioner, place it near a window or exit and ensure the window kit (if one is included) creates a secure seal. After this, position the ventilation pipe according to its length.
What type of air conditioner should I buy?
The type of air conditioner you buy depends on the size of the room you want to cool. Portable conditioners with a BTU of 9,000 or 12,000 can cool a room of around 21 or 30 square metres, respectively, while anything below will only cool smaller spaces. Experts recommend multiplying the dimensions of your room by five to find your necessary BTU.
You might also want to consider noise; if this is a concern, go for a model with sleep mode, which automatically switches off the air conditioner once the room has reached the right temperature.
Do I need a drain for a portable air conditioner?
Fully self-evaporative models automatically evaporate moisture out of the exhaust hose along with warm air, while older manual removal needs you to drain the collected moisture manually to enjoy a continued cooling effect.
How often do you have to empty a portable air conditioner?
While some conditioners are self-evaporating and don’t require manual removal of condensate water, standard portable conditioners have buckets that need to be emptied periodically – anywhere between eight hours or up to a month, depending on the model. Even some self-evaporating models need emptying after long-time use.
The verdict: Portable air conditioners
The MeacoCool MC pro series 8000 was definitely the easiest air con unit to use at home, thanks to its longer hose, smaller size and wifi support. Unless you’re cooling a huge area, it’s a no-brainer. For slightly bigger rooms, look to the De’Longhi pinguino or the slightly heavier and bulkier MeacoCool MC series 14000. The VonHaus 7,000 BTU model is a great choice if you’re on a tight budget, though, the hose is quite short and there aren’t too many extra features.
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