Any advice on what Portable Air Conditioning unit to buy (UK) ?

[Actual_Criminal]

In the UK, air conditioning in domestic homes is a lot less common than it is in the USA or even the middle-Eastern countries where it gets really hot. Obviously, the UK is known for bad weather (rain and cold), but Mr. CO2 has been putting in some work heating up the planet and it is also glorious summer time in the UK, with this past weekend being the hottest one this year.

I am currently living in rented accommodation and probably will be for the next 2-3 years. I did enquire with my landlord about contributing a 50% cost of having proper AC installed, but I live in a high-rise 2 bedroom apartment duplex and the regulation for the outside AC unit (on the wall or Window etc) can be tight and a hefty price tag to apply and follow proper procedure. Including installation for a proper AC unit, I'm looking at £1,500 for the most basic unit.

My letting agent suggested I buy a portable AC unit. (Not air cooler like those rip-off Dyson Airblades...literally a glorified fan with no sub-ambient cooling! Biggest brand scam since the Apple iPhone ).

Anyway, I want it for my small bedroom that I use as an office since I'm now working from home most days a week. + it has my gaming PC (AMD 5950X + RTX 3090) in there with 34' + 24.5' monitors and the room gets VERY hot within 30mins of gaming considering the room is very small. - I even put a fan facing outwards so the hot-air gets exhausted through the open window.

It is only around 2.5m x 1.5m x 4m (H x W x L).

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So, has anyone had a portable air conditioning unit before? I have seen reviews on YouTube and a lot of peeps are critiquing them very hard.

I'm after one that should be able to cool the room whilst my max-temp PC is running, to a nice 19 / 21°c without breaking the bank and also rinsing electricity. My budget is £300-500 (but the cheaper, the better).

Any advice on models?

 

[Actual_Criminal]

The warm-air exhaust hose is just hanging out the window with the blinds and curtains shut, nothing fancy, with the cold air currently blowing at my back and legs as I sit at the computer - the back of my chair is thin mesh so it is freezing cold when I lean back.

Have you got a picture of your exhaust configuration?

Another problem I have is my windows are those awkward fold out ones. I know you can get those window fabric fasteners but seem really bothersome to apply.

 

[Actual_Criminal]

Also another weird question; do you find that bugs crawl into the exhaust pipe? Last thing I would want is flies and spiders spewing out of it!

 

[Actual_Criminal]

Bit the bullet and bought one.

For the love of God, I hope it works well! Going to set it up this afternoon

https://imgur.com/gallery/6VrLp09

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[Actual_Criminal]

One is an air conditioner, the other is a snake oil 'water filled' cooler. You know the first rule of thermodynamics right?

Actual air conditioners have venting pipes to the outside, and chuck the heat from your house to the outside world. They normally have some kind of gas (refrigerant) within them to help the heat exchange. Similar principle to how your fridge works.

Edit: 'portable' is a stretch - they can be moved, they are on casters, but they need to be by a window/venting hole to attach the hose to.

Exactly, air conditioning is the only thing to actually LOWER the temperature. Fans, water coolers etc just move existing temperature around. They feel 'cold' still because when the moving air touches your skin, it evaporates sweat and water particles on your skin to create a cooling affect.

For example, if you go and wet your face then sit infront if a normal fan, it will feel really cool but in reality, it's the water evaporating that is doing the cooling.

Best way to break it down is:

-Fans, air blowers, air towers and similar.
£5-£70 depending on brand and size. In my opinion, don't pay more than £30 for one. Still a good buy. Those Dyson Airblades at £300+ are just glorified branded fans which also fit into this category.

-Air Coolers and humidifiers.
£15-100 depending on size. Typically involve using water in attempt to try and cool the air. No exhaust required. Usually falsely presented like an air-conditioning unit and look similar. They can even increase room temps by making it more humid. I agree with above, total waste of money.

-Portable Air Conditioning.
£250-800 depending on size and power. Actually can cool past sub-ambient temperature. You need an exhaust hole out of a window for them to work.

-Air conditioning 2-way split (HVAC).
£450-1500 depending on size and power. (Doesn't include install costs.) Usually is a wall mounted unit, or even window mounted in some countries. With an external unit and usually requires yearly services.

EDIT: Forgot to mention dehumidifiers. In theory, they can work as they take water out of the air, making it less humid, but are not really meant to be for temperature control. Even then, the temperature difference will be minimum and it will use a lot of electric. - they are typically used in properties to dry them out following a flood or water leak.

 

[Actual_Criminal]

I have this exact one. It was a godsend last night for my little ones bedroom. Took it from 28 degrees to 21 pretty quickly.

We are fortunate enough to have sash windows so the vent kit that came with it works absolutely brilliantly. The only issue is my little one needs pitch black to sleep so I just use it to give a good blast and then turn it off for the night.

Unfortunately, I have crank style casement windows, so it is quite awkward to install. I did buy some separate zip kit from Amazon but haven't set that up yet...looks like a hassle, but tbf I'm willing to try it in this heat.

 

[Actual_Criminal]

Been on for 30 minutes now...omg, this will change my life! I can now game in the summer!!! Goes well with my mesh Aeron chair

Room is really cool even though I haven't properly installed it in the window with a tight seal yet (it is just hanging out of the window.) I can feel the difference instantly as soon as I walk out the room. Will allow me to focus on work now rather than sweating in the temps.

https://imgur.com/gallery/sntKrTf



I bet my electric bill will take a hit though (R.I.P). As if heating in the Winter wasn't bad enough, lol.

For anyone interested, I bought it from Appliances Direct at £299 including delivery. (I know they have increased prices though the last few days due to the surge in people buying them. - If you are willing to wait, you can get it for £259 in the Winter.)

 

[Actual_Criminal]

My £300 portable AC as lasted a good 5+ years and cools my room pretty quickly, it's still going strong with at least 10,000 hours as it's used a lot all year round as it's in my gaming room which can get warm. It's noisy but doesn't get much louder than 50 decibels with the AC mode on and I sleep absolutely fine just 6ft from it, never needed to empty the water in mine but when I have checked after a year of decent use there was very little in it, less than a quarter of an average sized cup if that.

Power usage and exterior ventilation is the biggest drawback to them but mine is permanently installed through a brick wall so at least I don't have to run that large pipe out of the window.

What's your rough usage per month and monthly electric cost?

 

[Actual_Criminal]

I agree with you that they're loud and do require emptying. However, they're not that expensive to run. They run at 750W to 800W which isn't more than a gaming rig. On the flipside, a 3kW heater is 4x the running cost. Hell, don't even get me started on those log burners that seem to be trendy at the moment. They're much worse for the environment than a/c units, despite what Greta and her eco-warriors tell you. Also, I'm on my 2nd a/c in 8 years so they do last for a few years.



I don't feel silly at all. Like I said up-thread, I run my a/c for 3-4 months, likewise with heating. I find a/c equally as necessary as central heating. Also, heating in September is a bit early, no?

Apparently the running power is 800W on mine, but cooling is 2.06KW. So quite expensive for long use :/

Technical Information:

• 7000 BTU
• Cooling capacity - 2.06 KW
• 1-24 hour timer
• 2-speed turbo fan
• Noise dB - Noise Level: 38-48 db low/high mode(sound power method) EU label: max 65 dB (sound pressure method)
• 4-mode settings consist of Cool, Dehumidifier, Fan, and Sleep
• Thermostat range - 16-31°C
• Dehumidification - max - 20 L/Day
• Fan speed - 2
• Airflow (at high speed) - 300 m3/hr
• Power supply - 220-240V
• Energy rating: A
• Running power consumption - 792W
• Running current - 3.9 A
• HFC Free environmentally friendly air conditioner with Zero Ozone Depletion Potential

 

[Actual_Criminal]

For my use case if we have say 30 nights where it's needed then it'll cost about £60 a year, not even worth worrying about and certainly better than 30 miserable nights and the following days.

Well my kW/pH is roughly around £0.18.

So if its running at 800W and I leave it running for 16 hours a day, 800W × £0.18 = £2.32 a day....£69.60 a month.

Which isn't much, but starts to mount when you compare that to my electric bill per month anyway which is around £70pm.

 

[Actual_Criminal]

OP HERE.

So after 1 day of using it, hanging it slightly of a casement style window (opens 45° angle from top to bottom). I can honestly say that it is amazing and I wish I bought one sooner! - Yes, it is noisy but it's a constant noise of the same thing, which i'm very used to and is fine for me.

I'm even thinking of buying a second one for my bedroom, however I think buying 2 units for one spout of hot weather might be overkill... I didn't buy one last year, but did this year. Maybe next year i'll get a second higher-end one and put my existing one into the bedroom.

Conclusion: If you have £300-400 spare, then definitely buy one. However, I am working from home, which means it is the hottest usually around 11-4pm near me. Therefore, you might not get as much benefit if you aren't working from home.