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Obviously, the relatively low BTU rating puts it out of contention for larger rooms, let alone open-plan living spaces, but for the average UK living room or bedroom it should be fine. You can control it using the top-mounted touch controls or bundled remote, and there’s a 24-hour stop/start timer to cool your bedroom before you go to sleep. The only problem is that most users describe it as “pretty noisy”. You might not want to leave this one running overnight. Air-conditioning units don’t get much more reasonably priced than the MeacoCool MC 7000. Suitable for rooms up to 22m² thanks to its 7,000 BTU rating, the unit includes two fan speeds, as well as dehumidifier and fan functions. It’s reasonably compact, too, measuring less than a metre tall and 35cm square. At 21kg, it’s also more realistically portable than some PACs; you can just about lug it from room to room without risking a hernia. With a higher BTU rating than its stablemate, the Pinguino PAC EL112, the PAC EX130CST is equipped to handle rooms of up to 120m³ in size, and we suspect it could go larger. There’s a lot of cooling power on offer here. It effortlessly reduced the temperature of our test room from 25°C to 20.5°C in half an hour, then dropped down to a steady 20°C for the rest of our two-hour test period. We had no problem throughout testing keeping the temperature at about that level, although attempts to push it down to 18°C weren’t so successful; it’s within the range of the thermostat, but seems to be outside the EX130 CST’s comfort zone. These machines are quieter and more efficient than portable models, but need to be permanently positioned in just one room. If you've settled on a split-unit air conditioner, you'll need to get it set up by a professional – note that installers tend to be at their busiest during the summer. Our data shows that they use as much energy in an hour as a typical fridge freezer uses in one day.
With some air conditioner/dehumidifiers, you'll need to connect a hose (which might not be supplied) to drain the water. With others, you'll need to set the machine up as you would in air conditioning mode, with the hose out of the open window. Portability. Weight and size are key here. While the majority of air conditioners designed for home use are designed to be portable, just how portable this is for YOU is a personal thing. How much you need to spend depends in part on the size of the room. If you want to cool a small bedroom, for example, you'd probably be better off going down the route of buying a fan – an air conditioning unit would be overkill. While the electricity used to power portable air conditioners can come from renewable energy sources, this can’t be guaranteed. Electricity is generated from a mixture of burning fossil fuels, renewables, gas and nuclear, but this is mixed up in the grid.
As we've mentioned, an air conditioning unit is bulky, so if you live in a flat with minimal storage space, for example, then a fan would be the better solution. Also known as fixed air conditioners, these are comprised of two parts: a condensing unit (mounted outside) and an evaporator (mounted inside). Both parts need to be connected, so installation is far more complex compared with a portable model. It’s an effective cooler, taking a 25°C room to 21°C within half an hour, and to 20°C over a further 30 minutes, after which it kept the temperature steady for another hour. Testing in the middle of a heatwave, this was sweet relief. However, take any claims of silent running with a pinch of salt; noise levels hit 52dB at full tilt, falling to 46dB once the temperature had stabilised. Power consumption can also reach 620 to 820W when the unit is working hard. It isn’t the cheapest PAC to buy or run, but if you need some serious cooling, it’s exactly what you need. The only major downsides are noise and power consumption. The MC Series 7000 outputs around 58dBA in typical use, and is only a few decibels quieter with the fan on its lower setting. And while it uses around 104W while cooling, we saw that rise to peaks of 641W during dehumidification – although the way the dry mode works means that this isn’t constant, by any means. Still, you’ll hear the same complaints of most PACs, but you can easily live with such issues when the price is so low and the performance so impressive. According to appliance retailer Marks Electrical, sales of portable air conditioning units increased by 526% in one week at the height of the recent July heatwave, with a year-on-year increase of 2,110%. The retailer says this category has been its best-performing product area.
Location. Where you're positioning the air conditioner is another consideration. You'll need to be able to move it / position it close to a window so the warm air can be expelled through a vent. All PACs incorporate a compressor and one or more fans, so they’re never going to be totally silent. Some are quieter than others, however: you should find the minimum and/or maximum noise pressure levels listed in the manufacturer’s specification. Watch out for sleep modes, too. These power down the compressor and reduce the speed of any fans to make the PAC’s hum a little easier to sleep through. If you really struggle with the noise, though, think about cooling the room before you go to sleep, or try using a desktop or pedestal fan instead. Air conditioners tend to be bulky and can be heavy – they typically weigh around 30kg – so if you need to move yours around a lot, think about whether you can manage carrying it up the stairs every evening. The best portable air conditioners you can buy in 2023 1. Amcor SF8000E: Best low-cost portable air conditioner If it helps, here's what our Managing Editor, Computing and Entertainment, Matt Hanson, says about his experience with a portable air conditioner...Due to condensation, water droplets are collected, so you'll need to manually remove the water from the tank every so often and clean the filter at the same time.
The good news is that portable air conditioners aren't especially noisy – they commonly put out in the range of 60 decibels, which is similar to to a typical conversation or an electric shaver. Still, it would be a good idea to not position the unit too close to where people are sleeping– the low-hum AC units emit could even act as white noise to help us sleep. But no air conditioner is completely silent, even on sleep mode. In fact, you're better off pre-cooling your room before you go to bed, rather than attempting to sleep with one running. Timer Need to be permanently mounted on an outside wall by a certified professional, so involves structural work to your home. As an air conditioner, the EL112 is easy to use; just set your desired temperature and let it do its stuff. However, DeLonghi also provides one of its CST remote controls, including sensors, to help it monitor and regulate the temperature and humidity, and you can also connect it to your Wi-Fi network and use DeLonghi’s Comfort app. We had a few problems setting this up, since it refused to find or connect to a Mesh Wi-Fi network, but it would talk directly to an 802.11ac router. Once hooked up, it mirrors the controls on the remote but also adds a useful scheduling function, where you can set exactly when you want the PAC to turn on and off, along with the mode and fan speed. In theory, the higher the claimed BTU, the more efficiently it can cool a room. As a general rule, 5,000 to 8,000 BTUs is adequate for most living rooms or bedrooms. Use this calculation to work out what BTU is right for you:Throw in the same smart features as the smaller model, and you have a fully featured PAC that can keep you chilled out in the middle of a scorching day. Just be aware that it’s a chunky unit and, at 32kg, a bit too heavy to be lugged around the house.
Find out which retailers are rated highly by Which? members with our guide on the best and worst shops. Can you hire or rent an air conditioner? Some models double up as a dehumidifier, meaning they serve a purpose throughout the year, not only in the summer. If you'll mostly be using this function, though, we recommend buying a dedicated dehumidifier instead. Yes, there are lots of companies that offer this. Trying a portable model before you buy could save you from making a costly mistake. For instance, you may not realise how much noise they can make. At their quietest, they sound like a fridge on its cooling cycle, and some models will also rattle and gurgle.There are three main types. Desk fans, as their name suggests, are smaller fans designed to sit on a desk or table and cool you while you sit close by, while pedestal and tower fans are designed for a whole room. Electric fans come in many shapes and sizes. They range from basic models right up to the expensive and multi-functional Dyson Hot + Cool, which doubles as an electric heater.
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