When the temperature rises, an air conditioning unit is a summer dream come true. While fans just circulate already-warm air, these appliances remove the hot, humid air from a room and blast a deliciously icy breeze around instead. This is ideal in a stuffy office, if you just can’t sleep when the nights turn balmy or if you have a conservatory where intense heat builds easily.
However, most people don’t want to go to the hassle or expense of installing a permanent wall-mounted unit that may only be used a few weeks of the year. Instead, portable air conditioners (PAC) can be moved between rooms and stored away during winter. Be aware that to function properly as an air conditioner, they must be vented via a duct through a window or wall.
Though some models come with window kits to make this easy, these generally only work with sliding or sash windows so unless you’re especially DIY-savvy, your window will be wide open whenever you use the air conditioner, making it work harder. The units are all fairly large and heavy, so be sure there is room to use it next to a window and remember that if it doesn’t have a pipe, it’s really an evaporative air cooler and not an air conditioning unit at all.
Don’t expect any of these appliances to be cheap. Prices start at around £250 and the more powerful the machine, the more expensive it will be. Cooling requirements are measured in British thermal units (BTU) and the higher the rating, the larger the space the air conditioner will cool.
A unit with 7000 BTUs will cool a small room of around 18 to 20 square metres, but always check the size of the room before you buy as a unit with too low a BTU for the space won’t cool it effectively. Other features to look for include a remote control, programmable timer and a sleep mode so it can cool quietly through the night.
How we tested
We tested a range of portable air conditioner units in our own home over especially hot days back in June and July to find the best, taking into account the price, portability, cost and how well they cooled us down despite baking temperatures outside. Note that with such high demand for conditioners during last month’s heatwave, some of these are currently out of stock but will be available again soon.
The best portable air conditioner units for 2022 are:
- Best overall – MeacoCool MC series 7000: £299.99, Meaco.com
- Best for sleeping – DeLonghi pinguino PAC EX120 silent: £845.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best lightweight model – Draper 56124 mobile air conditioner: £480.80, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for every window – GoodHome takoma mobile air conditioner: £319.99, Screwfix.com
- Best for year-round use – Tower presto 9000BTU air conditioner, £299.99, Robertdyas.co.uk