Sharing is caring!
As temperatures continue to soar and the Met Office issues extreme heat warnings, many of us have been looking to buy Portable Air Conditioning Unit.
If you’re vaguely aware of these like me, you know they’re expensive to run, they’re loud, they’re loud and awkward to use on UK windows.
This year, I finally gave in and bought one Inventor’s Magic 12000BTU Amazon’s portable air conditioner, now out of stock.
Recommended Portable Air Conditioners
How much does a portable air conditioner cost to run?
The main problem with air conditioners is running costs. Power consumption will vary based on the cooling capacity of the device. For air conditioning units rated at 9000 to 12000 BTU, this typically ranges from 1Kw to 1.3kW.
My Inventor Magic has a cooling rating of 1350W per hour. Actual usage seems to vary between 1100W and 1300W, and this seems to average 1200W at full speed.
I’m currently using SO Energy, which costs 13.6476p/kWh per unit (I chose them because I run a lot of computers, so electricity is cheap).you can Sign up for SO Energy here.
Then run it at 16.38p per hour, which looks cheap, really.
However, this will increase soon. Looking at my electricity bill, when averaged out for the month, it’s almost as much as the rest of my house (800 kW last month, so 26.6 kW per day).
Running a few hours in your home office in the afternoon and/or in your bedroom before bed probably won’t cost you much overall. Getting into the habit of running for a few hours a day when the weather is mild can dramatically increase your electricity bill.
Of course, the air conditioner turns off (and then back on) when it reaches the desired temperature, so your results will vary.
How fast does an air conditioner cool a room?
I’m still testing it out and just started paying attention to time and time. Given the current heatwave, I thought I’d post something soon and add more accurate numbers over time.
In 2 hours and 15 minutes it used 2.5kW of energy and cooled my office from 27 degrees to 21 degrees. It feels cooler subjectively, I think the cold air flowing around the room makes it appear cooler than it actually is. My office is 4.5mx 3.5m and 2.5m high, so only 30m3.
How loud are portable air conditioners?
Really loud. I don’t have an accurate sound level meter, but using my phone it reads 40-50db and the air conditioner is by my side. The sound profile isn’t bad, it’s not treble, it just sounds like a high-speed fan. I can cope with turning it on at the office, but in the world I have no chance in the world to fall asleep with it on. I’m going to make my bedroom cooler and then turn it off when I go to bed.I will resort to a quiet floor fan If it’s too hot at night.
How big is the air conditioning unit?
They obviously vary a lot based on their ratings. The Inventor Magic 12000BTU is one of the higher rated models at the moment, so it’s bigger.
It might be as tall and wide as an undercounter refrigerator, but not as deep. It weighs 35KG, so it’s not that fun for me to carry it up the stairs by myself. If you put it on the same floor, it’s not bad because it’s rollers.
How easy is it to install a portable air conditioner hose through a UK uPVC window?
The Inventor Magic 12000BTU comes with a window kit, but this appears to be for sashes (traditional sliding up windows).
I have uPVC windows that hang from the top, so it’s not compatible. You can buy a variety of kits on Amazon, which are basically pieces of cloth with zippers and Velcro that stick around the gaps in your windows. From my brief experience with them, they’re kind of rubbish, and I’m very skeptical of the sheer number of Amazon reviews some of them have. Unfortunately this seems to be the best solution, of course for temporary use. It’s far from ideal, and they’re ugly, but that’s what it is.
Last updated on May 18, 2022 / Affiliate Links / Image from Amazon Product Advertising API
