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With warmer weather and the cost of living crisis hitting us all hard, many may wonder how much it costs to run all kinds of cooling equipment.
Air conditioning unit operating cost
Air conditioning is the only way to effectively cool a room; everything else just pretends. However, it takes a lot of energy to cool (and heat) something.
Portable Air Conditioning Unit It has always been notoriously expensive to run. Most air conditioning units you see on Amazon have a cooling capacity of 9000 Btu/h or 12000 Btu/h.
read more: How much does it cost to run a portable air conditioner and how fast can it cool down a room?
12000 Btu/h typically uses about 1200w per hour, while 9000 Btu/h will be closer to 800w. In theory, if you cool a room to a specific temperature, they will cost about the same to run; only one will be faster than the other (depending on insulation, etc.).
Last year, I found my Inventor Magic 12000BTU Portable Air Conditioner Running it cost me 16.38p per hour (13.6476p/kWh), which is pretty expensive if it’s on all the time, but not bad for a few hours a day.
Today, based on the variable tariffs on UK gas and light bulbs (28.02p/kWh), the calculation is 33.60p or a 105% price increase.
If you’re only running a few hours a day, it probably won’t be too expensive, but I certainly wouldn’t run many hours a day.
Upfront and running costs
- Advance payment: £300-£600 for portable air-conditioning units
- Running: 12000BTU about 33p per hour
- £1 a day if used conservatively
Evaporative Air Cooler/Swamp Cooler Operating Costs
A popular alternative is the air cooler, which you should definitely not confuse with the air conditioner that many people do.
They are often called swamp coolers and not so kindly. They are basically a fan that blows air over the water. Cold water cools warm air and should cool the room, or at least the person on the receiving end of the air.
The problem is that warm air passing through the water creates humid air, and a humid room will feel warmer and more humid than a room with low humidity.
Evaporative air cooling is significantly less effective in humid environments for obvious reasons. In the UK, however, this is not a big deal.
You can use these coolers to keep doors and windows open, which may be desirable given the humidity. As such, these are semi-effective as personal coolers and should provide more comfortable cooling than a basic fan.
Evaporative air coolers should be no more expensive to run than fans, because that’s about it. If you’re using ice cubes in your water, you may want to consider the cost.
The fans run very efficiently, and each fan’s power usage will vary, depending on your setup.
Usually, this should not exceed 50-70W, which is 0.07kwh. Since you’re unlikely to have a significant impact on your overall room temperature, you’ll probably want to run it for a few hours a day as a personal cooler. The cost of running it remains low.
Smaller desktop models are unlikely to do much. I would stick with the larger model. They also run louder than stand fans (which is important for me to sleep).
Upfront and running costs
- Upfront cost: £100 – £150 for a freestanding tower
- Running: about 2.5p per hour
- 20p per day if used for 10 hours
- Does not include the cost of ice (if you use it)
Vertical Fan Operating Costs
I’ve reviewed several fans over the years and they are my go-to cooling tech. Not because they are particularly good, but because they are cheap. It basically just recirculates already warm air. However, blowing air on you does make a hot room less painful.
In particular, I’ve been looking for the ultimate fan to use while sleeping. The trick is to have a machine that runs as slowly as possible with the least mechanical noise. I haven’t found the perfect solution yet.
I like vertical fans because they are cheap, have a lot of air flow, and the large blades are quieter than tower fans.
My main office/bedroom fan is Ansio 9-Piece 26-Speed Vertical Fan. At max speed of 26 this would be 30w.
mine Dyson Pure Cool Tower Fanwhich is also an air purifier that uses 40W at a maximum setting of 10.
Upfront and running costs
- Prepayment: £30 – £130, depending on your preference. Expensive models tend to have higher speeds, push more air and run quieter.
- Running: about 1.5p per hour
- 15p per day if used for 10 hours
overall
Obviously, anyone worried about the cost of living should reconsider buying an air conditioner unit. Others may find it worthwhile to improve their quality of life.
Luckily I live in the north so only about 5 warm days a year. This year, I might consider buying a swamp cooler to see if it improves my comfort during office hours.
Last updated on May 21, 2022 / Affiliate Links / Image from Amazon Product Advertising API
