u/ReginaPhalange505

I have a portable 9K BTU AC and with my energy provider, Fuse energy, on a fixed rate of 0.24p KWH and daily standing charge of 0.45p it costs me around 30p p/hr to run.

Can anyone who is on a similar energy rate tell me how much their inverter portables, 12-14k BTU, are costing them per hour to run?

I'm trying to work out whether it's worth me trying to get a larger BTU and inverter model.

Please no comments about dual hoses, I'm very aware they're more efficient due to fixing negative air pressure problems but they're not an option for people living in the UK. They're not available for purchase and converting to them could void the warranty and make them a fire hazard if not done correctly.

Also I'm very aware of the Midea Portasplit but at £1000 for the 12k option, which I would need, it's not in my price range, and it wouldn't be able to be installed in my bedroom due being in a 4th floor flat with incompatible windows.

I'm ONLY interested in finding out realistic cost per hour difference with PORTABLE single hose inverter units. Not any other units.

UPDATE: Good god, why is it so hard to get people to just answer a simple query. I've done the research. I KNOW that a dual hose or split unit would be more efficient but they are NOT options for me. Either due to the availability, significant cost, or type of window/property that I have or am in. Why do people not understand this?! Just because these options are the best options, it doesn't mean that they're options for everyone, so please for the love of god stop pushing them on those of us sweltering from the heat in the UK. We cannot obtain dual hose units from any trusted retailers over here, neither in nor out of season, and a lot of us have outward opening windows, some too small to fit the compressor of split units through, or our leaseholds or landlords don't allow us to have these, or any other more efficient options installed. It's NOT that we're being too picky or too tight with our money. It's the restrictions that a lot of us in the UK have been lumped with, and we're all just trying to find the best options for us with these restrictions. I get it, me myself am VERY restricted, but this apartment was all I could afford and obtain in the UK because of high rents and landlords only wanting to rent to couples on high incomes. So cut me some slack!

All I want to know is:

People, ideally in the UK, who have PORTABLE INVERTER units, what are your hourly running costs? So I can work out if it is worthwhile me getting one.

Hi all.

This is an advice post for anyone thinking of purchasing a portable air conditioner.

I put up a post the other day after purchasing a single hose 9k BTU in the UK, and within my post I stated that I'd done some research after purchasing the unit, both online and from the much more knowledgeable people on here, and advised that I now wouldn't have bought the one I purchased with the knowledge I now have.

I then had a comment from someone asking what I would now buy with the knowledge I have gained, so thought I'd put up a post in case it helps others who are trying to decide what portable AC unit to purchase:

The best portable option currently on the market is a Midea Portasplit, which is around £800-£1000 depending on if you get the 8K or 12K BTU. It's a pretty big unit and you need to be able to install part of it either outside of a window on a bracket, or placed upon a balcony. It's apparently better performing than all other portables, has inverter technology so better on energy bills, quieter due to the compressor being outside, no negative air pressure again for the same reason, no massive hot plastic hoses (just a thick cable type hose) and the 12K unit also comes with heat.

Next best choice would be a dual hose inverter unit, but they're very hard to come by in the UK and the only one I've seen, which is now out of stock, was £515. The dual hose eliminates negative air pressure which causes inefficient cooling.

Down from that would be a single hose inverter unit, which would be more cost effective on energy bills and generally quieter, and then if you want to make it better performing you could convert it to a dual hose (if you're savvy with that sort of thing and don't mind risking voiding the warranty). These are still a min of £520 (Think Meaco Cirro and Delonghi Pinguino).

Third option would be a standard single hose unit but I would personally get the one where the air comes out from the top and again you could look at converting it to a dual hose for better performance. (Mine has front facing airflow but the air comes out at an angle, not blowing directly frontwards, so I have to keep moving the unit around to direct the airflow towards me, which then causes the hose to distort or come out of the window, and the levers don't automatically swing either to better distribute the airflow which is disappointing)

Notes:

Be aware that standard single hose units cost around 30p per hour to run (depending on your energy supplier and unit rates you may be on). They don't generally keep the room cool due to the negative air pressure they create from pumping warm air out of your home, and nothing coming back in return. It effectively creates a vacuum effect whereby when you turn it off, warm air, either from outside or other areas of your home, gets sucked back into the room. This is where a dual hose comes into effect to eliminate or reduce this problem. There are guides online for how to adapt units from single to dual hose, but be aware, if not done right, it can make the unit a fire hazard and void the warranty.

Inverter technology in AC's act like cruise control on your car. Rather than the portable unit operating at full acceleration constantly, it adjusts the cooling output smoothly, keeping the cooling at a steady power, reducing power consumption and the wattage, and therefore running costs.

Always consider the size of the room/area you want to cool. I purchased a 9K BTU which is probably perfect for my bedroom (which is 14ft x 12ft), but my living area (which is 22ft by 12ft) requires at least a 12K BTU, maybe more as it's combined with my kitchen (you have to take into consideration anything that puts heat into the room, like cooking appliances, computers, TV's etc) and add additional BTU for those.

For units with hoses, it's always advisable to insulate the hose as these aren't insulated by the manufacturer, and the hoses can get very hot, effectively acting like a radiator in a room you're trying to cool!

Buying one of these units definitely takes some thought and consideration, and is dependent upon:

How much you're willing to pay both upfront cost and running costs (particularly for something that you may not get regular use out of), as well as window/door seals for better cooling performance and insulation for the hoses.

What's available both within your country and what's available by retailers (there's VERY limited supply of all ACs right now in the UK)

The size of the room/area you wish to cool.

Something else I took into consideration was a decent warranty, as I know some people whose units only lasted them a year.

Hope my research and essay above helps :) and if I've missed anything out, or haven't explained something correctly, I'm sure those with that knowledge will comment below for further guidance!

Happy cooling 🥶

I have a standard single hose portable and have been reading many posts/comments on here that dual hose portables are better.

My question is, if they are drawing in air from outside, rather than cooling the air that's already inside, would this not mean that:

1: It's also drawing in the humidity?

2. Also drawing in potential pollen/pollutants etc? Therefore worsening asthma/lung conditions

3. If it's hotter outside than it is inside, and it's drawing that hotter air into the AC, wouldn't it need to work harder to cool that hotter air, than the air that may be cooler inside?

Or have I completely misunderstood how they work?....

Update: Yes I have misunderstood 🤣 Let this be a learning curve to other dimwits like myself who don't understand how they mechanically work 🤣 see comments below explaining! Thanks everyone!

Summary: It seems single hose portables are just an expensive cold air fan/dehumidifier. For effective cooling of a room, something more expensive will be required. Single hose units are bottom of the barrel!

Hi all.

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I live in a 4th floor new build apartment in the UK and have been struggling with migraines and stuff since a couple of months after moving in (never lived in a flat before and never suffered migraines before either). They seemed to calm down over winter.

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Now, since the heat wave a few weeks ago, I've pretty much had permanent migraines again every day, differing severities. I therefore concluded that the heat is potentially a culprit so went on the hunt for an air conditioner unit.

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I'm not allowed anything fixed as I'm in a leasehold building, so a portable was my only option, and as I live in the UK, we only get the single hose portables over here, so I know they're not particularly efficient. I have purchased the window coverings though and am looking into an insulated covering for the hose.

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As I've never had an air conditioner before I thought I'd start off with something not too expensive, and purchased a 9k BTU Comfee air conditioner on Amazon, as it's essentially by Midea so I thought it would be reliable. I also did a calculator on Aircon centre website and it told me I'd need a 9kBTU for my room size.

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I've been testing it out over the last couple of days and it doesn't seem to be particularly effective on cooling mode. It would bring the temp in my living room (which is around 250sq ft) down from around 27 to 24, in around 2-3 hours, but as soon as I turned it off, it would feel stuffy again and the temp would increase again quite quickly.

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Today I've been testing it on dry mode, so effectively the dehumidifier setting, and it's been much the same. The air coming out of it seems the same temp as on cooling mode. But also I've realised that when it's on, my head feels much less stuffy and I can breathe better. When I turn the unit off, I feel like I'm fighting for air and short of breath, but I can't have it constantly on as it costs around 30p per hr to run.

So now I'm wondering if it's more the humidity that's causing my symptoms, and if so, would I be better off with a dehumidifier? Although I do think the colder air that's circulating from the air con on dry mode, is also helping.

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My flat is always much warmer than outside. Even on days when it's 16° outside, my flat is around 26° inside. As soon as we have one heatwave, it's like it retains that heat until the winter!

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Any advice from people would be much appreciated. I'm at my wits end with daily migraines and feeling short of breath. If a more expensive unit, for instance with an inverter, will help then I'll splurge, but obviously don't want to waste my money on something that might just give the same results as the one I've got.

All this week in the UK it has been very warm (up to 32°). I live in a new build type apartment and as with most properties here, I have no air conditioning.

My apartment most days has been in the high 20's-low 30's, and my symptoms have been pretty severe all week. The only day they calmed down was this Wednesday when the temp dropped to 20° and we had a good breeze so it cooled the apartment down, but it's back up to 30° today in my home.

Have others invested in air conditioning and did it help your symptoms? I was bad most of last year as well, so I'm considering getting an air conditioning unit as I can't cope feeling like this day after day with the heat in this place, but they're pretty expensive, and the hose being out of the window will impact light coming through my blackout blind and curtains, and let noise in as well through the night, which then affects my sleep, which in turn makes my symptoms bad as well. So I feel between a rock and a hard place. I might have to move up North! 🤣