Challenge 6 Litre Portable Air Cooler Fan - White

Product Information

Unlike one of the best fans, which work by circulating the air to create a breeze and cool a person, a portable air conditioner is a far more powerful affair that uses refrigerant and a compressor to actively lower the temperature in a room or even a whole living space. R-410A is a cooling agent that is used in appliances that cool up to 0°C, like refrigerators and air conditioners. She’s now Decor Editor at Ideal Home, offering advice on creating your dream interior, whether that's choosing the perfect shade of paint, investing in a new sofa, or sourcing on-trend and sustainable products for the home. It weighs in at 24kg which means its relatively lightweight compared to most of the portable air conditioners in our round-up, which average 30kg plus. Third party reviews mention this model being basic – and noisy – but still doing the job of lowering the temperature to a more bearable level.

This means there’s no space to add any freezer blocks, so it’s worth chilling your water before you add it. Which is why we think they're the best portable air conditioner to invest in if you're looking for an affordable all-rounder. Most portable air con units come with an energy rating stated on their energy label to help you compare how many kW per hour the unit will use. A powerful 3400W portable air conditioner that looks good, is easy to use, relatively quiet in comparison to most, has WiFi connectivity, and – most importantly – can cool down a room fast, as long as you don't mind it's slightly higher running costs.Its only significant drawbacks are that it’s awkward to remove the water tank and filter block for cleaning and that it puts out around 60dBA of noise at its highest speed. If there are any products that we haven't managed to test in person, or the product didn't achieve over 4 out of 5 stars, then they won't have an Ideal HomeApproved badge. It’s something of a pocket rocket, with more power than most rivals, and the cooling system, based on Evapolar’s own basalt-based filters, stays sterile over long-term use, so you won’t get the bacteria build-up – and unpleasant smells – that you get with other desktop models if you don’t clean them daily. A stylish mobile air conditioner that offers 3-in-1 functionality, WiFi connectivity, and comes with remote control and window kit included. metres per second – and the combination of the water-logged membrane and a pair of ice packs in the tanks gives that breeze a little extra chill.

A window kit can be a bit of a faff to install the first time – especially as very few windows are a uniform size so a generic kit can sometimes fall short – but once installed you can leave it in place for subsequent use. Other good points include an easy-to-fill water tank, which you can fill from the top, and simple one-button controls, where you just tap to cycle through the speeds. one of the heaviest units we've tested, so carrying it upstairs is a definite two (strong) person job. Its two removable 300ml tanks mean it doesn’t constantly need refilling, and you can freeze them if you want some extra cooling.One dial switches between off and the three fan settings, while the other selects cooling, oscillation or cooling and oscillation. The Russell Hobbs RHPAC11001 can do just that, offering 4-in-1 use thanks to air con, fan, dehumidifier, and heater functionality. This cheap cube desktop cooler doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but it’s a good way to chill your fevered brow while you’re plugging away at your desk.

However, when temperatures inside the home really soar, even the best fan may not be able to cut it, and instead a portable air con unit will offer far superior cooling powers. Sign up to our newsletter for style and decor inspiration, house makeovers, project advice and more.A unit with Smart functionality can also offer the means to control the unit when you're away from home. They can’t refrigerate the air like an air conditioner, but they can reduce the heat through a combination of airflow and evaporation, effectively using some of the thermal energy in the air to evaporate water, so lowering its temperature before it’s driven out through a fan. Key specs – Tank capacity: 600ml; Air circulation: Not stated; Speeds: 3; Oscillation: No; Freezer blocks: Yes; Extra features: Customisable LED lighting; Power consumption: 5W; Dimensions: 165 x 157 x 162mm (WDH); Weight: 1. Along with the wider team I've tested the best portable air conditioners on the market to find our top recommendations for this guide. As an electrical appliance, portable air conditioners will cost money to run, with larger and more powerful units (that means a higher BTU) generally using more energy than smaller units.