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Original poster

Does anyone have air con?

32 replies

Freedomishereandnow · 13/04/2025 17:21

I feel like I spend quite a bit every year on fans in every room of the house to keep us all cool. The fans invariably break or we can't find them the next summer so I had a bright idea to invest in a portable air con unit that keeps the house cold (or at least the upstairs) and then can be stored away for the 10 months of the year it isn't needed.

Does anyone have a one they can recommend? It's a lot to spend blindly and I don't know anyone who has one!

OP posts:
stillawip · 13/04/2025 17:25

Yes, we have a portable air con unit, but we have now upgraded to fitted wall units in our bedroom and in one room downstairs.

pearbottomjeans · 13/04/2025 17:27

We have at least one of Portable Air Conditioner... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09GRYFXVN?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share these can’t remember if we bought a second one, they’re up in the loft which is a mega mission as they’re so heavy! But so worth it, DS’s room is like a fridge in the summer.

TomatoSandwiches · 13/04/2025 17:41

I'd be very interested in a link or recommendation for wall units if anyone has them. Thank you 😊

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Home improvement
TrickyD · 13/04/2025 18:04

In the heat of the summer we started sleeping in the conservatory as it has a double sofa bed and opened all windows. Then a couple of years ago even that was too hot for DH. So he put up a camp bed in our lovely cool cellar.
Last spring he declared he was not sleeping in the cellar any more so we decided to get aircon in of our bedrooms. It is built in but the unit is not very noticeable. I am much less bothered by hot nights than DH so I thought it was all a fuss about nothing but I now admit aircon is a Godsend.
If you have scope to get it built in, I would go for that.

HÆLTHEPAIN · 13/04/2025 18:09

We got fixed air con in the living room last year and it’s amazing. We’re considering getting one in the bedroom too but we’ll probably wait as it was a pulling up the carpets and floor boards job and we have some other stuff to do first.

When it’s too hot in the bedroom, I sleep in the living room. It’s really efficient too..hardly costs anything in electricity.

Georgiemc · 13/04/2025 18:12

TomatoSandwiches · 13/04/2025 17:41

I'd be very interested in a link or recommendation for wall units if anyone has them. Thank you 😊

We have a Mitsubishi fitted wall mounted unit (Zen range) supplied and fitted by a local firm for around £1.5K including the outside fan.

LoudSnoringDog · 13/04/2025 18:13

We have a unit in the main bedroom. Considering getting one on our kitchen diner. It’s got us through some hot summers

Middleagedstriker · 13/04/2025 18:20

No, but I do make sure all the curtains are drawn when the sun is shining on a particular window and strategically open the windows to create a draft.

doodleschnoodle · 13/04/2025 18:26

We have a portable one, which has been great, but considering a properly installed one for bedroom to avoid the hose sticking out of window situ. It’s an indulgence but I hate being hot while trying to sleep!

Darkclothes · 13/04/2025 18:26

We bought a darlek like, portable beast when we lived in a London flat. We used it more than the heating! It was noisy and used alot of electric! It was supposed to cool Xm2 but we found it really only cooled half that size. This was about 10yrs ago, so clearly things have moved on.

Check the dB's though and how much electric it uses. For portable, you often need a hose hanging out the window, so not the most efficient, even with foam moulds within the open part of the window. I'd look at a proper, wall mounted one.

Original poster
Freedomishereandnow · 13/04/2025 21:08

Wow more people than I expected have fixed wall units! I didn't really look at them tbh as I assumed it would be too expensive to do. I'll consider it because I think we would get a lot of use out of it every summer

OP posts:
Original poster
Freedomishereandnow · 13/04/2025 21:10

pearbottomjeans · 13/04/2025 17:27

We have at least one of Portable Air Conditioner... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09GRYFXVN?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share these can’t remember if we bought a second one, they’re up in the loft which is a mega mission as they’re so heavy! But so worth it, DS’s room is like a fridge in the summer.

Thanks for the tip, and they're on offer!

OP posts:
Original poster
Freedomishereandnow · 13/04/2025 21:11

doodleschnoodle · 13/04/2025 18:26

We have a portable one, which has been great, but considering a properly installed one for bedroom to avoid the hose sticking out of window situ. It’s an indulgence but I hate being hot while trying to sleep!

Yeah, I definitely need colder bedrooms in the summer. When the kids can't sleep they come into my bed which means I feel even hotter! Do you remember what make of unit you have?

OP posts:
Original poster
Freedomishereandnow · 13/04/2025 21:12

Darkclothes · 13/04/2025 18:26

We bought a darlek like, portable beast when we lived in a London flat. We used it more than the heating! It was noisy and used alot of electric! It was supposed to cool Xm2 but we found it really only cooled half that size. This was about 10yrs ago, so clearly things have moved on.

Check the dB's though and how much electric it uses. For portable, you often need a hose hanging out the window, so not the most efficient, even with foam moulds within the open part of the window. I'd look at a proper, wall mounted one.

Good point, I just feel so desperate when the temperature goes above 30 degrees

OP posts:
NeverDropYourMooncup · 13/04/2025 21:18

De Longhi Penguino. Weighs a ton but once it's upstairs, it's really easy to move around. It's really noisy when actively cooling, but stick it on a noise absorbing mat like one for underneath a washing machine and when you get to night time, it's a lot quieter on the sleep setting.

I loved being able to set a timer for it so that I'd get home and head for the bedroom where it had been running for about 45 mins before I got in - bliss.

Also usable as a dehumidifier in winter for clothes.

stillawip · 13/04/2025 21:19

We have Mitsubishi wall units too. The size you get depends on the size of the room you need cooling.

Mum2jenny · 13/04/2025 21:20

We have units that can cool or heat the air. They are brilliant as we have them fixed in our bedroom and lounge areas

Getupat8amnow · 13/04/2025 21:21

We have a portable DeLonghi air con unit. It is amazing. In 2023 when parts of the UK hit 40° our area was 40° and our living room was 24° with the air con on. We actually didn’t use it at all last summer as it didn’t get hot enough but just the thought of having it made the heat more bearable. If it gets too hot this summer I am thinking of getting it taken upstairs to use at night. The hose will be a pain though.

SueSuddio · 13/04/2025 21:22

Yes, I think you just know if your house needs Aircon, and our new build gets to 30*c in the Summer.

It's amazing. The outlay is expensive of course but it costs minimal amount in electricity. And you can use it as a cheap heater in the winter.

Original poster
Freedomishereandnow · 13/04/2025 21:25

NeverDropYourMooncup · 13/04/2025 21:18

De Longhi Penguino. Weighs a ton but once it's upstairs, it's really easy to move around. It's really noisy when actively cooling, but stick it on a noise absorbing mat like one for underneath a washing machine and when you get to night time, it's a lot quieter on the sleep setting.

I loved being able to set a timer for it so that I'd get home and head for the bedroom where it had been running for about 45 mins before I got in - bliss.

Also usable as a dehumidifier in winter for clothes.

Oooh that sounds good, like the double uses!

OP posts:
App13 · 13/04/2025 21:27

I had a big build in 2022 and as the joists of the new extension were revealed I decided to get ducted Aircon. I have a south facing garden and loads of glass in the new portion it would've been unbearable otherwise. Cost 3500 in total which ain't bad given we had it on today

Wizardonabroom · 13/04/2025 21:27

We have two AEG portable units. They are bulky and need venting out of a window but make a huge difference to the room temperature. Ours have a phone app so you can turn them on and off, set a timer, child lock it, set the temperature etc. We tend to keep one downstairs and one upstairs then move them to the garage when no longer needed. Ours have a dry feature so can also be used as a dehumidifier which is great for when washing is hanging inside in the winter.

I will admit I'd have preferred wall mounted but I couldn't justify it knowing we would only be using it for the summer. The quotes we got were far higher than the portable units.

Original poster
Freedomishereandnow · 13/04/2025 21:28

SueSuddio · 13/04/2025 21:22

Yes, I think you just know if your house needs Aircon, and our new build gets to 30*c in the Summer.

It's amazing. The outlay is expensive of course but it costs minimal amount in electricity. And you can use it as a cheap heater in the winter.

Just realised I didn't mention it in my first post but I'm in a new build too and yeah, sometimes in the summer it feels hotter inside than outside!

OP posts:
Original poster
Freedomishereandnow · 13/04/2025 21:28

Wizardonabroom · 13/04/2025 21:27

We have two AEG portable units. They are bulky and need venting out of a window but make a huge difference to the room temperature. Ours have a phone app so you can turn them on and off, set a timer, child lock it, set the temperature etc. We tend to keep one downstairs and one upstairs then move them to the garage when no longer needed. Ours have a dry feature so can also be used as a dehumidifier which is great for when washing is hanging inside in the winter.

I will admit I'd have preferred wall mounted but I couldn't justify it knowing we would only be using it for the summer. The quotes we got were far higher than the portable units.

Thanks for the advice, v useful!

OP posts:
KidsDoBetter · 13/04/2025 21:29

I had a proper wall unit in my west facing loft bedroom & kitchen in last home. I. My new house fitted one in new third floor west facing bedroom. Wouldn’t be without it.

Mitubushi. A/c has low or no VAT as they are actually quite eco. The mobile units imo are a pain - you need to store out of season, noisy expensive to run.

if you can afford approx £1.5k for a built in wall unit now is time do it. You do need to factor in where your outdoor condensing unit will be. Accessible so can be serviced. And it does make some noise so you need to be mindful of neighbours.

There are fully internal units that I’ve heard about that cost about £5k but I don’t know details.