To ask about air conditioning units

[squiddylama]

We live in a new build semi detached house and it get so unbelievably hot!! This is great in the winter but it's currently registering at 29 degrees in the bedroom and we are sweltering.

We currently have 2 fans going but it's just pushing hot air around. Last summer we looked at air conditioning units but everywhere had sold out. We said we'd look at them in winter ready for this summer but just forgot!

So can anyone recommend an air conditioning unit that works really well? There seems to be a lot of choice but really mixed reviews so would be great to hear from people who use them!!

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This thread is from a few years ago so some of the suggestions may be out of date, but we’ve recently updated our best air conditioner page with lots of great Mumsnetter-approved portable, compact AC units to help you beat the heat this summer! We hope it’s useful.
MNHQ

You need one with as high BTU as you can afford. We have one each in the bedrooms and they have saved my sanity.

Sadly they've all gone up in price already I think. Mine was £280 in Feb and it's £350 now

We got a 9000BTU one as our biggest room is 14 x 13. Only tried it today and a few weeks ago as a trial but so far so good.

We have a 30s house and the bay windows are 3m wide so the solar gain is horrendous this time of year, when the temps get into the 30s our bedroom is just unliveable. We bought an AEG air conditioning unit from AO.com 2 years ago, and it’s been just brilliant.

Are they super noisy?

Thanks all. I'm kicking myself I didn't think about it during the winter!

@FedNlanders they aren’t that quiet (although newer might be a bit quieter?) it’s more of a white noise and you end up ignoring it after a while. A bit more than a big fan would be.

We had a fixed unit fitted in our old house. It was about £500 but far superior to portable units (which we have tried) south facing bedroom with 2 big windows during the heatwave was 18 degrees with the AC on. We are renovating our new house and will be fitting them in both the bedroom and living room.

If you own your property look into proper AC units (wall mounted inside room and external fan unit), good ones heat and cool and are much more efficient.

Don't go with portable if you don't have too. They do cool but are really noisy and have to be vented outside. There are really good "split" systems that can be installed with the main unit outside and fan type units inside. They work much better.

I would install one in a heartbeat in our apartment, which was also 29 last night. We have to use a portable which is a faff to set up and then blocks the window. I sleep with earplugs.

The white noise is nice. Peak bed experience is a blast of the electric blanket in the middle of summer but with the room chilled to about 13 degrees. Total darkness, good cotton sheets. Weighted blanket on lower half.

We have a fitted one (air heat pump) downstairs, it is absolutely wonderful. Heats in winter and cools in summer, I would not be without one any more. We have a portable one upstairs but its too noisy to keep on during the night - I could sleep through the sound of the fitted one if I had to but not the portable one. But putting it on for a few hours in the evening before going to bed does cool down the bedroom wonderfully.

Unfortunately we rent....tent in the garden it is then! :(

Thanks all. We do own our home so will look at the 'proper' ones!