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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

A/c advice-moved to very hot country.

79 replies

TherealMeghanMarkle · 20/03/2022 23:47

Posting here as no replies in living overseas.
Anyone any experience of using portable a/c units.
Recently move to Australia where it regularly is in the high 30s /low 40's in in the summer and low 20's in the winter.
House hunting but a lot of the property's I like (the older Victorian style) don't have A/C. Mixed online reviews from they are great to don't waste your money. Happy to spend the money if it works but wanted advice from anyone who actually uses them when its very hot.
Am I crazy (or to keep the theme of the subject title) AIBU to even consider about a house with no a/c?

OP posts:
Strokethefurrywall · 21/03/2022 00:05

As someone living in the Caribbean, I can say with absolute certainty that A/C is a must especially in a high humidity environment.

Dry heat is just about bearable without A/C but humidity is going to kick you in the arse.

Are you going west coast dry heat like Perth, or East coast Cairns/Brisbane?

Ozgirl75 · 21/03/2022 00:09

I live in Sydney and I would strongly advise you to have a place with air con - preferably split system as then you can use it as heating in the winter (depending on where you are, you won’t need it in Qld).
We’ve lived in houses with air con only in the bedroom and it’s just about bearable but honestly when the hot weather hits, coming into a lovely cool house is 100% worth it.

Original poster
TherealMeghanMarkle · 21/03/2022 00:12

Thanks for your response, I'm in Perth.
Sadly only renting so not possible to put split system air con in, hence the idea of having portable units for the bedroom & living area. I just don't want to spend close to 600£ for something which doesn't work. Confused

OP posts:
mjf981 · 21/03/2022 00:14

Perth is a dry heat in the summer. So more bearable than say Brisbane. But, it can get very hot with stretches of days 40+. Personally I wouldn't rent a place without a/c. Even a wall mounted unit in the bedroom or lounge room would make a massive difference.

Ozgirl75 · 21/03/2022 00:14

I think they do work but you have to have them on a lot. Basically as soon as you turn them off, the room warms up again. But in Perth you will need it, it gets boiling over there.
I think you’d be fine with one in the living room and one in the bedroom. Also, it’s not hot all the time, you’ll be surprised at how often it’s early 20s and you acclimatise to that pretty quickly.

bert3400 · 21/03/2022 00:16

We live in Spain and couldn't live without AC . We have a portable one in the basement and it work really well. I would stay away from condenser AC units and get one with an extraction tube that sits out of the window. It came with a plastic cover that you can adjust to fit the window opening, so not loosing any cold air through the gap.

theoldtrout01876 · 21/03/2022 00:17

I have an old house and no central AC. It never bothered me until the last few years. I cant stand the heat any more.
I have portable ACs in a couple of my windows, I have no issues with them. So long as the doors are closed and kept closed in the room its in and its actually powerful enough for the room size they are excellent. I turn mine on in the bedroom about half an hour before I go up to bed, works perfectly.
I have them in all the bedrooms but due to the design of my house cant have them in the main living areas, no doors just arches and a bay window that doesnt open in the sitting room.
I did buy one of those ones you pull around on wheels last year, has a long exhaust hose you can stick out the window. I use that in my kitchen when it gets real bad but dont leave it running as there is no kitchen door so only takes the edge off as its no where powerful enough for the whole lower floor.
Basically, I wouldnt be without mine and it gets wicked hot here too in the summer (USA)

BananaBender · 21/03/2022 00:26

Australian renter here with three portable air cons. Definitely worth it for the cool in the shitty summer heat. Main downside is that they're expensive to run but it's better than melting into a puddle of sweat.

No need to spend huge amounts of money on the portable air cons. Two of mine are second hand. Check out Gumtree and FB Marketplace. There might also be a good local Buy Swap Sell group on FB. This might be a good time of year to get a bargain now that it's finally starting to cool down a bit.

Make sure the portable air con is suitable for the size of your room. It will have a rating of how many square or cubic metres it is suitable for or you can work it out from the BTU or kW of the machine.

Original poster
TherealMeghanMarkle · 21/03/2022 00:39

Thanks everyone, good advice re running costs and room size. The whole down stairs is open plan so that could be a issue in trying to keep cool
Yes gumtee - ill have a look and see whats on there.
One final question-are they noisy?

OP posts:
lighterskies · 21/03/2022 00:40

We lived in Mexico without air conditioning and it was fine. But the house was huge and built to be cool.
In the USA I wouldn't want to because the houses aren't built to be cool.

MrsTerryPratchett · 21/03/2022 00:44

One final question-are they noisy?

Yes. And central air is quiet. I'd opt for that even though I like older properties.

If you insist on it... look at the basic engineering of the house. Window shades, size and position, is it built for heat? that's why houses in hotter countries have courtyards and verandas, because it's natural cooling.

BananaBender · 21/03/2022 00:49

Yes they're noisy. Mostly you get used to it as a sound of summer.

starrynight21 · 21/03/2022 00:50

If you are going to buy a house, get reverse cycle AC units put in a couple of areas, you really need it in the summer. I had them installed in the bedroom and the living area, they cost about $1600 each ( $800 plus the same again for installation). So worth it !

milkyaqua · 21/03/2022 00:54

Get an electric fan.

SeaToSki · 21/03/2022 01:04

Its all about the windows and doors. Can you shut off the area you want to cool, can you part shut a window and then seal the gap around the vent pipe for the ac outlet. Round us double hung (slide up and down) windows work and casement windows (crank open sideways) dont work with a portable ac
Also, they draw a lot of power. Do you have a socket that will take the drain and not trip the fuse everytime you turn it on

knitnerd90 · 21/03/2022 01:05

@lighterskies

We lived in Mexico without air conditioning and it was fine. But the house was huge and built to be cool. In the USA I wouldn't want to because the houses aren't built to be cool.
This depends on the age of the house. Older ones may be better for heat (but because of climate change, may also be built assuming lower summer temperatures than we get now), but new ones, yes, they assume you will have air conditioning. I'm in the mid-Atlantic and with our summer humidity I couldn't manage without it.

There are strategies for managing summer heat, and it's certainly easier when it's dry, but above 35 even dry heat is miserable. One of the big differences with dry heat, though, is that it will cool off much more at night. If it's humid, you need the AC at night to make it cool and dry enough to sleep, and you will never be able to cool off the house naturally.

Bussinbussin · 21/03/2022 01:09

Portable ones are shit, I'd look for a house with proper, fitted a/c. My house is from the 1890s and has it, it's not exclusively in new properties.

Boorfi · 21/03/2022 01:30

@milkyaqua

Get an electric fan.
Will do sod all for humidity.
TheWestIsTheBest · 21/03/2022 01:31

I'm in Perth, and my first rental had no A/C. It was impossible to sleep in the summer without it.. Portable units are better than nothing, get some cheap Kmart fans too. I wouldn't buy a house without aircon, not a chance!

TheWestIsTheBest · 21/03/2022 01:32

Its true that fans do sod all for humidity, but Perth heat is usually dry.

milkyaqua · 21/03/2022 01:43

Generations of Australians have managed without aircon and survived. I have never had it.

Ozgirl75 · 21/03/2022 02:00

Generations of people have “survived” without dozens of modern things. But why be uncomfortable if you don’t have to be?
I grew up without a dishwasher but I’m certainly not scrubbing my own plates these days, or sending telegrams or watching black and white tv.
It’s 2022 and I demand the right to be cold at night even when it’s 26 degrees at midnight Grin

user1471481356 · 21/03/2022 02:05

Having lived in Perth I would NEVER do a summer with no air con there! A portable one is better than nothing but really not ideal.

Dustyblue · 21/03/2022 02:12

Another Australian.

We have a portable unit with an extractor hose to outside. It tells us the temp in the room & I generally don't switch it on until it's at least 26 degrees. You might find the less intensive heat outside of summer bearable!

Our latest unit was $500 and works really well, if you can get 2 even better. I think it's your best bet given you can't install a split system. Even then, you need decent airflow through the house for them to work well. In our house we'd need 2 of them and it's not a huge house!

They do drain power, and you don't find many rentals with solar panels unfortunately.

Decent window coverings to block the sun help a lot.

echt · 21/03/2022 02:15

Look at passive cooling such as drafts, this might help with the open plan downstairs.

By coincidence there's a report (Hot Homes) about terrible standards of cooling in Australian rentals, and it's not all old homes, new ones are just as bad - vague "standards", and no obligation to provide any cooling at all.

www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/mar/17/it-reached-38-degrees-rental-properties-across-australia-routinely-exceeding-safe-temperatures-study-reveals