The most efficient portable Aircon - the Delonghi PACEX100

Screwdriva

2nd_time_buyer said:

When testing the efficiency for portable AC units they don't fully include two big factors:

1) heat gain to room from the hot ventilation pipe

2) drawing cold outside air into the house

The first point can be fairly easily mitigated by using insulated ducting. 

This pipe insulation just showed up as a recommended buy on Amazon. Should resolve #1 quite effectively if the reviews are to be trusted. 

2nd_time_buyer

Screwdriva said:

2nd_time_buyer said:

When testing the efficiency for portable AC units they don't fully include two big factors:

1) heat gain to room from the hot ventilation pipe

2) drawing cold outside air into the house

The first point can be fairly easily mitigated by using insulated ducting. 

This pipe insulation just showed up as a recommended buy on Amazon. Should resolve #1 quite effectively if the reviews are to be trusted. 

Yes, that should do the job, if it is long enough for you. I went with:

 https://amzn.eu/d/7J19gdo

Which works well for a semi-permanent insulation. Our run is about 5 m - I was careful to avoid sharp curves and constrictions to avoid too much back pressure. 

Screwdriva

We've made good use of the portable PAX100 the past few nights. At no point has the aircon consumed more than 500Watts during any hour it has been operating. This drops to 350 watts as the room cools a bit. Works out to £1 for a night of aircon.

Insulation hose has yet to arrive but that will likely improve efficiency.

orbit500

Portable aircon doesn’t work. It will simply pull hot air in to replace the expelled exhaust and end up heating the house. It’s a bit like leaving the fridge door open to cool down the kitchen.
Only a split or duct system works and a cheap one isn’t much more than the unit here plus it will save you a fortune over 5years.

QrizB

orbit500 said:

Portable aircon doesn’t work.

False.

Only a split or duct system works

False.

a cheap one isn’t much more than the unit here

False.

plus it will save you a fortune over 5years.

Impossible to say without knowing the intended use and duty cycle.

2nd_time_buyer

orbit500 said:

Portable aircon doesn’t work. It will simply pull hot air in to replace the expelled exhaust and end up heating the house. It’s a bit like leaving the fridge door open to cool down the kitchen.
Only a split or duct system works and a cheap one isn’t much more than the unit here plus it will save you a fortune over 5years.

Hot air being brought in does certainly reduce cooling efficiency. However, generally they still "work" to some extent in the UK. Dual hose units or window units are preferable in that regard. It is shame we don't often have sash windows in the UK, as window units also eliminate the (hot) hose that radiates back into the house.

There is an excellent review on the current EU regulations for measuring portable AC efficiency (a bit of a spoiler - they are not very good):

https://www.applia-europe.eu/images/Library/Review_Study_on_Airco_05-2018.pdf

The current energy efficiency measure is the same as for split units and does not account for the hot hose or air being brought in.

If measured fairly, then all-in-one units would probably come out much better than portable ACs e.g.

https://www.appliancesdirect.co.uk/p/iqool-smart12hp/electriq-iqoolsmart12hp-air-conditioner

ispookie666

Leaving all this to one side.. noise is what got to me! 

Screwdriva

The Delonghi isn't a quiet aircon (none of the portables are). They are reminiscent of the window aircon units sold in the 1980s. 

That said, measuring decibels, it's one of the quietest portables sold. Measuring power draw, as stated above, it's remarkably efficient, costing us £1 in energy for 8 hours of cooling at today's prices! Even though it's rated at 700W, it consumes 30%-40% lower than this to cool our room.

Spies

I keep asking local companies for split aircon install costs but they fall silent when I say I want a multisplit.

Screwdriva

Spies said:

I keep asking local companies for split aircon install costs but they fall silent when I say I want a multisplit.

Is this a multi split air to air source heat pump or just a regular inverter split aircon?