Install Aircon or buy a portable?

Sistergold

@QrizB which portable one is this? Sounds reasonably usable?

QrizB

Mine is a Prem-i-Air EH1960, like this except I paid £750 (the place I bought from is out of stock):

https://www.nationalheatershops.co.uk/p/prem-i-air-eh1960-portable-split-air-conditioner

There a similar unit from Midea which has better visuals and a few extra bells and whistles but is slightly more expensive:

https://www.midea.com/uk/air-treatment/porta-split-air-conditioner.portasplit

There are lots of reviews of the Midea one on YouTube if you want to see video of it in operation.

Momogeew

I have 2 of these

BZ super-compact · R32

I had 2 of these fitted 3 years ago and they're the best £3,000 (that's for the 2 units, supplied and fitted cost) i've ever spent, they've been excellent value for money.

The indoor units aren't loud and the outdoor units don't make a nuisance sound at all. more a faint hum.

I have them in my 2 south facing rooms.

AC 1.jpg

AC 2.jpg

I have the outdoor units, i chose to have 2 seperate, at the back of my house, have them on fat rubber plinth/feet on the ground.

Newbie_John

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052533#Comment_82052533

Sure, this is just normal air con, the issue with it is to find a installer that's available and they will charge £1000 per unit.

What @QrizB is sharing is half way solution, portable unit with all the loud parts outside. No need for engineer.

And it lands half way with costs:

£200 portable, £750 that option, £1500+ normal air con.

Ectophile

The sort with a single hose that goes out the window isn't very efficient. They blow hot air out the hose. But that air has to be replaced, so it either comes in around the window or through the door from the rest of the house. So while they are cooling the air in the room, they are also sucking warm air in from outside.

Rdwill

Interesting thread. About 10 days ago I was in almost exactly the same position and initially thought I'd end up buying a decent portable unit.

The more I researched it, the more I realised I was asking the wrong question.

I started off comparing cooling, but what changed my mind was realising that a modern split system is also an air-to-air heat pump. We have solar PV and oil-fired central heating, so suddenly it wasn't just about keeping cool for a couple of weeks each year. It became a question of using the system for efficient heating in the spring and autumn as well, particularly in the rooms we actually use.

I had a local installer round and we've now ordered a twin-split Bosch system for the living room and bedroom. Like others have said, the earliest installation is likely to be late August because demand is so high.

If I'd only wanted occasional cooling, I think a portable unit would still have been a sensible option. But once I started looking at the heating function, quieter operation, better efficiency and no hose through a window, the permanent system became much easier to justify.

For anyone considering it, I'd definitely recommend getting a quote before assuming it's out of budget. I was pleasantly surprised.

Jumblebumble

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052832#Comment_82052832

Ho Hum

I had a top of the range Mitsubishi split heatpump/air con installed last September in a garden hobby room

Controlled by iPhone app 5 years warranty £1700 all in.

Not a minute has gone by where I wish I had kept the portable unit that took 4 times as long to heat as this one does and constantly cut out

FlorayG

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052432#Comment_82052432

Oh I like the idea of that - best of both worlds! Now to see if anyone has any in stock...

TroubledTarts

We had a single split system that heats, cools, dehumidifies etc on the 12th June

You can follow the thread (link below)

Basically the best thing we have done for comfortable nights sleep, whilst our neighbours were experiencing upstairs heat temps or 33-38oC we were comfortably asleep arlt 23-24oC just running the system in economy mode with the doors open.

If you live in Essex or Suffolk our installer is booking for August and we couldn't recommend him more, but spaces are filling up quick as most households have had enough of sleepless nights and days.

We are so sold on the comfort a separate lounge unit is being fitted first week of Augus

For the value though the semi portable solution @QrizB has got would give good relief for most houses and is powerful enough to bring down temps all over (ok not quite as efficiently) but cheaper to install and maybe available quicker than any installers are

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6670689/air-to-air-dipping-our-toe-in-the-air-water

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82052432#Comment_82052432

I watched a couple of those YouTube videos, so I am now clear how they work. However unless I missed it, it was not clear if the outside unit had to be plugged into mains electricity.? Or just the inside unit, and then presumably the electric supply to the outside is also inside the refigeration tube connection?