The unsettled British weather this Summer is causing spells of especially hot and humid conditions. With many people continuing to work and study from home, spending longer indoors, keeping cool can be a problem.
Getting a good night’s sleep also becomes difficult when the weather turns hot and sticky. A portable air conditioner is the ideal solution to cool a bedroom. Chris Michael, MD at air treatment specialist Meaco, gives his top tips when it comes to choosing one, and for getting the best results.
The best advice on buying a portable air conditioner is to ignore the gimmicks and go for a larger capacity. Most people underestimate cooling size and are then can be disappointed when they find that their portable air conditioner does not offer enough cooling on the hottest evenings. A bigger unit not only gives more cool air in a larger space but will be quieter too. Calculating the correct size is dependent on several factors:
- The floor area of the room
- The size and position of windows, and whether they have blinds or shades
- The number of room occupants (if any)
- The heat generated by equipment
- The heat generated by lighting
Other factors influencing how long it takes to cool a room are:
- Is the room south facing?
- Is the room shaded from the sun by trees?
- Does the room have thermal blinds? (and whether they are being used ).
- Is the room upstairs and drawing heat from the floor below (of particular relevance to high rise flats)?
- Is the room being used for heat generating exercise (home exercising)?
- How well insulated are the walls?
- How well insulated is the attic?
- What electrical equipment is being used?
If getting a good night’s sleep is the main purpose of the air conditioner, then we know that putting the air conditioner on mid-afternoon, with the blinds and curtains drawn and the door closed, is the key to efficiently cooling the room down ready for bedtime. Only open windows when the outside temperature is lower than inside, and turn off electrical appliances when they are not being used. At bedtime you can then turn the air conditioner off, or just run it in fan mode. An ideal bedroom temperature is around 16-18°C (60-65°F). Temperatures over 24°C (71°F) are likely to cause restlessness, while a cold room of about 12°C (53°F) will make it difficult to fall asleep.
Some people ask “what is the difference between wall-mounted and standalone air conditioners?” Fixed air conditioning needs to be professionally installed and once installed you cannot move it to another room or house. Whereas a portable unit could be easily moved from the living room to the bedroom. Permission might be needed for the siting of the external kit, and there will probably be servicing and maintenance costs. It will be quieter than a portable air conditioner but not as flexible.
For spaces like offices and hospitality where people are mixing indoors, portable air conditioning makes for a safer COVID based cooling solution because you are increasing ventilation within the room. Wall fixed air conditioning cools the air by recirculating it within the space, whereas portable air conditioning works by expelling the hot air to the outside. This increases the number of air exchanges within the space and stops the air within the room from becoming stale and can remove viruses from the room faster.
Further government advice on good ventilation can be found here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-ventilation-of-indoor-spaces-to-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus/ventilation-of-indoor-spaces-to-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus-covid-19
Meaco has a range of portable air conditioners, the MeacoCool MC Series, with six BTU model sizes to choose from, providing localised cooling in rooms from 12M² to 36m² and an emphasis on low noise and energy efficiency. In the low fan speed setting, the sound pressure level of just 53dB(A) makes this an easy portable air conditioner to live with. Pre-cooling a bedroom is easy to do with the timer function that allows users to set both an on and off timer from anytime between one and 24 hours. The MeacoCool series also use R290 refrigerant which is kinder to the environment than older refrigerant gases. They are come with an A energy rating, to help save on electricity bills. An easy-to-use remote control provides full control of the air conditioner, enabling the user to adjust the temperature and engage a sleep mode to ensure a restful night’s sleep.
