Cool runnings – How much electricity does a portable air conditioning unit use? It makes a nice change to have a summer in which keeping cool is the only problem! There’s certainly been a rush for fans in the shops this year, with portable air conditioner units becoming the ‘must have’ electrical item this summer, whether it’s to cool an office or home environment.  So how do they work? and more importantly how much do they cost to run? An air conditioner works in the same way as your fridge, cooling your room by passing warm air over a cold evaporator coil, and then blowing cooled air into your room.  This process also generates hot air that needs to be vented out of the building by an exhaust hose, usually placed through a window. Another often forgotten element of this cooling process is that it generates water and dries the air, that’s why portable air conditioning units have water tanks that need to be emptied. How do I keep my room cool and my air conditioning unit running efficiently?

Carrying on the fridge theme… if you think of your room as a fridge, the last thing you’d do is leave the fridge door open, the same applies to the room you’re trying to cool. Keep your space well sealed by closing doors and windows, this will ensure you get the best out of the air con unit. Closing blinds and curtains will reduce the heat from sunshine through windows and doors. Good levels of insulation will help keep rooms cooler in summer, as well as warmer in winter.  Hot summers may be a rare experience for the UK, but travel to Europe – France, Spain, or Italy and you’ll find plenty of external shutters preventing the suns heat entering the room. What do you look for when buy an air conditioner?  A thermostat is pretty crucial!  You don’t want to waste energy trying to get your room too cold, and a timer is good bet also.  Like other electrical applicances, air conditioners have energy efficiency labels, graded from A to G for energy efficiency; go for the best you can afford and save long-term.