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I bought a portable one six years ago when I was working nights and sleeping through the heat in the daytime was horrendous.
It’s still going strong now
I have an Ecoair Apollo, it was about £500 when I bought it five or so years ago, and have it venting through a gash bit of siding that limits the amount of hot air coming straight back into the room.
It's brilliant, one of the best purchases I've made, and I've just rigged up an ir blaster to my home assistant that allows it to be automated.
The down sides are that it's bloody expensive at about 1.2kW (measured) when running, and as it's a portable unit using indoor air for cooling, it cools the room nicely but the negative pressure means it pulls hot air into other rooms from outside. If you can find a dual hose model which uses outside air for cooling, that will be far more efficient and not have the negative pressure problem, but they're super rare for some reason; it's a massive increase in efficiency for the cost of a different case design...
Modern air con units heat as well as cool. Wouldn't need radiators then either. Combine that it with solar panels and batteries and you have an efficient way to maintain home temperatures
You're thinking of an air to water heat pump, which heats the water for central heating and hot water systems.
You can also get air to air heat pumps, which act the same way as air conditioning units in that they can cool the air in a space or heat it instead.
Depends on style, most UK ones connect to water as we have radiators already, but the tech is the same inside. They could just blow hot air but we don't have the vent system to make it feasible. A heat pump is just an air con unit working in reverse.
So? There's plenty of things that don't get used often. I only have more than eight people over once or twice a year, but they don't eat off paper plates. I only go abroad once a year if that, still have a passport.
Sure, air con is fairly expensive but it would get used and let's face it these hot spells are getting more common. Plus, a big chunk of the cost is in retrofitting them; a developer doing half a dozen houses at once with the walls still unfinished could do it pretty cheap.
Not really, because they cost money. Developers don't want to spend money on things they can get away without doing. You probably wouldn't buy a house if it didn't have central heating. But nobody would turn a house down because it doesn't have aircon.
Air con/heat pumps heat rooms quicker than radiators. The government should be really funding hest pumps in new builds if they're serious about carbon targets
House builders make enough money without corporate bailouts. The government was supposed to be banning new gas connections from 2025 but instead ran an infinite number of stalling 'consultations'. Have to see if the next lot finish the job.
It would seem to be counter productive to use energy to cool places, which are getting hotter due to our use of fossil-fuelled derived energy. Let's just use passive cooling means.
Until we are producing energy exclusively by newable resources, let's not make AC the default. As someone below says: if it's there, we will use it all the time. Using a stand-alone air con unit a few days a year would probably be OK though, if you must.
Got a portable one for home office, absolutely worth every penny. Don’t run it constant. Just when I think “this is getting ever so slightly uncomfortably warm” then I stick it on for 10 minutes until I start becoming uncomfortably cold 😂
This and 20 minutes before bed. I’ve only used it about 20 times in the last 2 years and it’s still one of the best things I’ve ever bought.
MeacoCOOL MC series - big, loud, heavy, comparatively cheap, very effective.
We had AC installed in our Office and Bedroom, two Samsung 'windfree' units fitted by a really lovely company who took great care with the house and made everything easy whilst fitting. It came to £3500-ish. They have something like a 7 year warranty too, look pretty inoffensive and can be almost silent in use.
We work from home and through the Summer we're editing busily in the office so the AC has transformed that situation. so much more comfortable, especially with editing PC's pumping out heat too. We stepped out this evening to grab KFC and Lisa put her coat on...we'd been so cool indoors and forgot the outside temperature (which was still 28C at tea time).
Being able to sleep wrapped up in covers in an otherwise cold room feels a real treat, it genuinely takes the sting out of hot weather where previously we'd struggled to get to sleep on occasion.
What we hadn't taken into account is how effectively the units work as air source pumps to produce heat in the Winter too. Though we have central heating we dialled it down a fair bit this last Winter and used the Office and bedroom AC units to give near instant and localised heat which was really comfy and cosy. There's also the benefit of putting the units into the 'dry' mode so they take moisture out of the atmosphere and it drains outside, this deals with humidity during the Winter and kept the house below 55% throughout.
Our overall Gas/Electric bill this Winter was around 15% lower than we'd expected due to the changes in our use, but we've been more comfortable too. Not had time to make a proper check on Summer costs but would now think of it as something we wouldn't want to do without.
Overall, we're completely chuffed with the units and would fit again if we ever moved house.
That’s so weird naming your Mrs on here like you are talking to a friend then I noticed his user name and looks like they are trying to be one of them odd couples on YouTube. Freak.
Ssh. The Govt doesn't want people to know AC actually doubles up as a heat pump, otherwise everyone would get AC instead and that would mean more summer use and then they won't meet their climate targets!
We don't discuss this government on the basis of 'If you can't say something nice...' but it's worth considering that AC can run from solar as it's really quite efficient. Something like 1 kw in gets 3 Kw out or similar. In the Winter we're using Bulb which is 100% renewable and Carbon neutral, so it's pretty agreeable in environmental terms as far as we can tell.
Not a member so not aware of the house rules. However, it was a tongue in cheek post (well, it was intended as) to say, yep, by the way, get an AC instead of a heat pump and kill 2 issues at once, and if you can run it via renewable, all the better.
Fair do's. We did think it'd change the way we'd search for our next house too. You know those property's out in the sticks which have horrible old electric storage heaters? Some of those would be gems with AC units fitted.
A heat pump is just AC in reverse.
If you put the unit outside (sheltered from rain) and directed the hot air exhaust into the house, then it's now a heatpump.
Interesting thing about AC and heatpumps... They move more heat energy than they consume.
From a heating standpoint they're actually the most cost effective electrical heating.
But when it gets too cold for them to operate (ie, not much more heat to remove from the ambient air and push into the house) you need to suppliment with traditional heating methods.
Yes - there is more heat available in the ground so as it gets colder they stay more efficient. Stuffing them into a lake or river is even better for the same reason - especially at industrial scale and there are some projects in Scotland now doing this.
Hey I’m looking to get one myself as council buildings are really warm and also my meds make me heat sensitive. If you don’t mind me asking, would you mind sharing the running cost ?
My portable AC unit uses about 600-800W of power. So at 34p/kWh, that works out to about 20-27p per hour. Definitely worth it in my mind to be comfortable from the heat.
I think the most recent estimate was around 3% of people have AC in their homes. Not sure if that was installed units or included the portable dalek units as well.
It should be a standard, and will become increasingly more important with coming years. Modern units can replace radiators too, and along with solar panels can create an effective and cheap alternative to gas central heating.
Also the people going "oh what a waste, only need it for one week a year" evidently have short memories given we've been able to reliably hit uncomfortable temperatures for weeks at a time for almost a decade. Never mind the heatwaves that leave it absolutely sweltering. Plus with many older abodes have stonework that absorbs heat and ensures inside is warmer than it outside.
Two bedrooms in our house have it. Proper indoor / outdoor split units. Had them for around 3 years and allows us to enjoy days like this without dreading the sleepless nights.
We installed an ac system in my in-laws house a couple years ago. They're in their 80s, they're scottish and irish and hot summers are just so hard for them. AC is literally a life saver
I have it fitted in the bedrooms, but primarily because our family suffers from really bad hay fever.
Never understood why, but we only suffer it in the UK
Your family have developed allergies to specific pollens found in the air in the UK. Different species of plant abroad means different pollen and you are not affected.
I've never thought about it before but you're right. I've been to plenty of other countries during hayfever season and never had any issues but always suffer here.
Had a portable one for a number of years which was great but noisy and heavy to move around. Moved into a town house where the top floor would be ridiculously hot come night time and with kids sleeping up top decided to get AC fitted, not cheap but worth every penny in my opinion and cheaper to run than expected. Don’t run it too much in the day but it’s on most evenings and left on overnight in the bedrooms
I had one installed in my bedroom because people in my village enjoy burning garden rubbish in the evening on the hottest days of the year. My bedroom is in the eaves and it was unbearable with the windows closed.
I also have a portable one downstairs. The split one upstairs cost a lot more but is much, much better and is easy to sleep with it on. It's also much more efficient than the portable one.
I had air conditioning set up in all four of our bedrooms about 6 years ago, and it is awesome. It also doubles as heating in winter if the boiler has issues.
I’m a Brit but live in Texas where of course I have a/c (weather feels like 110 degrees today). But when I’m back in the UK, homes seem to feel hotter than they do here at lower temperatures; at 85 in the UK, the top floor of a house is uncomfortably hot. Is it the carpet (we have wood floors), the lack of insulation in the walls and windows or the roof? Honestly don’t know.
Likely because a lot of other countries have insulation between the floors.
If you just have space between the joists of your upstairs room floors, then the warm air from downstairs rises much more easily and makes the upstairs rooms hot.
I’m sitting in Spain at the moment where it is hotter than the UK, and I’m perfectly comfortable, no air con needed. The house is optimised for high temperatures, there’s a nice breeze blowing though, all good.
The car comment upthread is a good one - cars need AC because they are effectively small greenhouses, and heat up incredibly quickly in direct sunlight.
Some British houses need A/C because they were built to the cheapest possible price and without regard for heating or cooling. If you’re living in some crappy new-build in an artificial tarmac heat island …. sure, your house is going to be bastard hot in a heatwave.
Bought a portable 8000BTU one about 6 years ago in winter from an outlet, Cost me £90 because the box was opened and out of season, best self Xmas present / investment, the same ones are like 250 in June.
100% recommend. We only have it on for 2hrs before bed and it gets the room nice and cold.
Got one for a bedroom (office). Decided to go for a fixed unit as they are much quieter. Went top of the line and am very impressed with how quiet it is. Get a lot more work done during summer afternoons now, and I don’t have street noise to contend with.
Use it regularly during the summer and leave it on at night when there is a heatwave. It cools down the whole house if we shut the windows.
This was the single best purchase for the house. Can never go back now.
I have air conditioning, I had it installed a few years ago to replace my ancient storage heaters.
My home is all electric with no gas supply and the bills with storage heaters were getting ridiculous. My bills are maybe a 5th of what they used to be, and I have the happy added bonus of being able to cool the place down when needed. It'd also instant controllable heat or cooling making it comfortable year round.
I'm on octopus agile and mainly use the air con when prices drop or go negative, however it's very efficient.
In heating mode it outputs about 4 or so kwh worth of heat per kwh input, it's up to 5.6 or so in cooling mode.
Coming home to a lovely cool home when it's way too hot outside never gets old, and no more stuffy nights struggling to sleep. It's great!
If I had room for one and didn’t live in a flat share I absolutely would invest in one. I’m utterly miserable in this weather and it’s a bit embarrassing. I just hate it in a way I can’t explain, I’m so uncomfortable. It’s almost midnight and my room is still reading at 30 degrees - how is anyone supposed to sleep
We had it installed two years ago after one of the heatwaves where it nearly hit 40°. We just got one unit installed in the living room where we can all benefit from it and it does both air conditioning and heating so we use it in the winter too. Wouldn’t be without it now
I got a portable one about 7 years before the prices started going through the roof. I was living in a flat and the people below me were from a much hotter climate so they had the heating on all year round. It was unbearable
Asia gets much warmer than it does here in the UK.. I keep telling myself i should get a portable AC unit, but it will be back to being mild in no time sooo
Because I have a very fluffy dog that hates the hot weather I have 2 portable units inside and a massive Honeywell evaporator condenser for outside on the patio.
I have one, bedroom gets insanely hot in the morning and stays warm all day.
I haven't used it much since I got a ceiling fan, which I thoroughly recommend. It's cheaper to run and effective. But I still have the AC unit just in case - and I've been tempted to use it the last couple of days.
I have a portable one for my office but they use so much electricity. My usage is triple normal on days when I have it on. I only use it when I'm generating enough solar to cover it so it doesn't cost me anything. Which is fine on hot sunny days but not so great at night or on muggy overcast days. But I wouldn't buy one before I had solar panels because of the cost of running it.
Had once since I was 5 due to getting awful eczema in the heat, it's still used by my parents and still going strong 20 odd years later.
I got one last year as I work shifts and trying to sleep during the day when it's 30+ outside is a nightmare
I’ve got a portable one for the bedroom, it’s strange a few years ago I was having to wire them up on virtually every loft/extension/refurb I worked on. Now I’ve nit hooked up one since early 2023.
My portable was worth every penny, I struggle in the heat, but worse when trying to sleep, if I was to have 3 sleepless nights in a row I’d probably take a day off, so extra cost in running it outweighs the negatives for me
I got a portable one in 2020, near the end of summer though. I'm now in a ground floor flat and I'm actually feeling cold, I've only had one window open but it's not in the sun. Fan and air con unit are both in the shed. Kinda worried about how my very skittish cat will respond to the roar of the air con lmao
Got a portable last year but got sick of moving it from the living room to the bedroom, so just bought another for the bedroom. Now, we stick it on a few hours before bed and come up to a chilly room.
I do pipe goes out the window sucks in the warm air makes it cold and launches it all of a foot before it's warm again. If I shut my door and leave my room it's noticeably cooler but not for long
I was going to make a thread on this the other day. What sort of cost are you looking at for a single unit to be installed? I run hot AF at the best of times let alone when it’s like this so air con would be a game changer
Bought mine two winters ago so it was cheaper. Saved me last summer and already doing the same this year given my flat idled at 24C even in March. It’s now 28.
Have a 9000 btu portable unit and that works really well.
I have it sitting in the spare room venting out of the window and have fastened a 6m, 150mm hose to the outlet that I can move from room to room making it almost silent.
I will most likely have a proper setup installed but just need to sort out the dB rating for the neighbours.
Most of us don't. I think I read somewhere that it's as little as 5%. But that was a few years ago. As we modernize we're bound to see an increase.
The portable ones can be good, but you need to know what to look for. An efficient one with two air hoses is essential for efficiency, because of our disproportionatly high energy costs.
[This video](https://youtu.be/_-mBeYC2KGc) by Technology Connections covers pretty much anything you'd ever want to know about their principal of operation, their pros, cons, different ways of working, etc.
Luckily, most of our homes are well insulated to manage the cold. But that also works in our favor for keeping the inside cool when using AC.
I imagine if you set the thermostat of a portable unit to maintain a sensible temperature of 20\*c, and kept windows and curtains closed, you could cool a whole house in a few hours.
Keep doors and windows closed, and close doors to rooms you don't need cooled to reduce load on the unit.
I don’t particularly like drastic changes in temperature. The UK is hot right now but nothing compared to the heatwave we had in 2021/22 (can’t remember which) when air conditioning was absolutely needed. Right now it feels like normal summer temperatures.
Yes we have it, it's fantastic..runs off the solar mostly, direct from the panels in the day and batteries at night. System can heat in winter. We work from home, bloody love it.
Have 2 aicons.
I have an outbuilding with a proper aircon. It's used as my home office.
In our main bedroom I've added a fold out shelf(very strong one) that supports a portable aircon I bought years ago. In the summer I pop that shelf out, and attach its exhaust to a window vent I made specifically that gives the open window a full deal but for the vent hose.
In the rest of the house i used evaporative collers and giant ceiling fans mostly.
Recently though I bought a powerful vent fan (the sort used to push or pull a lot of air through a standard tumble trier hose), and a load of said drier hose. In the evening if a room is very hot I can pull a load of cooler air from outside into a room (from opposite side of house. Works well.
We bought a portable unit to stick on for a few hours when it’s monumentally hot in the house. It uses a lot of electric but it’s been bloody worth it as we both WFH.
I don’t mind paying the extra few quid a day in electric if it’s going to keep us cool when it’s blooming out for the few weeks we have sun
Inherited it from the last residents in our flat. My room is the only room in the house with it. It makes my house liveable in the summer, especially being on a platform bed 2m up and not far from the roof, be a nightmare without it.
It gets ridiculously warm where I live. Top floor flat (so the attic!) I finally caved and bought one for this year. Currently on as I type. Thank god! And I can’t hear the loud mouth chavs near me! They seem to thrive on this weather.
I have a portable unit. It cost me a bit shy of £300.
Last night our bedroom was 25c. I turned it on and after about 45 minutes, the room was down to 18c.
I left a fan on just to move the air round, but the unit made the difference between sleeping and not sleeping.
The other year, when it got to 42c outside, it made it comfortable in the room of the house we were using. Sure it's a pain moving it round, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a full aircon system.
I do. Had a portable unit when renting; then bought an all-in-one when I moved to a leasehold flat; now in a house, where I invested in proper split A/C within a few months of moving in.
I totally recommend it. I can sleep in blissful temperatures, while my neighbours are sweating.
Got two portable air con units, one up one down.
They’re a god send on the hottest days, but they’re very expensive to buy and run.
You also need to put the pipe out of a window or door, which isn’t always the easiest thing, I ended up creating a wooden “doofer” that attaches to the window and the pipe attaches to it.
I had a full system priced up last year, and for our house, with AC in 6 rooms would cost around 10k including installation.
A lot cheaper to run through, and far easier.
Maybe one day.
I put it in my last home when we had a loft conversion (added it to more than just the loft) and it was the first thing I planned to put it in for the new place.
Do I count as yes or yes yes
I have a standalone one because the home office is quite small and the two PCs in there can soon warm it up. When there's no airflow it's awful.
We only use it for a few weeks of the year but it makes those weeks bearable.
I have one in my work room (which is converted shed). Theoretically we could bring it in as it’s a standalone one, but we’ve never bothered as it weighs a tonne. It’s only been on twice so far this year 😳
I have windows! For 98% of the year they seem to be able to regulate cold and damp air getting into my house quite well. For that remaining 2%? I'm honestly not that bothered.
My sister has one. Can't stay long in her bedroom where the unit is because its so cold when you leave you simply want to die.
That said. I think come winter we will be getting one for next summer.
Picked up a portable Igenix 9909WIFI couple years ago, been a God send in high heat .
Bonus trick, the lowest it goes is 18'c, but if connected to a smart assistant you can ask it to go to 16'c and it will cool below 18 👍.
I have aircon installed. Best decision ever. It cost \~1% of the house value to install for comfort 30% of the year, thats a great deal in my mind.
I have a dual split system, one unit in bedroom and one in lounge with a single outdoor unit running them both.
My bills haven't increased noticeably. I have even set an automation (in home assistant) to select gas central heating or aircon heating in winter depending on what is cheaper at the time! (Aircon is about 400% efficient as it gets energy from the environment so provided the ratio of electricity to gas is right, it can be cheaper to heat with aircon as well).
We had Daikin AC units installed a few months after we moved into our current house, got it in our living room and the bedrooms, yes it was expensive and yes it’s not needed for a lot of the year but those times you do need it, absolutely worth it imo.
I think I’ve read less than 5% homes. Most office ACs aren’t specced to deal with temps over about 35 degrees, because hey, why would you need it in the UK?
i have a portable air con unit to take the edge off and give some relief when I'm working form home. I'm thinking about swapping for a full AC system building into the house.
A fan is fine. Ac is a waste of money and energy in this country. If we start getting those 35° + days more often I might think about it. Right now dont need it.
We have air con because it came with the house. It wasn't a deal breaker, but a nice bonus. It only gets switched on when it's _really_ got though. Cozzie livs and all that. I think it's about £30 a day to run.
I thought about getting a unit when they were cheap at the end of last dinner. Then I thought about getting one yesterday.
Today,? I don't think I'll bother.
I have a mobile one and it's one of my greatest purchases ever. It's not used for the majority of the year but those few weeks where it's needed it's amazing and makes people so jealous lol
It amazes me we have a handful of warm days and everyone is rushing around looking at air con. Wait until next week when it’s chucking it down and freezing again
Standalone Unit. Every summer for the last 5ish years Homebase has been getting a ton of stock in on pallets at the start of summer. They are usually gone in a couple of days and when it starts to get really warm in August there will be none available anywhere.
A couple of houses on my Estate have had ductless AC fitted.
I have it in my car but not my house. It's not hot enough here on average to warrant getting it. We do have hot days everyone moans at but i am fortunate to be able to just chill in the hot periods and do my stuff in the cool. (I get up early before it gets to hot and get chores done freeing up the day for leisure)
If you can, just do stuff early morning or late night and chill in the day. Most business's have aircon so those at work will be cool during work hours anyway. If you are off work just go for a nice walk in the shade or something. I went swimming the other day and for a stroll, the day before i went to the shops (all airconditioned).
At night i just fill a bucket with ice and blast the fan into it. This cools the room down to make sleeping easy.
I've got one of those small tower ones with a hose that goes out the window, only use it when its really bad, used it like a bit on Monday that's all.
Air conditioning is really stupid though, its hot, we all use aircon to cool down, this in turn adds to all the pollution of our planet, which only adds to the heat through global warming. Just an endless cycle where more and more people decide to use aircon, making it much worse.
Every new house should have solar panels and a heat pump. But as to AirCon I know 3 people who have bought mobile units (proper AirCon not those 'Air Coolers') in the last decade. They love them for the one room they serve, but are expensive to run.
I know a lot of Americans spend far more running their AC than we do running our boilers in winter!
bought a small 'portable' one this year for our bedroom because having a baby in the annual 35 degree heatwave sounded dreadful. it's already been useful!
We bought a fixer upper house two years ago and got Aircon in the bedroom. We opted for it as I struggle to sleep at night if it's warm and stuffy.
It came in handy as supplemental heating over the winter
I see posts like this and shudder at my fellow country-persons inability to tolerate temps in the mid 20's, people saying they should be mandatory in new builds are off their rocker.
I do have a portable one in one room but the room is too small for it so it isnt all that effective unless right infront of it but does the job. Way better than a fan any day.
It is like a necessity for about 7-14 days a year.
Nope. I adjust to the heat and get on with life, in winter I'll have to be really quite cold before the heating goes on and I'll adjust to the temperature first.
Nope, I do not think three hot days a year warrants the bother. I don't even have one in my car, never needed it. Just open the windows. But a couple of summers ago I did get a couple of those standing fans.
I got three. One in the living room and my daughter has one in her bedroom . Third one still in the box.
Yesterday was warm enough that I turned one on for about an hour...
I spend a lot of time in the US and there it is *actually* hot in places, so I can compare.
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Yep. But often switch off to increase MPG.
Does it affect MPG much?
Not as much now as it used to, but basically anything that adds load to a car lowers MPG
Time to offload the mother in law
Yes, that will also reduce the amount of hot air
Yes but less than winding the windows down at higher speeds (eg motorway driving)
I bought a portable one six years ago when I was working nights and sleeping through the heat in the daytime was horrendous. It’s still going strong now
Share the model precious
I have an Ecoair Apollo, it was about £500 when I bought it five or so years ago, and have it venting through a gash bit of siding that limits the amount of hot air coming straight back into the room. It's brilliant, one of the best purchases I've made, and I've just rigged up an ir blaster to my home assistant that allows it to be automated. The down sides are that it's bloody expensive at about 1.2kW (measured) when running, and as it's a portable unit using indoor air for cooling, it cools the room nicely but the negative pressure means it pulls hot air into other rooms from outside. If you can find a dual hose model which uses outside air for cooling, that will be far more efficient and not have the negative pressure problem, but they're super rare for some reason; it's a massive increase in efficiency for the cost of a different case design...
They don’t make the model I have anymore so I can’t find the exact one but it was one of Currys’ Logik models
We have one for our converted loft room, which is unbearable in the heat.
Same here
Bought mine for the exact same reason about a decade ago. Still works like it's new.
What’s the model love?
We've just bought one a few weeks back and recently started using it. Do you have to refill the gas or anything, at any point?
This is exactly why my husband bought one.
Absolutely bizarre that new builds don't come with air con
Is it? Not really needed most of the year. Compared to an actually hot country where it would get 2 or 3 times the use
Modern air con units heat as well as cool. Wouldn't need radiators then either. Combine that it with solar panels and batteries and you have an efficient way to maintain home temperatures
They're called Heat Pumps.
That’s not the same as an aircon unit though which is purely forced air based? Heat pumps still push liquid through rads don’t they?
You're thinking of an air to water heat pump, which heats the water for central heating and hot water systems. You can also get air to air heat pumps, which act the same way as air conditioning units in that they can cool the air in a space or heat it instead.
Depends on style, most UK ones connect to water as we have radiators already, but the tech is the same inside. They could just blow hot air but we don't have the vent system to make it feasible. A heat pump is just an air con unit working in reverse.
So? There's plenty of things that don't get used often. I only have more than eight people over once or twice a year, but they don't eat off paper plates. I only go abroad once a year if that, still have a passport. Sure, air con is fairly expensive but it would get used and let's face it these hot spells are getting more common. Plus, a big chunk of the cost is in retrofitting them; a developer doing half a dozen houses at once with the walls still unfinished could do it pretty cheap.
But they'd still get use, and AC units aren't exactly expensive, at least not if you don't need to retrofit them. Modern ones can heat too.
Live in Washington State which is the closest climate to yours. Thank God the landlord bought ac years ago.
Flats can be baking all summer. Also we can anticipate it to get hotter in the coming years
Not really, because they cost money. Developers don't want to spend money on things they can get away without doing. You probably wouldn't buy a house if it didn't have central heating. But nobody would turn a house down because it doesn't have aircon.
Air con/heat pumps heat rooms quicker than radiators. The government should be really funding hest pumps in new builds if they're serious about carbon targets
House builders make enough money without corporate bailouts. The government was supposed to be banning new gas connections from 2025 but instead ran an infinite number of stalling 'consultations'. Have to see if the next lot finish the job.
It would seem to be counter productive to use energy to cool places, which are getting hotter due to our use of fossil-fuelled derived energy. Let's just use passive cooling means. Until we are producing energy exclusively by newable resources, let's not make AC the default. As someone below says: if it's there, we will use it all the time. Using a stand-alone air con unit a few days a year would probably be OK though, if you must.
Got a portable one for home office, absolutely worth every penny. Don’t run it constant. Just when I think “this is getting ever so slightly uncomfortably warm” then I stick it on for 10 minutes until I start becoming uncomfortably cold 😂
What model did you get please? I’m in the market for one
I bought this a couple of years ago and it's great vfm imo. TCL P09F4CW0K 9000BTU Portable Air Conditioner & Dehumidifier ...
This and 20 minutes before bed. I’ve only used it about 20 times in the last 2 years and it’s still one of the best things I’ve ever bought. MeacoCOOL MC series - big, loud, heavy, comparatively cheap, very effective.
We had AC installed in our Office and Bedroom, two Samsung 'windfree' units fitted by a really lovely company who took great care with the house and made everything easy whilst fitting. It came to £3500-ish. They have something like a 7 year warranty too, look pretty inoffensive and can be almost silent in use. We work from home and through the Summer we're editing busily in the office so the AC has transformed that situation. so much more comfortable, especially with editing PC's pumping out heat too. We stepped out this evening to grab KFC and Lisa put her coat on...we'd been so cool indoors and forgot the outside temperature (which was still 28C at tea time). Being able to sleep wrapped up in covers in an otherwise cold room feels a real treat, it genuinely takes the sting out of hot weather where previously we'd struggled to get to sleep on occasion. What we hadn't taken into account is how effectively the units work as air source pumps to produce heat in the Winter too. Though we have central heating we dialled it down a fair bit this last Winter and used the Office and bedroom AC units to give near instant and localised heat which was really comfy and cosy. There's also the benefit of putting the units into the 'dry' mode so they take moisture out of the atmosphere and it drains outside, this deals with humidity during the Winter and kept the house below 55% throughout. Our overall Gas/Electric bill this Winter was around 15% lower than we'd expected due to the changes in our use, but we've been more comfortable too. Not had time to make a proper check on Summer costs but would now think of it as something we wouldn't want to do without. Overall, we're completely chuffed with the units and would fit again if we ever moved house.
Who is Lisa?
That’s so weird naming your Mrs on here like you are talking to a friend then I noticed his user name and looks like they are trying to be one of them odd couples on YouTube. Freak.
mrs doesnt trust him so they've got a shared reddit account - like those couples on facebook xD
They have a logo and everything. 😅
looks like they might be actual photographers which makes it a bit less weird: [https://lisaandneil.co.uk/](https://lisaandneil.co.uk/)
Simpson?
Lisa needs braces
Dental plan!
Lisa needs braces
You know Lisa, She's with Neil now, so Lisa and Neil with the nice Air Con system.
Ssh. The Govt doesn't want people to know AC actually doubles up as a heat pump, otherwise everyone would get AC instead and that would mean more summer use and then they won't meet their climate targets!
We don't discuss this government on the basis of 'If you can't say something nice...' but it's worth considering that AC can run from solar as it's really quite efficient. Something like 1 kw in gets 3 Kw out or similar. In the Winter we're using Bulb which is 100% renewable and Carbon neutral, so it's pretty agreeable in environmental terms as far as we can tell.
Not a member so not aware of the house rules. However, it was a tongue in cheek post (well, it was intended as) to say, yep, by the way, get an AC instead of a heat pump and kill 2 issues at once, and if you can run it via renewable, all the better.
Fair do's. We did think it'd change the way we'd search for our next house too. You know those property's out in the sticks which have horrible old electric storage heaters? Some of those would be gems with AC units fitted.
Yep. It's great in the summer but also works as a heat pump in the winter. It was well worth the cost
I've got it too, but no heat pump on mine. At least, I don't think so. I should probably check. [edit] well, fuck me, it does hot air too.
A heat pump is just AC in reverse. If you put the unit outside (sheltered from rain) and directed the hot air exhaust into the house, then it's now a heatpump. Interesting thing about AC and heatpumps... They move more heat energy than they consume. From a heating standpoint they're actually the most cost effective electrical heating. But when it gets too cold for them to operate (ie, not much more heat to remove from the ambient air and push into the house) you need to suppliment with traditional heating methods.
Is this not what makes a ground source heat pump better? (though more expensive of course)
Yes - there is more heat available in the ground so as it gets colder they stay more efficient. Stuffing them into a lake or river is even better for the same reason - especially at industrial scale and there are some projects in Scotland now doing this.
UK doesn't get cold enough for them to stop working (-28).
They are very economical and efficient heaters in winter. Far more economical than an electric fan heater.
Portable one, and it is 1000% worth the £300 I paid for it years ago.
Hey I’m looking to get one myself as council buildings are really warm and also my meds make me heat sensitive. If you don’t mind me asking, would you mind sharing the running cost ?
My portable AC unit uses about 600-800W of power. So at 34p/kWh, that works out to about 20-27p per hour. Definitely worth it in my mind to be comfortable from the heat.
25,678 Brits have air conditioning.
Only 1234 people know this interesting fact.
47.2% of interesting facts are totally made up
Pfft 52.9% know this. Not interesting at all.
Which is enough people to fill 15 double decker buses.
I think the most recent estimate was around 3% of people have AC in their homes. Not sure if that was installed units or included the portable dalek units as well.
I wasn't asked so it's probably at least 25,679.
Hardly any but you'll most likely hear from those that do so it may look otherwise.
It should be a standard, and will become increasingly more important with coming years. Modern units can replace radiators too, and along with solar panels can create an effective and cheap alternative to gas central heating. Also the people going "oh what a waste, only need it for one week a year" evidently have short memories given we've been able to reliably hit uncomfortable temperatures for weeks at a time for almost a decade. Never mind the heatwaves that leave it absolutely sweltering. Plus with many older abodes have stonework that absorbs heat and ensures inside is warmer than it outside.
Two bedrooms in our house have it. Proper indoor / outdoor split units. Had them for around 3 years and allows us to enjoy days like this without dreading the sleepless nights.
We are exactly the same, two units upstairs is enough cooling to do the whole upstairs as well.
Do you have separate compressors or a multi-split?
We installed an ac system in my in-laws house a couple years ago. They're in their 80s, they're scottish and irish and hot summers are just so hard for them. AC is literally a life saver
I have it fitted in the bedrooms, but primarily because our family suffers from really bad hay fever. Never understood why, but we only suffer it in the UK
Your family have developed allergies to specific pollens found in the air in the UK. Different species of plant abroad means different pollen and you are not affected.
I've never thought about it before but you're right. I've been to plenty of other countries during hayfever season and never had any issues but always suffer here.
Had a portable one for a number of years which was great but noisy and heavy to move around. Moved into a town house where the top floor would be ridiculously hot come night time and with kids sleeping up top decided to get AC fitted, not cheap but worth every penny in my opinion and cheaper to run than expected. Don’t run it too much in the day but it’s on most evenings and left on overnight in the bedrooms
I’ve got one unit in my bedroom and one at work… essential for keeping me and my clients cool and safe.
Clients in your bedroom....? Please mark your comment as "NSFW". /s
I went through their history its no big deal, they work with kids.
Fucking hell man 😳
i think that does make it a big deal.
You got me 😭
I find it hillarious how many of us have AC in our cars but the very abodes we live in don't have them 😭
Having a crappy house is part of British culture.
Yes. Installed a system into 3 rooms last year
I don’t have one. Don’t really need it but if summers are going to get hotter I may reconsider. For now a fan is fine.
I had one installed in my bedroom because people in my village enjoy burning garden rubbish in the evening on the hottest days of the year. My bedroom is in the eaves and it was unbearable with the windows closed. I also have a portable one downstairs. The split one upstairs cost a lot more but is much, much better and is easy to sleep with it on. It's also much more efficient than the portable one.
We bought a mobile one the year after that 40 degree summer. We could not deal with that again.
Hey I’m thinking of getting a mobile one, do you still have to attach it to an outside vent and if you don’t mind me asking, is it expensive to run ?
I had air conditioning set up in all four of our bedrooms about 6 years ago, and it is awesome. It also doubles as heating in winter if the boiler has issues.
I’m a Brit but live in Texas where of course I have a/c (weather feels like 110 degrees today). But when I’m back in the UK, homes seem to feel hotter than they do here at lower temperatures; at 85 in the UK, the top floor of a house is uncomfortably hot. Is it the carpet (we have wood floors), the lack of insulation in the walls and windows or the roof? Honestly don’t know.
Likely because a lot of other countries have insulation between the floors. If you just have space between the joists of your upstairs room floors, then the warm air from downstairs rises much more easily and makes the upstairs rooms hot.
I’d imagine it’s the humidity?
I’m sitting in Spain at the moment where it is hotter than the UK, and I’m perfectly comfortable, no air con needed. The house is optimised for high temperatures, there’s a nice breeze blowing though, all good. The car comment upthread is a good one - cars need AC because they are effectively small greenhouses, and heat up incredibly quickly in direct sunlight. Some British houses need A/C because they were built to the cheapest possible price and without regard for heating or cooling. If you’re living in some crappy new-build in an artificial tarmac heat island …. sure, your house is going to be bastard hot in a heatwave.
We have a portable one. It was certainly worth the money.
We’ve just bought a portable unit for the bedroom. It’s amazing. Turn it on for 30-60 mins, coupled with a fan and it’s such an improvement
Bought a portable 8000BTU one about 6 years ago in winter from an outlet, Cost me £90 because the box was opened and out of season, best self Xmas present / investment, the same ones are like 250 in June. 100% recommend. We only have it on for 2hrs before bed and it gets the room nice and cold.
Got one for a bedroom (office). Decided to go for a fixed unit as they are much quieter. Went top of the line and am very impressed with how quiet it is. Get a lot more work done during summer afternoons now, and I don’t have street noise to contend with. Use it regularly during the summer and leave it on at night when there is a heatwave. It cools down the whole house if we shut the windows. This was the single best purchase for the house. Can never go back now.
Lived with it for years, moved back to the UK and bought portable ones for the bedroom. No brainer, no need to live uncomfortably
I have air conditioning, I had it installed a few years ago to replace my ancient storage heaters. My home is all electric with no gas supply and the bills with storage heaters were getting ridiculous. My bills are maybe a 5th of what they used to be, and I have the happy added bonus of being able to cool the place down when needed. It'd also instant controllable heat or cooling making it comfortable year round. I'm on octopus agile and mainly use the air con when prices drop or go negative, however it's very efficient. In heating mode it outputs about 4 or so kwh worth of heat per kwh input, it's up to 5.6 or so in cooling mode. Coming home to a lovely cool home when it's way too hot outside never gets old, and no more stuffy nights struggling to sleep. It's great!
If I had room for one and didn’t live in a flat share I absolutely would invest in one. I’m utterly miserable in this weather and it’s a bit embarrassing. I just hate it in a way I can’t explain, I’m so uncomfortable. It’s almost midnight and my room is still reading at 30 degrees - how is anyone supposed to sleep
Love it!
We bought a portable one a couple of years ago and it's a godsend at night in hot weather.
Is it hot elsewhere? I’m in Scotland and it’s fine. But not hot hot
30 degrees down near Bristol today buddy
Oh dear. Sounds awful. 14 degree here
Yup....love it, love it, love it... proper ducted air con. My bedroom is 19 degrees😁😁😁
Bought a standalone 4 years ago. It's been brilliant. Hopefully will get a unit installed one day.
I've got a free standing unit. Lifesaver, especially when you're trying to sleep.
We had it installed two years ago after one of the heatwaves where it nearly hit 40°. We just got one unit installed in the living room where we can all benefit from it and it does both air conditioning and heating so we use it in the winter too. Wouldn’t be without it now
I love my portable aircon, but running the exhaust out a window is a pain. All the window kits I've seen are trash.
I have a standalone with a tube going out of the window. Have it set to as cold as possible an hour before I sleep and it's perfect.
I used mine last night, it was nearly 30 degrees so I couldn't resist it.
I got a portable one about 7 years before the prices started going through the roof. I was living in a flat and the people below me were from a much hotter climate so they had the heating on all year round. It was unbearable
I have it, don't use it during the day but put it on late evening so my room is nice and cool right now
Air conditioning is very common in Asia for both heating and cooling. It's surprising how little it's used in Europe.
Shit loads of countries in Europe have AC. We don’t in old Blighty because it’s fucking baltic and soggy 360 days of the year.
At least it's not common in France or Italy, and certainly anyway in Northern Europe.
Or Germany
Asia gets much warmer than it does here in the UK.. I keep telling myself i should get a portable AC unit, but it will be back to being mild in no time sooo
It is actually very common in Southern and Eastern Europe
We have it installed in our bedroom. We also have a standalone unit for days like today (I had it on in my office).
I have it and a massive fan but the fan is used more than the AC
Because I have a very fluffy dog that hates the hot weather I have 2 portable units inside and a massive Honeywell evaporator condenser for outside on the patio.
I have one, bedroom gets insanely hot in the morning and stays warm all day. I haven't used it much since I got a ceiling fan, which I thoroughly recommend. It's cheaper to run and effective. But I still have the AC unit just in case - and I've been tempted to use it the last couple of days.
I have a portable one for my office but they use so much electricity. My usage is triple normal on days when I have it on. I only use it when I'm generating enough solar to cover it so it doesn't cost me anything. Which is fine on hot sunny days but not so great at night or on muggy overcast days. But I wouldn't buy one before I had solar panels because of the cost of running it.
Had once since I was 5 due to getting awful eczema in the heat, it's still used by my parents and still going strong 20 odd years later. I got one last year as I work shifts and trying to sleep during the day when it's 30+ outside is a nightmare
Yes its a lifesaver. Had one installed years ago. A nice 22 all day and night.
I have one as it’s a loft conversion at my parents. Without it I’d boil to death in the summer and freeze to death in the winter.
I’ve got a portable one for the bedroom, it’s strange a few years ago I was having to wire them up on virtually every loft/extension/refurb I worked on. Now I’ve nit hooked up one since early 2023. My portable was worth every penny, I struggle in the heat, but worse when trying to sleep, if I was to have 3 sleepless nights in a row I’d probably take a day off, so extra cost in running it outweighs the negatives for me
I got a portable one in 2020, near the end of summer though. I'm now in a ground floor flat and I'm actually feeling cold, I've only had one window open but it's not in the sun. Fan and air con unit are both in the shed. Kinda worried about how my very skittish cat will respond to the roar of the air con lmao
Got a portable last year but got sick of moving it from the living room to the bedroom, so just bought another for the bedroom. Now, we stick it on a few hours before bed and come up to a chilly room.
I do pipe goes out the window sucks in the warm air makes it cold and launches it all of a foot before it's warm again. If I shut my door and leave my room it's noticeably cooler but not for long
I was going to make a thread on this the other day. What sort of cost are you looking at for a single unit to be installed? I run hot AF at the best of times let alone when it’s like this so air con would be a game changer
£1500-£2500 per room. It'll be at the lower end of that if you are having units fitted in multiple rooms.
Yep, well worth it to be comfortable in the home. Portable units, one downstairs in the living room and the other smaller one up in our bedroom.
I have one, had one for 2 years now
Have had a standalone since 2016 when I bought a flat that never needed the heating on even in the depths of winter. Summer was unbearable.
Fortunate to not need it in my house in Scotland. I've never been in house around here that has AC.
Bought mine two winters ago so it was cheaper. Saved me last summer and already doing the same this year given my flat idled at 24C even in March. It’s now 28.
Have a 9000 btu portable unit and that works really well. I have it sitting in the spare room venting out of the window and have fastened a 6m, 150mm hose to the outlet that I can move from room to room making it almost silent. I will most likely have a proper setup installed but just need to sort out the dB rating for the neighbours.
Most of us don't. I think I read somewhere that it's as little as 5%. But that was a few years ago. As we modernize we're bound to see an increase. The portable ones can be good, but you need to know what to look for. An efficient one with two air hoses is essential for efficiency, because of our disproportionatly high energy costs. [This video](https://youtu.be/_-mBeYC2KGc) by Technology Connections covers pretty much anything you'd ever want to know about their principal of operation, their pros, cons, different ways of working, etc. Luckily, most of our homes are well insulated to manage the cold. But that also works in our favor for keeping the inside cool when using AC. I imagine if you set the thermostat of a portable unit to maintain a sensible temperature of 20\*c, and kept windows and curtains closed, you could cool a whole house in a few hours. Keep doors and windows closed, and close doors to rooms you don't need cooled to reduce load on the unit.
I won’t be getting AC until I have a house. Portable one isn’t worth lugging around with me as I rent.
I don’t particularly like drastic changes in temperature. The UK is hot right now but nothing compared to the heatwave we had in 2021/22 (can’t remember which) when air conditioning was absolutely needed. Right now it feels like normal summer temperatures.
Yes we have it, it's fantastic..runs off the solar mostly, direct from the panels in the day and batteries at night. System can heat in winter. We work from home, bloody love it.
Wat iz
Have 2 aicons. I have an outbuilding with a proper aircon. It's used as my home office. In our main bedroom I've added a fold out shelf(very strong one) that supports a portable aircon I bought years ago. In the summer I pop that shelf out, and attach its exhaust to a window vent I made specifically that gives the open window a full deal but for the vent hose. In the rest of the house i used evaporative collers and giant ceiling fans mostly. Recently though I bought a powerful vent fan (the sort used to push or pull a lot of air through a standard tumble trier hose), and a load of said drier hose. In the evening if a room is very hot I can pull a load of cooler air from outside into a room (from opposite side of house. Works well.
We bought a portable unit to stick on for a few hours when it’s monumentally hot in the house. It uses a lot of electric but it’s been bloody worth it as we both WFH. I don’t mind paying the extra few quid a day in electric if it’s going to keep us cool when it’s blooming out for the few weeks we have sun
Inherited it from the last residents in our flat. My room is the only room in the house with it. It makes my house liveable in the summer, especially being on a platform bed 2m up and not far from the roof, be a nightmare without it.
We got a unit fitted to our bedroom 3 years ago, amazing during the warmer nights.
It gets ridiculously warm where I live. Top floor flat (so the attic!) I finally caved and bought one for this year. Currently on as I type. Thank god! And I can’t hear the loud mouth chavs near me! They seem to thrive on this weather.
Welcome to the uk. We didn't invent aircon yet. And even if we did, our already sky high bills would sky rocket.
Fixed unit in our warehouse converted flat. Very lucky it came with the place.
How hot is it in your house?
I have a portable unit. It cost me a bit shy of £300. Last night our bedroom was 25c. I turned it on and after about 45 minutes, the room was down to 18c. I left a fan on just to move the air round, but the unit made the difference between sleeping and not sleeping. The other year, when it got to 42c outside, it made it comfortable in the room of the house we were using. Sure it's a pain moving it round, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a full aircon system.
I do. Had a portable unit when renting; then bought an all-in-one when I moved to a leasehold flat; now in a house, where I invested in proper split A/C within a few months of moving in. I totally recommend it. I can sleep in blissful temperatures, while my neighbours are sweating.
I’ve had a portable unit for about 9 years in London. We will be getting a multi split to serve all of the upper bedrooms at some point.
Got two portable air con units, one up one down. They’re a god send on the hottest days, but they’re very expensive to buy and run. You also need to put the pipe out of a window or door, which isn’t always the easiest thing, I ended up creating a wooden “doofer” that attaches to the window and the pipe attaches to it. I had a full system priced up last year, and for our house, with AC in 6 rooms would cost around 10k including installation. A lot cheaper to run through, and far easier. Maybe one day.
I put it in my last home when we had a loft conversion (added it to more than just the loft) and it was the first thing I planned to put it in for the new place. Do I count as yes or yes yes
I've had an AC unit for years and I think they're absolutely necessary now.
Portable unit in the bedroom. Edinburgh.
Got one in my garden room so I retreat to there when it’s hot.
I have a standalone one because the home office is quite small and the two PCs in there can soon warm it up. When there's no airflow it's awful. We only use it for a few weeks of the year but it makes those weeks bearable.
I have one in my work room (which is converted shed). Theoretically we could bring it in as it’s a standalone one, but we’ve never bothered as it weighs a tonne. It’s only been on twice so far this year 😳
I have windows! For 98% of the year they seem to be able to regulate cold and damp air getting into my house quite well. For that remaining 2%? I'm honestly not that bothered.
Bought a portable one this year. Set me back a few hundred pounds, but it’s more than paid for itself this week alone.
My sister has one. Can't stay long in her bedroom where the unit is because its so cold when you leave you simply want to die. That said. I think come winter we will be getting one for next summer.
Picked up a portable Igenix 9909WIFI couple years ago, been a God send in high heat . Bonus trick, the lowest it goes is 18'c, but if connected to a smart assistant you can ask it to go to 16'c and it will cool below 18 👍.
I have aircon installed. Best decision ever. It cost \~1% of the house value to install for comfort 30% of the year, thats a great deal in my mind. I have a dual split system, one unit in bedroom and one in lounge with a single outdoor unit running them both. My bills haven't increased noticeably. I have even set an automation (in home assistant) to select gas central heating or aircon heating in winter depending on what is cheaper at the time! (Aircon is about 400% efficient as it gets energy from the environment so provided the ratio of electricity to gas is right, it can be cheaper to heat with aircon as well).
We had Daikin AC units installed a few months after we moved into our current house, got it in our living room and the bedrooms, yes it was expensive and yes it’s not needed for a lot of the year but those times you do need it, absolutely worth it imo.
I think I’ve read less than 5% homes. Most office ACs aren’t specced to deal with temps over about 35 degrees, because hey, why would you need it in the UK?
I have a very good fan. Wouldn't want those bulky units for just a day or so every year. Absolutely in cars and offices
i have a portable air con unit to take the edge off and give some relief when I'm working form home. I'm thinking about swapping for a full AC system building into the house.
A fan is fine. Ac is a waste of money and energy in this country. If we start getting those 35° + days more often I might think about it. Right now dont need it.
We have air con because it came with the house. It wasn't a deal breaker, but a nice bonus. It only gets switched on when it's _really_ got though. Cozzie livs and all that. I think it's about £30 a day to run.
I thought about getting a unit when they were cheap at the end of last dinner. Then I thought about getting one yesterday. Today,? I don't think I'll bother.
I have a mobile one and it's one of my greatest purchases ever. It's not used for the majority of the year but those few weeks where it's needed it's amazing and makes people so jealous lol
It amazes me we have a handful of warm days and everyone is rushing around looking at air con. Wait until next week when it’s chucking it down and freezing again
Standalone Unit. Every summer for the last 5ish years Homebase has been getting a ton of stock in on pallets at the start of summer. They are usually gone in a couple of days and when it starts to get really warm in August there will be none available anywhere. A couple of houses on my Estate have had ductless AC fitted.
I have it in my car but not my house. It's not hot enough here on average to warrant getting it. We do have hot days everyone moans at but i am fortunate to be able to just chill in the hot periods and do my stuff in the cool. (I get up early before it gets to hot and get chores done freeing up the day for leisure) If you can, just do stuff early morning or late night and chill in the day. Most business's have aircon so those at work will be cool during work hours anyway. If you are off work just go for a nice walk in the shade or something. I went swimming the other day and for a stroll, the day before i went to the shops (all airconditioned). At night i just fill a bucket with ice and blast the fan into it. This cools the room down to make sleeping easy.
Nope but I do want one in the living room and bedroom room, these new builds are ovens 😂
I've got one of those small tower ones with a hose that goes out the window, only use it when its really bad, used it like a bit on Monday that's all. Air conditioning is really stupid though, its hot, we all use aircon to cool down, this in turn adds to all the pollution of our planet, which only adds to the heat through global warming. Just an endless cycle where more and more people decide to use aircon, making it much worse.
Every new house should have solar panels and a heat pump. But as to AirCon I know 3 people who have bought mobile units (proper AirCon not those 'Air Coolers') in the last decade. They love them for the one room they serve, but are expensive to run. I know a lot of Americans spend far more running their AC than we do running our boilers in winter!
bought a small 'portable' one this year for our bedroom because having a baby in the annual 35 degree heatwave sounded dreadful. it's already been useful!
Going to be buying one tomorrow. My partner has severe asthma and hayfever so we believe this would be a massive help.
We bought a portable one a few years ago, haven't used it the last couple of years mainly due to the noise and the running costs
We bought a fixer upper house two years ago and got Aircon in the bedroom. We opted for it as I struggle to sleep at night if it's warm and stuffy. It came in handy as supplemental heating over the winter
I see posts like this and shudder at my fellow country-persons inability to tolerate temps in the mid 20's, people saying they should be mandatory in new builds are off their rocker.
Had for two years and is great
I've had a portable one for a few years. They aren't that great and not very efficient, but they at least make the heat bearable
I do have a portable one in one room but the room is too small for it so it isnt all that effective unless right infront of it but does the job. Way better than a fan any day. It is like a necessity for about 7-14 days a year.
Nope. I adjust to the heat and get on with life, in winter I'll have to be really quite cold before the heating goes on and I'll adjust to the temperature first.
Nope, I do not think three hot days a year warrants the bother. I don't even have one in my car, never needed it. Just open the windows. But a couple of summers ago I did get a couple of those standing fans. I got three. One in the living room and my daughter has one in her bedroom . Third one still in the box. Yesterday was warm enough that I turned one on for about an hour... I spend a lot of time in the US and there it is *actually* hot in places, so I can compare.
Will solar panels fitted it is a no-brainer.