Best Portable Air Conditioners in the UK

Air conditioners are fine, but what if you need one that doesn’t require installation? Enter the BLACK + DECKER portable 3-in-1 conditioner. It can be turned out and stored away whenever you might need, and it can also act as a dehumidifier.

Let’s start with the fact that this practical unit will fit absolutely any room in your house or apartment; the garage and office will also make the list. Even if the space is quite large, it’s no match for this powerful device with the 12,000 BTU cooling capacity.

The air conditioner extracts warm air away from the room via a 1.5m hose pipe that comes with the package. You can vent it through a window, wall, door, or ceiling; the choice is entirely up to you. The BLACK + DECKER is equipped with an air filtration system to boost the air quality within the 30 sq. m. range. It helps you live healthily and improve your indoor conditions in a simple – and portable – way.

Although a bit large, this air conditioner boasts an appealing modern design. Yes, the pipe is doomed to stick out, but when you think about all the benefits of using the device, it’s all well-worth it.

While there are many great portable air conditioners, the Pro Breeze (PB-AC05-UK) is surely one of the better options that can be used all year round to save you in the heat and warm you during the winter.

To start things off, this air conditioner, despite its portable nature, offers incredibly powerful performance, achieving 12,000 BTU of cooling and heating capacity per hour. By contrast, most other portable units can achieve only 9,000-10,000 BTU of cooling power and do not offer more than 10,000 BTU when switched to heating, which makes the Pro Breeze (PB-AC05-UK) a leader in its class.

The outstanding unit's capacity also means it can cool/heat larger areas. In fact, you can install it in areas up to 40 square metres in size, and it will provide effective cooling up to 16 °C, making it an ideal addition to large homes, offices, gyms and other premises where mounting the traditional conditioner isn't possible.

At the same time, the PB-AC05-UK's performance won't affect your electricity bills. Incorporating R290 refrigerant, the unit has received a Class A energy efficiency rating, meaning that it not only consumes very little energy but is also much more environmentally-friendly than most other conditioners. So, you can rest assured that using it will drill a hole neither in your wallet nor in the ozone layer.

The next contender on the list is the BLU (BLU12HP) 12,000 BTU Portable Air Conditioner. This offering doesn't land on the cheap end of the scale but its combination of functionality and performance makes it well worth the investment.

First off, just like our best pick, the BLU12HP has a mighty 12,000 BTU of power. This means it can cool large areas, efficiently covering around 30-35 square metres. It also employs an R290 refrigerant so it can achieve lower temperatures and does not impact the environment like air conditioners with gases.

What about power consumption? The model will pleasantly surprise you too. Rated with a Class A/A+ for cooling and heating respectively, the conditioner needs just very little energy to operate, hence, even if you use it all day long it won't affect your monthly bills too much. Plus, there's a sleep mode included. Not only does it work to help reduce the operating noise of the device down to the comfortable 49 - 53 dB level, but also it makes sure that it uses energy only when it's needed, thus keeping the running costs even lower.

Touching upon the functionality, the unit offers four operating modes as well as three modes of fan strengths. Thus, it can deliver instant relief no matter the month of the year. On top of that, it can function as a dehumidifier. When switched in this mode, you can expect it to extract up to 30 litres of water, which should be enough to reduce humidity in small rooms. All settings and modes are easy to adjust via the control panel or remote control that comes included.

You don’t really need a powerful air conditioner in a small room, right? The NETTA portable conditioning unit is designed for this very purpose: to bring you heat relief, cool down the air, and dehumidify it. Let’s take a closer look at what makes this device so good in the first place.

Perfect for smaller spaces of up to 20 sq. m., this air conditioner consumes less power – but certainly gives you some in terms of airflow. Spreading the perfectly cool air around the room, it can bring down the temp in around 10 minutes. The summer heat can be annoying, but now you have a practical device to battle it that will not drain your wallet like the traditional AC units.

Weighing 23kg and measuring 33.4 x 32.3 x 68.8cm, the NETTA can be moved around with just a push and comes with built-in casters. Unlike your static AC, it can be moved to any room, office or garage space and start doing its magic. It even helps you cool down while working out, unlike a normal fan with a rather limited range.

You’re not stuck with just one speed in case of this air conditioner. Pick the High, Medium, or Low, depending on the temp and your own preferences.

The Burfam Portable Air Conditioner banks on different attributes. Generally speaking, portable ACs hide behind the cooling and dehumidifying capacities since these are the numbers that, to some extent, assess the unit's value. This is not always the case though.

With this AC, measuring 9,000 BTU from the cooling capacity angle and reaching only 20 litres per day from the dehumidifying perspective, the unit does not appear too attractive initially. Plus, there are only two fan speed settings, not three, not the biggest issue but some might see that as the product adding insult to an already considerable injury. Despite these middling numbers, the AC from Burfam easily earns its spot on this list.

Before anything else, the model's able to not only earn but solidify its spot thanks to the A+++ energy efficiency rating. Consuming less than 1000 watts, the AC costs you ~25 pence per hour to run. Because this product is already affordable to begin with, selling for less than 300 quid at the moment, the cost reduction adds up and, throughout years, you're saving hundreds compared to more expensive portable air conditioners that do not go above the "A" energy efficiency mark.