Portable air conditioner efficiency

MattSAU2XR8 · 03-12-2011, 12:10 PM

Hi guys,

Hoping one of our members might be a refrigeration mechanic or electrician and able to offer some advice on buying either a portable aircon or a portable split for a property I am renting... Probably be interesting reading for a bunch of other people too since I'm sure I'm not the only person buying a new aircon unit this summer.

What I'm really hoping to find out is the RELATIVE efficiency of a portable split aircon (with outdoor compressor unit) as compared to a regular portable aircon unit (which ducts hot air out a window).

Reason I'm putting so much thought into this is that I anticipate using it quite a bit over several years (living in Bundaberg) and so energy use might be along the lines of:

Assume I use it 6 hours per day for 200 days per year (more on some days and less on others) so a total of 1200 hours per year.

Assume I use it (and it lasts) for five years so total use is 7200 hours.

A large portable aircon unit seems to use about 1.5 KwH of power when running flat out,which it will probably be doing to cool a small unit.

Cost per KwH is ~ 22 cents in QLD

So the total cost of running the unit for 5 years as per above might be around $2376.

It might be possible to get the electricity a bit cheaper since Origin are currently offering 2 months cashback at the end of a year, so then it would become $1980.

Now if for example a portable aircon is 33% less efficient that a portable split, which seems quite likely, then over the five years it will waste $$650 of electricity as compared to a split.

If it's 50% less efficient then it will waste about $1000 of electricity.

And then there's the noise, and speed of cooling a room, and resale to consider as well, all of which the split will come out ahead on I think...

Grateful for any ideas, and ideally a link to a test someone has published online.

Matt

rayner22 · 03-12-2011, 12:20 PM

Having worked in aircon wholesale for years, if you considering something to last several years, a portable (e.g from Bunnings etc) shouldn't even be considered.

They are cheap for a reason - they are not built to last for more than the warranty period (2 years) and after that will cost you more in repairs etc than what it is worth. Plus half of the parts, especially the hose\duct that connects to the window isn't one of the most readily available parts. They are also one of the most inefficient power wise units around.

You're better off getting a normal wall hung split installed, might cost slightly more initially but if you are worried about running costs than its the only real option. If you spend the little bit extra and get an inverter unit it will actually save you money over the several years you plan on keeping it.
It will also come with a 5 year domestic warranty and parts for all the major brands are easy to get. Just don't get talked into some unknown brand as if they are not based on a regular model unit, good luck getting parts in a few years. Stick to Fujitsu, Panasonic,Actron and brands that actually have their own service and support.

EDManual · 03-12-2011, 04:17 PM

sure are expensive to run if you need them lots! Glad I live in Victoria, and dont need one. (we get the cool change come through at the end of the day pretty much after any hot day)

Jim Goose · 03-12-2011, 10:22 PM

I have an old one which still goes well and doesnt seem to affect the bill too much, no idea on how many BTUs it is, but only good for a small room.

Stefan · 03-12-2011, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayner22

Having worked in aircon wholesale for years, if you considering something to last several years, a portable (e.g from Bunnings etc) shouldn't even be considered.

They are cheap for a reason - they are not built to last for more than the warranty period (2 years) and after that will cost you more in repairs etc than what it is worth. Plus half of the parts, especially the hose\duct that connects to the window isn't one of the most readily available parts. They are also one of the most inefficient power wise units around.

You're better off getting a normal wall hung split installed, might cost slightly more initially but if you are worried about running costs than its the only real option. If you spend the little bit extra and get an inverter unit it will actually save you money over the several years you plan on keeping it.
It will also come with a 5 year domestic warranty and parts for all the major brands are easy to get. Just don't get talked into some unknown brand as if they are not based on a regular model unit, good luck getting parts in a few years. Stick to Fujitsu, Panasonic,Actron and brands that actually have their own service and support.

He is renting a property so anything permanent is probably out of the question.