That said, it's important to buy the best portable air conditioner for your room size, otherwise your unit will be working overtime to try and cool a too-large space. A remote control is always a handy feature to have, especially if you're using the unit in the bedroom and don't want to have to get out of bed to adjust settings or turn the unit off. While some of the water is recirculated through the system, some will inevitably leave the cooler in the air blown out by the fan. Because of this – and the fact that the water in the absorbent pad or membrane can grow stale – you need to keep the air cooler filled and change the water in the tank daily. You should also wash the pad or membrane occasionally or you might get some pretty nasty smells. Is there anything worth looking out for?

After being massively impressed by the brand's virtually silent Duux Whisper Flex Ultimate Fan, we had high hopes this unit was going to be just as whisper-quiet, but sadly that also wasn't to be, with the North Smart proving just as loud as your average portable air con.With some air coolers, there’s a risk of adding to the room’s humidity, which can be a problem if it already suffers from excess humidity. Plus, where water tanks are open inside the cooler, there’s also a risk of spillage – which can be a worry if you’re using a desktop model plugged into your laptop or PC. in-1 Functionality - The Pifco P40014 3-in-1 Air Cooler has three main functions - air cooler, fan and humidifier. It's an excellent solution for bedrooms, living rooms, dining rooms, pet rooms, conservatories, caravans, etc. It's designed to work in areas up to 30 square metres in size. This cheap cube desktop cooler doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles, but it’s a good way to chill your fevered brow while you’re plugging away at your desk. Its two removable 300ml tanks mean it doesn’t constantly need refilling, and you can freeze them if you want some extra cooling. The three-speed fan gives you options from subtle breeze to full-on gusting, and on the lowest setting it’s quiet enough that it won’t disturb you while you work.

Overall, if you're looking to invest in a powerful air conditioner that can bring an icy to chill to a room in under 20 minutes, or your willing to pay a little more for white noise over the thundering din of most air con units, the AEG Comfort 6000 Portable Air Conditioner is a great buy. It also comes with a remote control and two window kits included, a timer function, 'night' mode for (slightly) quieter night-time operation, plus 3-in-1 air con, fan and dehumidifier functionality. Most portable air con units come with an energy rating stated on their energy label to help you compare how many kW per hour the unit will use. How we test portable air conditionersIt has some downsides, but only in keeping with most portable air con units, in that it's heavy which makes it not quite as portable in reality as its name may suggest.However, the build quality is good, it has easy-to-use controls, and its design is unobtrusive – although we think the AEG Comfort just pips it to the post in the style stakes by offering a sleeker design. In terms of cooling powers this is one of the most powerful portable air con units we've tested, but, that power does comes at a price, with the AEG Comfort 6000 using 3400W of energy compared to the MeacoCool MC Series 7000BTU units 780W. It means running costs for the AEG are higher – as is the initial outlay compared to the Meaco – but, our reviewer did find they didn't need this unit running for as long to cool down a space. As the name suggests, it also has basic smart features. With the cooler connected to your Wi-Fi network, you can control it from your smartphone or even an Alexa or Google Assistant speaker, although the voice commands don’t cover much more than switching modes or turning the unit on and off.