If it helps, here's what our Managing Editor, Computing and Entertainment, Matt Hanson, says about his experience with a portable air conditioner... All PACs incorporate a compressor and one or more fans, so they’re never going to be totally silent. Some are quieter than others, however: you should find the minimum and/or maximum noise pressure levels listed in the manufacturer’s specification. Watch out for sleep modes, too. These power down the compressor and reduce the speed of any fans to make the PAC’s hum a little easier to sleep through. If you really struggle with the noise, though, think about cooling the room before you go to sleep, or try using a desktop or pedestal fan instead. But no air conditioner is completely silent, even on sleep mode. In fact, you're better off pre-cooling your room before you go to bed, rather than attempting to sleep with one running. Timer

It’s an effective cooler, taking a 25°C room to 21°C within half an hour, and to 20°C over a further 30 minutes, after which it kept the temperature steady for another hour. Testing in the middle of a heatwave, this was sweet relief. However, take any claims of silent running with a pinch of salt; noise levels hit 52dB at full tilt, falling to 46dB once the temperature had stabilised. Power consumption can also reach 620 to 820W when the unit is working hard. It isn’t the cheapest PAC to buy or run, but if you need some serious cooling, it’s exactly what you need. Obviously, the relatively low BTU rating puts it out of contention for larger rooms, let alone open-plan living spaces, but for the average UK living room or bedroom it should be fine. You can control it using the top-mounted touch controls or bundled remote, and there’s a 24-hour stop/start timer to cool your bedroom before you go to sleep. The only problem is that most users describe it as “pretty noisy”. You might not want to leave this one running overnight. While the electricity used to power portable air conditioners can come from renewable energy sources, this can’t be guaranteed. Electricity is generated from a mixture of burning fossil fuels, renewables, gas and nuclear, but this is mixed up in the grid. The best portable air conditioners you can buy in 2023 1. Amcor SF8000E: Best low-cost portable air conditioner With a higher BTU rating than its stablemate, the Pinguino PAC EL112, the PAC EX130CST is equipped to handle rooms of up to 120m³ in size, and we suspect it could go larger. There’s a lot of cooling power on offer here. It effortlessly reduced the temperature of our test room from 25°C to 20.5°C in half an hour, then dropped down to a steady 20°C for the rest of our two-hour test period. We had no problem throughout testing keeping the temperature at about that level, although attempts to push it down to 18°C weren’t so successful; it’s within the range of the thermostat, but seems to be outside the EX130 CST’s comfort zone.

The best portable air conditioners you can buy in 2023

Throw in the same smart features as the smaller model, and you have a fully featured PAC that can keep you chilled out in the middle of a scorching day. Just be aware that it’s a chunky unit and, at 32kg, a bit too heavy to be lugged around the house.

Electric fans come in many shapes and sizes. They range from basic models right up to the expensive and multi-functional Dyson Hot + Cool, which doubles as an electric heater. Choose a suitable model for the size of the room Those with a lower BTU in a large space will have to work harder to cool it, which is going to use more electricity.The good news is that portable air conditioners aren't especially noisy – they commonly put out in the range of 60 decibels, which is similar to to a typical conversation or an electric shaver. Still, it would be a good idea to not position the unit too close to where people are sleeping– the low-hum AC units emit could even act as white noise to help us sleep. With some air conditioner/dehumidifiers, you'll need to connect a hose (which might not be supplied) to drain the water. With others, you'll need to set the machine up as you would in air conditioning mode, with the hose out of the open window. There are a few useful things you can do to cool down in hot weather without having to invest in new equipment. According to appliance retailer Marks Electrical, sales of portable air conditioning units increased by 526% in one week at the height of the recent July heatwave, with a year-on-year increase of 2,110%. The retailer says this category has been its best-performing product area.