If you're cooling a single room for the summer, a plug-in portable unit is often the right call. Here are honest picks at three price points, plus how to size one for your space.
BTU (British Thermal Units) is how cooling power is measured. Too small and the unit struggles; too big and it wastes energy and dehumidifies poorly.
| Room size | Recommended BTU | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 15m² | 7,000 – 9,000 BTU | Small bedroom, home office, study |
| 15 – 25m² | 9,000 – 12,000 BTU | Standard double bedroom, small living room |
| 25 – 40m² | 12,000 – 14,000 BTU | Larger living room, open-plan kitchen-diner |
| Over 40m² | 14,000+ BTU or installed split | Open-plan living, larger commercial space |
Prices and availability change. Check current price and reviews on the retailer page before buying.
From €280 on Amazon UK
Solid budget pick for a single bedroom or home office. Four modes (cool, fan, dehumidify, sleep), remote control, and an LED display. Not the quietest, but at this price you're not expecting silence.
From €450 on Amazon UK / Currys
The sweet spot. MeacoCool is one of the best-reviewed brands in the UK and Ireland — quiet, energy-efficient, with a proper sleep mode that doesn't keep you awake. Worth the extra over budget units.
From €650 on Amazon UK
If you want the best plug-in unit available in Ireland, this is it. De'Longhi's flagship portable has class-leading build quality, an excellent dehumidifier, and an A+ rating. Pricey, but it'll last.
As a rough guide: small bedrooms or studies (up to 15m²) need 7,000 to 9,000 BTU. Standard double bedrooms or small living rooms (15 to 25m²) need 9,000 to 12,000 BTU. Larger living rooms or open-plan spaces (25 to 40m²) need 12,000 to 14,000 BTU.
Yes. All single-hose portable air conditioners need an exhaust hose vented to the outside, usually through a window using the supplied window-seal kit. Without venting, the unit just moves heat around the room and stops cooling.
Most portable units run between 50 and 65 decibels at full power. That's noticeably louder than a fixed split system. Quieter sleep modes typically run 45 to 52 decibels. Check the spec sheet before buying if you'll run it overnight.
Portable units make sense for one room, occasional summer use, rentals where you can't drill walls, or budgets under €700. An installed split system is quieter, more efficient, and better for daily use, but costs €2,000 to €3,500 per room installed.
A 9,000 BTU portable unit pulls roughly 1 kW under load. At Irish electricity rates around 35c/kWh, that's about 35c per hour of cooling. Run it 4 hours a day for two months in summer = roughly €85. Installed split systems are 30 to 40 percent more efficient, so cheaper to run if you cool a lot.
If you're cooling multiple rooms, doing it long-term, or want something quieter and more efficient, an installed split or multi-split is the better play. We'll match you with a trusted installer.