As Ideal Home’s sleep editor, I’ve been lucky enough to test all kinds of products aimed at improving sleep, and with temperature being a key component of a good night’s rest, that means I’ve tested a lot of cooling solutions.
from Best fans for The best portable air conditionerI’m the lucky owner of several expensive cooling products that I probably wouldn’t have been able to afford if I hadn’t tested samples.
However, despite a brand new £500 portable air con unit sitting in my spare bedroom, and my south facing dormer bedroom reaching 35C last night, I’m still opting to ditch my air con and instead use a less than £10 solution to keep cool in bed. Here’s why.
(Image credit: Dan Dutchers Ltd)
First, it’s worth pointing out that my choice to ditch my air con unit is a personal decision. When it comes Are portable air conditioning units worth it?All of our circumstances are different, and for many, an air con unit may be the best solution to prevent dangerous overheating.
The UK is currently facing extreme temperatures, and if the climate crisis is allowed to worsen, heatwaves will become more common, so it’s no surprise that air con units are virtually sold out this June. (The ideal home The live blog has the latest updates on in-stock air con and cooling fansby the way).
But in my case, I have tried to fight the heatwave with an air con unit, and I have tried Stay cool in bed Without, and I’ve decided that some good old-school low-tech solutions are the way forward. The bonus is that they are also *much* more affordable and energy-efficient.
(Image credit: Future plc/James French)
So why am I still not an air convert when portable units have become the *necessary* product of the moment? A few reasons.
First, even the best portable air conditioners are difficult to ventilate properly. They are not like Air conditioning A unit that you may have experienced in a hotel room or on holiday.
To exhaust the heat from a portable air conditioner, you have to put a venting hose through the outside window, and then it’s very difficult to seal the window so the hot air can’t pass through at the same speed you’re venting it out.
Amazon has all kinds of air venting kits Available, as are many specialist air con manufacturers, but having tested every solution out there (apart from cutting a vent-hose-shaped hole in my double-glazed window), none of them actually 100% successfully sealed the gap around the window.
(Image credit: Future plc / Lindsay Davies)
And I have a fairly standard window; Those with more unusual designs, such as hinged loft windows, will have a more difficult time successfully venting.
Second, every portable air conditioning unit I’ve tested is *very* noisy. Yes, some are quieter than others, but while you can avoid cheap units that sound like a truck engine running in your bedroom, even the most expensive (and therefore quieter) options I’ve tested are too loud for me to sleep soundly.
A common solution is to run the air conditioner for a few hours before going to bed and then turn it off when you want to sleep. However, part of the reason so many of us struggle with overheated homes is that many British homes are poorly insulated, and I’ve always found that an hour or so after turning off the air con, my room will heat up quickly, and I’ll wake up boiling again.
Third, for at least 50 weeks of the year, I don’t actually need air conditioning. Yes, it’s hot and uncomfortable for a few days in the summer (in this case, an extremely uncomfortable week), and certain people definitely need extra help to cool down and regulate their body temperature. But, the air con unit is big, *heavy* and heavy to move, and in my tiny house there’s nowhere to really store it for eleven months of the year when it’s not in use.
(Image credit: Douglas Gibb Photography)
And finally, a portable air conditioning unit uses a tremendous amount of energy. Adarsh Home Cooling Specialist, Sarah HandleyI’m told that ‘portable air conditioners can use anywhere between 780-2600W, based on the July 2026 energy price cap, meaning they can cost between 20p and 68p an hour to run’.
And that’s just personal Cost of running an air conditioning unit. That high energy use is also worsening the global environmental problems that caused the extreme heat in the first place. So, where I can avoid adding to those problems, I’ll do my best to find less energy-intensive solutions.
All in all, I now have three go-to solutions for surviving hot and humid heatwave nights, and the first, and arguably most effective solution out of the hundreds of cooling products I’ve tested, are also the lowest budget ones.
what is it Ice packs under £10. And yes, I know, that’s a depressingly dull answer. Unlike an air con unit, it doesn’t come with a clever app to download when you’re sweating, or an LED display to tell you how hot you are, but… it works.
Neo-G
Hot and cold therapy ice packs
Netracure
Flexicold Reusable Gel Cold Pack
I pop these ice packs into a freezer bag and then a pillow and add them to my bed in extremely hot weather. Of course, you could use a bag of frozen peas, but I find that they defrost *too* quickly and leave you with puddles of water. This gel pack freezes very quickly and remains stable for a long time. Even in warm temperatures mine stays icy cold all night.
Second, I’ve accepted that I have to Camp down at night during a heatwave. The heat rises, and my first floor gets hot in the evening. My ground floor stays cold, so I camp out on it A good air bed For a few nights in my living room when he gets too scared.
I might as well invest in one of them Best sofa beds Or Best chair beds To make the following campouts more comfortable. This won’t work for everyone, I understand, but for me, a few nights on my ground floor is a lot easier than the air con battle I need to start upstairs for things to be cool enough to sleep.
Third, and this is definitely the most expensive solution, I invested in a very good fan, and it makes a *huge* difference.
(Image credit: Meeko)
In the UK, our biggest problem with cooling is humidity. When it’s hot *and* humid, sweat stays on the skin, making it harder for the body to cool down. A breeze, whether from an open window or a fan during the cooler parts of the day or night, dries up this sweat, cooling the body instantly.
I recommend investing in a fan with a DC motor. These are usually incredibly quiet (none of the terrible whirring you have to endure with cheap AC fans), extremely powerful and very energy efficient. Unlike air conditioning units that average 780-2600 watts per hour, many energy-efficient d.c. fans Use well under 10 watts per hour.
I’ve collected some of my top-rated recommendations below, and, if you’ve been considering an air con but on the fence, or you know an air con is out of your budget, I recommend trying to invest in one of these instead.
Miko
Meacofan Sefte 10″ Table Air Circulator
This desk or bedside table fan has a powerful yet quiet DC motor, is easy to use, and is energy-efficient, using 8 to 26 watts depending on which of the 12 speed settings you use.
EcoAir
Equinox Standing Fan
A more affordable DC fan, the EcoAir Equinox is more energy-efficient, using as little as 3.5 watts to run. A pedestal fan for the bedroom can also be a great option if you don’t have room for a bedside table or chest of drawers.
John Lewis
Meaco Sefte 10″ Pro 3-in-1 Pedestal Fan
This pedestal model benefits from three adjustable height settings and a rechargeable and replaceable battery. That means you can use it anywhere without relying on a nearby plug socket.
The fan doesn’t actively cool the air, but the breeze it creates cools your body, and personally, I’m amazed at the difference they make in my comfort levels.
Also, you can always do a double whammy and sit in front of your fan with an ice bowl or ice pack so the air blows on you too. Compared to faffing around with air venting hoses, getting hotter and bothered by the minute, I think it’s the best solution for me.
