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Should you buy an air conditioner or an electric fan this summer?
With temperatures finally starting to rise, many homes in the UK feel uncomfortably warm quite quickly. Investing in an electric fan or air conditioner can help you beat the heat when we get it, but which is right for you?
In most cases, a reliable fan will get the job done. The best fans we've tested are a breeze to use, you can easily store them in a cupboard once the typical British weather returns and they use less electricity than an air conditioner.
However, if your home frequently gets ridiculously hot, a fan might not be enough. The results of our extensive testing show that the best air conditioners will cool an entire room in no time.
We've compared electric fans and portable air conditioners below to help you choose which is right for you, and pulled out some examples from our testing you might want to take a closer look at.
Air cons vs fans: how do they work?
An electric fan doesn't cool the air in your home; it moves air around, allowing your sweat to evaporate more quickly and leaving you feeling cooler.
Air conditioners physically lower the temperature of a room.
Both work wonders on a hot day. However, a portable air conditioner will have a more powerful impact.
If you're using a fan, you'll need to be close to it to feel the benefit. But if you walk into a room that contains a good portable air conditioner you should feel the effects from wherever you're standing.
However, a portable air conditioner will use much more energy than an electric fan.
If your portable air con doesn't come with a window sealing kit you'll need to dangle the hose out of an open window. This will make it even less energy-efficient, as more warm air will be gushing in for the portable air conditioner to tackle.
Make sure you choose an energy-efficient model: how to buy the best air conditioner
Air cons vs electric fans: size and storage
Portable air conditioners are bulky and unwieldy. If you're short on storage space, an electric fan is the obvious choice.
A compact desk fan could be the way to go if you're overheating while you work from home.
Even if they won't actually be on a desk, they're convenient for positioning close to you while you're sat on the sofa or on a bedside table, for example. So if you're mostly just looking to cool yourself down and want to be able to move the fan around the house with you, a desk fan is a good choice - and cheaper than other larger types.
Pedestal and tower fans are bigger than desk fans and a bit more cumbersome to move. They are worth considering if you want to make the whole room feel cooler and are still smaller and easier to move around than an air conditioner.
Some fans are designed so they can can extend into a pedestal fan or collapse into a desk fan.
The bottom line: Go for a fan if you're short on space. Choose a desk fan if it's just for you. If you share your home with others, a tower or pedestal fan or multiple desk fans may be a better choice.
A portable air conditioner will be a squeeze if you have a small home, and it will be cumbersome to move around.
Find out more about which sort of fan to choose: best fans for cooling.
Air cons vs electric fans: weight
Considering their size, you won't be surprised to hear that portable air conditioners can be rather heavy.
In fact, at the time of writing, the lightest air conditioner we've tested still weighs nearly 22kg, while the heaviest is around 34kg which is more than five times heavier than the heaviest fan. So you may well need some help positioning it or getting it back into storage at the end of the summer.
Desk fans aren't particularly heavy. Although pedestal and tower fans are taller and have a weighted base, they're still fairly easy to move around.
The bottom line: Air conditioners are bulky and not easily moved around. Once the hot weather has passed, you may need help moving them. Go for an electric fan if you need something light you can move around the house.
Smallest and lightest desk fan we've tested: Duux Globe Table Fan DXCF08
Size 27 x 27 x 33cm (WxDxH)
Weight 2.2kg
Number of speed settings 3
This small desk fan is easily portable and has a number of features including horizontal and vertical oscillation and a programmable timer.
Find out what the Duux Globe Table Fan got the thumbs up and thumbs down for following our extensive fans testing.
Smallest and lightest tower fan we've tested: Dyson AM09 Hot + Cool™ Fan Heater
Size 19 x 19 x 60cm (WxDxH)
Weight 2.8kg
Number of speed settings 10
This super-stylish bladeless Dyson fan also doubles up as a heater, as well as giving you the option to set it to long-range or diffused mode depending on how concentrated you want the airflow.
See how the Dyson AM09 compares on cost to run per hour against all the other fans we tested.
Smallest and lightest air conditioner we've tested: DeLonghi Pinguino Compact PAC ES72 Classic
Size 29 x 36.3 (WxD)
Weight 21.5kg
Number of fan speeds 2
This compact air conditioner features two fan speeds, a 24-hour timer, a remote control, digital display and castors to make it easier to move around, as well as a cooling capacity of 8,300BTU/hr.
Find out how the lightweight DeLonghi Pinguino Compact fared in our tests.
Air cons vs electric fans: ease of use
Setting up a portable air conditioner can take some time. Some models come with a window sealing kit you'll need to install, although these are usually only suited to sliding, sash or French windows.
Don't expect to start using your air conditioner right away. We've tested some that need to be left alone upright for as long as six hours before being used.
You'll need to attach the connectors to the external hose, which requires some patience. Internet-enabled air conditioners will also need adding to your wi-fi network.
You'll also need to regularly clean the dust filters and fans to keep your portable air conditioner in good condition.
The bottom line: Air conditioners take some time to set up correctly. If you want something straightforward that's ready to go right out of the box, a fan will be better.
Easy to use fans: Challenge 16” Pedestal Fan
Size 41 x 41 x 130cm (WxDxH)
Weight 5.6kg
Number of speed settings 8
This fan is a breeze to use on either the remote control or fan itself. Plus, it comes with a programmable timer if you want to set it for a limited time.
Find out what we liked, as well as the couple of drawbacks we discovered, when we tested the Challenge 16" Pedestal Fan against other popular fans.
Available from Argos (£70)
John Lewis 30" Tower Fan
Size 24 x 18 x 80cm (WxDxH)
Weight 5.9kg
Number of speed settings 3
While it doesn't offer as many settings as some other fans, this John Lewis fan is still easy to use and can oscillate to cover more of your room.
Find out how the John Lewis 30" Tower fan stacked up against the rest in our fan reviews.
Easy to use air conditioners: AEG Comfort 6000 AXP26U339CW
Size 39 x 48cm (WxD)
Weight 31kg
Number of fan speeds 3
As well as a 24-hour timer, digital display and castors to make it easier to move around, you can control it from your smartphone, using Android or iOS, via the AEG app.
Read the full set of test results for the AEG Comfort 6000.
DeLonghi Pinguino PAC EL92HP
Size 45 x 41cm (WxD)
Weight 30.4kg
Number of fan speeds 3
One of the most user-friendly air conditioners we’ve tested, it’s easy to install and program the air conditioner, empty the water tank and clean the filter.
Read the full DeLonghi Pinguino PAC EL92HP review to see how it did in our testing.
Air cons vs electric fans: extra features
Some air conditioners double as dehumidifiers, which might be a handy bonus if you also have a damp problem. However, we've found that standalone dehumidifiers are usually easier to use - use our dehumidifier reviews to pick the right one for your budget.
Some air conditioners also have a sleep or night mode, which reduces the noise they make so you can keep snoozing.
More advanced air conditioners can be controlled through your smartphone.
And many have a fan-only mode - although if you plan on using that feature a lot, you might as well just buy a fan.
Electric fans often have a couple of extra features. Many come with remote controls and timers to give you more control. We've also tested one that has a misting attachment that you can plug into your hosepipe for outdoor use, the Shark FlexBreeze FA220UK (see how it performed against others in our fan reviews.
The bottom line: Compared with electric fans, air conditioners usually have a few more features, but some fans also have handy extras.
Fan we tested with most extra features: Shark FlexBreeze FA220UK Hybrid Pedestal Fan
Size 35 x 35 x 94cm
Weight 5.9kg
Number of speed settings 5
This ingenious fan from Shark can be used as both a desk and pedestal fan, but you can also charge it to use wirelessly. The remote control attaches magnetically to the back, and a misting attachment to use outdoors with your hosepipe.
Find out what else we loved about the Shark FlexBreeze FA20UK.
Air conditioner we've tested with most extra features: MeacoCool MC Series 12000
Size 46 x 37 (WxD)
Weight 28.5kg
Number of fan speeds 3
As well as being an easy to use air conditioner, this Meaco machine can be used as a dehumidifier and a fan.
Check out our full Meaco MC Series 12000 review.
How we test electric fans and air conditioners
Every electric fan and air conditioner that goes through our testing is scored on the features that matter most.
For air conditioners, we test noise levels on various cooling settings, along with ease of use and the time taken to cool a room by 10°C.
Fans are assessed on a range of criteria, including performance, quietness, ease of use and energy use.
Compare our air conditioner reviews and fan reviews.
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