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Portable Air Conditioners that cool and heat, delivered UK wide

One unit for every season: it cools your room in summer, heats it in winter and dries damp air all year. Choose 9,000, 12,000 or 14,000 BTU, set it up yourself in minutes, and use our room size guide to pick the right one.

  • Cools and heats, all year round
  • Plugs into a normal socket
  • Window kit, no engineer needed
Shop portable units Not sure which size? See the room guide

Buy a portable air conditioner by room size

Each size is matched to the rooms it cools best. Pick the card that fits your room and add it to your basket.

Tovan portable air conditioner heating a cosy room in winter on one side and cooling a sunny room in summer on the other

Can a portable air conditioner heat as well as cool?

Ours can. Every Tovan portable unit has a built in heat pump, so the same unit keeps you cool through a summer heatwave and warm on cold winter evenings. No second heater, no extra clutter.

Cools in summer

Brings a hot room down to a comfortable temperature and pushes the heat outside through the window kit.

Heats in winter

The heat pump gives up to 3.4 kWh of heat for every 1 kWh of electricity it uses, where a plug in electric heater gives just 1 kWh.

Up to 3.4 kWh of heat from 1 kWh of electricity on the 9,000 BTU model (heating rating A++). The 12,000 and 14,000 BTU models are rated A+.

What else does it do?

  • Dries damp air

    Dehumidifier mode removes up to 2 litres of moisture an hour on the 14,000 BTU model (1.7 litres on the 12,000 and 0.9 litres on the 9,000), helping with condensation and musty rooms.

  • Quiet design

    Optimised airflow and dual motors keep it as low as 48 dB(A) on the quietest setting of the 9,000 BTU model.

  • Sleep mode

    Dims the display lights and runs gently overnight, so it suits bedrooms.

  • Self evaporating

    Reuses the water it collects to help it cool, so in normal UK weather there is rarely a tank to empty.

  • Set up in minutes

    Wheel it to the window, fit the window kit by hand and plug it in. No tools and no engineer.

  • Natural refrigerant

    Uses R290, a natural refrigerant with a very low climate impact.

What does BTU mean on a portable air conditioner?

BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. In simple terms, it is how much heat the air conditioner can take out of your room every hour. A bigger number means more cooling power, so it can cool a bigger room.

Easy rule: small room, small number. Big room, big number.

  • Black Tovan 9,000 BTU portable air conditioner in a small study, hose fitted through a casement window seal kit
    Small room power

    9,000 BTU

    Enough for a box room, nursery, single bedroom or study. About 2.6 kW of cooling.

  • Black Tovan 12,000 BTU portable air conditioner in a home office, hose fitted through a casement window seal kit
    Everyday room power

    12,000 BTU

    The middle size. Right for a double bedroom, home office or small lounge. About 3.5 kW of cooling.

  • Black Tovan 14,000 BTU portable air conditioner in an open plan living room, hose fitted through a casement window seal kit
    Big room power

    14,000 BTU

    For living rooms, kitchen diners, loft rooms and rooms that get really hot. About 4 kW of cooling.

You may also see cooling power shown in kilowatts (kW). They measure the same thing: 1 kW is about 3,400 BTU, so a 12,000 BTU unit gives about 3.5 kW of cooling.

What size portable air conditioner do I need for my room?

Measure your floor, find your room in the table, and choose the size next to it. Getting the size right is the main thing that decides whether your room feels cool. New to BTU? See what BTU means.

How to measure your room

Multiply the length of the room by the width in metres. A room 4m by 3.5m is 14m², so a 9,000 BTU unit suits it.

Portable air conditioner BTU by room size
Room Floor area Size to choose
Box room, single bedroom, nursery or study Floor area Up to about 20m² Size to choose 9,000 BTU
Double bedroom, home office or small lounge Floor area About 20 to 30m² Size to choose 12,000 BTU
Living room, kitchen diner, main bedroom or loft room Floor area About 25 to 35m² Size to choose 14,000 BTU
Open plan spaces or more than one room Floor area Over 35m² Size to chooseA fitted system, get a quote

These are guide figures for typical UK rooms with standard ceiling heights. Makers rate their units slightly differently, so check the room size listed on the unit you choose.

When should you choose a bigger portable air conditioner?

If your room sits at the top of the overlap between two sizes, or has any of these, go up one size.

  • Sunny rooms

    South or west facing rooms with large windows take in a lot of heat on summer afternoons.

  • Lofts and top floors

    Heat rises and roofs warm up fast, so loft conversions and top floor flats run hotter than the rest of the house.

  • Kitchens and busy rooms

    Ovens, computers, TVs and extra people all add heat the air conditioner has to remove.

  • Conservatories

    Glass rooms can get very hot in a British summer. A portable will take the edge off, but a fitted system copes far better.

Would a fitted system suit you better?

Portable units are ideal for one room and a quick fix in a heatwave. If you want quieter cooling, heating in winter and nothing in the window, a fitted wall mounted system is the upgrade. If you are in Kent, we install fitted systems with the manufacturer's warranty plus our 12 month installation guarantee.

Get my fitted price Portable or fitted?

Portable air conditioner questions answered

Quick answers to what UK customers ask us most about portable units.

Read our best portable AC guide

Does a portable air conditioner need a window?

Yes. A portable unit pushes warm air out through a hose, so the hose needs to reach a window or door. A window kit seals the gap around it. Without one, the warm air simply stays in the room.

Is a bigger portable air conditioner always better?

Not always. A unit that is too big for the room cools in short bursts, which feels less even and uses more energy. Match the size to your floor area and only go up a size for sunny, loft or busy rooms.

Do I need an engineer to set up a portable unit?

No. It plugs into a normal socket and the window kit fits by hand, so you can be up and running in minutes. Fitted systems are different and must be installed by an F Gas certified engineer.

Are portable air conditioners noisy?

You will hear them, because the compressor sits inside the unit in the room with you. A fitted system is much quieter as the noisy part sits outside. If it is for a bedroom, check the published noise level before you buy.

How much does a portable air conditioner cost to run?

It depends on the size and your electricity price. At full cooling, our 9,000 BTU unit uses about 1 kWh of electricity an hour, the 12,000 BTU about 1.35 kWh and the 14,000 BTU about 1.55 kWh. Multiply that by the unit rate on your energy bill to see the cost per hour. It uses less once the room has cooled down.

Can a portable air conditioner heat a room as well?

Yes. Every Tovan portable unit has a built in heat pump, so the same unit cools in summer and heats in winter, and it can also dry damp air. You simply switch modes on the control panel or remote.

Is heating with a portable heat pump cheaper than an electric heater?

Usually, yes. A plug in electric heater turns 1 kWh of electricity into 1 kWh of heat. The heat pump in our 9,000 BTU unit gives up to 3.4 kWh of heat from the same 1 kWh, and the 12,000 and 14,000 BTU models up to about 2.8 and 2.6 kWh. That means more warmth for every unit of electricity you pay for.