Arlec - PA1201GB

Have an Arlec 12000 btu one, it’s heavy (gets in the loft for winter) v noisy and about 4 years old now but still going strong and keeping me cool right now. Would recommend doing the research and calculations for the btu you need before buying anything

I was very dubious of portable aircons but bought one last year and it’s been great- A 3kw Arlec from Bunnings. Evaporative so you have to vent it outside. Some (especially those with humidifiers) collect water (not my model). Small and while noisey, not worse than my large fan. No, it’s not as good as a split system (or other built in systems) but it keeps my open plan two bedroom unit bearable even in the worst heat, and cool in the immediate area it’s pumping out the air. Would be great in a single room. I recommend 3kw.

Bought a 3.5 Arlec from Bunnings for around $500. No regrets! I have an open plan zone about 3 small rooms worth and while it’s NOT a substitute for real aircon, it keeps that area comfortable even 40+. In a single room (which it’s designed for) it would be great!

I use a portable 1200btu air conditioner with an extension hose held together with gorilla tape then stick it well out of the window, works well. If you search the Internet hard enough you'll find a 1800btu for a reasonable price these days, as for make mines an arlec, just be careful of instore brands, gad 3 homebase ones that went wrong luckily for me 11 months from purchase so free replacement ! Now they are gone not sure where to suggest, sorry

Completely disagree with the other comments. If you have a heat pump in one room then they work great because while they’re cooling they also suck the cold air into the room from the rest of the house. I have an Arlec one from Bunnings and regret not buying it sooner. I’ve also only had to drain it once in the year or so that I’ve had it, but I do also have a dehumidifier in another room. It’s also not that loud, I don’t have any trouble sleeping with it on. Actually way less trouble sleeping than when I didn’t have it and was hot all night.

We’ve an Arlec and we stick the hose out the window. If I sit next to it it’s good but it won’t cool down a large room.

I bought an arlec one a few years ago, its been great. It was $450 at the time. My thinking was that if I ever sell it I'll do so in summer and get a bunch of it back. It's been so handy I'm not sure if I'll ever get rid of it.

mine is 2.6kw so around 75c/ hour if you were paying 30c/kwh. Portable aircons are less efficient than heat pumps so would be more expensive.