Its slimline design is also perfect for those who are tight on storage space, as it can easily squeeze into a cupboard, under a worktop, or behind some furniture when it's not in use. Noise-wise, I found the Meaco Portable Air Conditioner slightly louder than the Russell Hobbs one, but only marginally so, and a little extra noise kind of comes as part of the deal if you're running an air con unit, and is well offset by the relief of that icy air during a heatwave! Verdict This increased by approximately five decibels when the fan speed was increased to High speed. Energy use The Dry setting uses the room’s ambient temperature to run the compressor and it behaves a bit like a dehumidifier, drawing moisture from the room. You can’t select a temperature in this mode because it’s all controlled by a processor. You will also need to fit the supplied drainage hose to the rear of the unit when in Dry mode so excess water can drain away. In Cool mode, it hovered at around 667W with the fan speed set to low and rose to around 672W with the fan at high speed. That’s with the temperature set to its coldest level of 16℃, so over time that should fall to a lower level.

It's also a very affordable option compared to other models. It's not the most powerful option out there in terms of BTU, but Meaco offers plenty of alternative models, ranging from this the smallest 7000BTU through to a 14000BTU model. Thanks to its lightweight and compact design, the MeacoCool MC Series 7000BTU Portable Air Conditioner is a great option for a smaller home, as well as for anyone that wants a portable air con unit that's actually portable! Another review says: ‘Does the job, it is very loud. All sleep mode does is switch the brightness of the display down. It’s a bit heavy so not ideal for going up and down stairs but has wheels to be able to move around.’

A cost-effective air conditioner that works brilliantly – but it’s a little on the noisy side

When in Cool Mode on High setting, and with the temperature set as 16, it brought the temperature down by approximately two degree Celsius in a super speedy ten minutes. (This was with the thermometer positioned at the side of the room close to the unit). A really immediate and noticeable impact. We’ve also designed the air conditioning unit to be as user-friendly as possible. A timer switch allows you to set the air conditioner to cool a room before you use it – perfect for bedrooms or when entertaining – and a sleep mode option reduces both the fan speed and the noise to help you maintain comfort even in the hottest weather. It also comes with a handy remote control, ensuring you’re always in charge.

Installing the window kit for the first time takes a little time and effort, but once this is done it can be kept in situ for the whole summer. However, when it comes to portable air-con, size most definitely matters. And besides, in the pantheon of household and office coolers it’s actually not that bad a looker. Yes it comes in hospital white livery, but it’s also aesthetically simple with rounded corners and therefore slightly inconspicuous – if you don’t glance in its direction. What I’m trying to say is that there are much uglier looking units out there. To get the best out of your air conditioner we recommend pre-cooling rooms, such as your bedroom, so that the room is nice and cool before it needs to be used. This is easy to do with the timer function allowing you to set both an on and off timer anytime between 1 and 24 hours. Combined with the use of Sleep Mode lowering the fan speed and noise level, the MeacoCool is the perfect product to allow you to get a good night’s sleep.The 10000 CH has five modes: cool, fan, dry, heat and sleep. With an added a timer, you can get your room to the right temperature before you need to use it. The sleep mode is one of the reasons why customers love the MeacoCool range: it reduces both the fan speed and the noise level, making sure that you can sleep well even on the warmest nights. And the useful remote control allows you to adjust the unit whenever you need to. For added convenience, the whole shebang can also be operated using the supplied remote control which mirrors the controls on the unit. All Meaco products come with a two-year parts and labour warranty, as well as the option of extending the warranty to a total of five years. One reviewer says: ‘It’s noisy but does the job - at this price point I was satisfied it wasn’t going to be the quietest on the market... Set up easy... I have standard top opening bedroom upvc windows - had to fashion my own fitting to get it to vent out of the window - why do my manufacturers never provide suitable fixings for this. No big deal - I’m diy handy! It was such a relief to be able to get cold and sleep comfortably during the heatwave so well worth it every penny ! It’s comparatively compact so is easy to store (once vent tube taken off) glad I have it- even if it’s only for a few days/ nights a year.’ I used a sound-monitoring app on my phone to record how loud the MeacoCool MC Series 7000BTU Portable Air Conditioner was, and whilst I can't vouch for the reliability of the app, when positioned one metre away from the unit I measured 52dB noise levels whilst operating the unit in Cool Mode on the Low speed setting. This increased by approximately five decibels when the fan speed was increased to High speed which is in line with Meaco's own guidance of the unit producing 51-53dB levels.

Not only does this MeacoCool 10000 CH provide you with the perfect cooling solution throughout summer, the reverse heat pump allows you to use it as a heater in the winter too, making it a investment you can use year-round.It’s also – relative to most air conditioning units – a very affordable option, and delivers reliable cooling performance.

To test out its cooling powers, I positioned the unit in a 4.5m by 4.5m room (approx. 15ft square) with higher than normal ceilings. The Sleep Mode keeps the unit in low fan speed to ensure the lowest possible noise level, you can combine this with the Off Timer to ensure that you do not wake up cold during the night.Like this reviewer says, we also found it did a very effective job at cooling. We didn’t find it any noiser than other air con units on the market, and the fact that two different types of window kits were supplied was a really bonus. The good news on this front is that the MeacoCool MC Series 7000BTU Portable Air Conditioner has the lowest power consumption of any of the mobile air conditioners we've tested, running on just 780W.