It's not an air conditioner, and it's not a fan – this affordable cooling appliance is the one I'm recommending to everyone this week
If you're struggling to get a portable air conditioner, this underrated appliance will help you beat the heat
In case you've been living under a rock (which would be cooler than where I am sitting right now), temperatures are soaring into uncomfortable territory, and lots of portable air conditioners are either sold out or carrying eye-watering price tags. I've found myself recommending a different cooling appliance to friends and family this week: an air cooler.
If you've never come across one before, I'll give you a little explainer on them and how they differ from the best air conditioners and fans. Sitting somewhere between a fan and an air conditioner, air coolers are an underrated appliance that seem to fly under the radar until a heatwave arrives.
But after testing quite a few cooling appliances over the years at Ideal Home, I think they're one of the most affordable ways to stay comfortable when the mercury rises. Here's more on what they are and why you should get your hands on one quicksnap.
What is an air cooler?
Unlike a standard fan, which moves warm air around a room, an air cooler uses water to help create a cooling-feeling breeze.
Emma Coleman, seasonal buyer at Robert Dyas, explains that unlike a fan, an air cooler releases cool air instead of circulating warm air, which will have a more noticeable effect on the temperature.
You fill an internal tank with cold water (and sometimes reusable ice packs), and as hot air passes through the appliance, it is cooled before a fan inside the unit circulates it around your room. In fact, it works a lot like this effective fan ice cube hack.
'This temperature will also be felt across the whole room, instead of the focus point that a fan cools. Some also have a heating function, making them useful in the winter as well,' explains Emma.
It's important to be clear, though, that an air cooler isn't a portable air conditioner by any stretch of the imagination. It won't dramatically reduce the temperature of an entire room in the same way a fitted AC unit can.
However, it will make the air blowing towards you feel cooler and fresher than a standard fan, which can make a huge difference on hot, sticky days.
Shop these in-stock air coolers
We haven't tested any of the models below; however, we have based our selection on brand reputation and shopper reviews.
If you see an air cooler that will suit your home, I wouldn't wait around for a deal, as I expect these coolers are going to sell out fast.
This slick and compact air cooler has a 4.2 rating on Amazon, and is essentially a tower fan that blows out cold air. You can freeze the included ice boxes and put them into the tank for maximized cooling.
Easier on the eye than others on this list, this air cooler comes from one of the best cooling brands we know, Duux. With its advanced evaporative cooling system, it delivers a refreshing breeze, effectively cooling spaces up to 50m2. Duux states it's actually ideal even for outdoor patios as well as indoors.
This affordable option can be used as either an air cooler or a fan. It comes with ice blocks which the reviews say are essential to getting the perfect level of cooling.
This air cooler cools, purifies, and adds moisture to the air. It's a handy space-saving size for desks or smaller spaces and runs for 10 hours per fill.
This air cooler was an Amazon bestseller last year during Amazon Prime Day. It features three speeds, 75° Automatic Oscillation, a 7h Timer and produces minimal noise.
Ideal for rooms up to 25m, you can pick from 3 speeds and 3 easy modes, with triple air inlets and a Vortex fan blade which drives a punchy 6.5m/s airflow for fast, feelgood cooling.
The biggest advantage is their affordability. While many portable air conditioners cost £300 to £600 or more, a good air cooler can often be snapped up for under £100. They're also much easier to live with, with no bulky exhaust hose to hang out of a window, no complicated installation, and they tend to be quieter and more energy-efficient than portable AC units.
Saying that, if you're expecting a more dramatic cooling effect, you'll probably be a bit disappointed, but if you're just looking for a way to cool yourself down during a heatwave, it's an option well worth considering, since there are a lot still in stock right now.
With more spells of hot weather forecast and air conditioners increasingly hard to get hold of, it's the cooling appliance I'll be recommending to friends and family for some quick relief.
If you're struggling to find an in-stock air conditioner or want a budget cooling alternative, a compact air cooler could just be the sweet spot.
It won't necessarily cool down your room like an AC, but it can make you feel a lot more chill, and I think that's what really counts in the middle of a muggy UK summer.
