Guides
Venting, buying and running a portable AC
Specific, EU-focused answers. Find your window type to vent it properly, or start with the buying guide if you are still choosing.
Window venting
How to attach an exhaust hose to each window type found across Europe, and which seal kit fits.
How to vent a portable AC through a tilt-and-turn window
Tilt-and-turn windows leak most at the side triangles, not the hose hole. Here is how to seal the whole sash, keep the window able to lock, and stay cool.
Read →How to vent a portable AC through a casement window
Inward casements take a full-frame cloth seal; outward casements need a rigid panel cut to the whole opening. How to do both, and stay weatherproof.
Read →How to vent a portable AC through a sash window
Sash windows are the easiest type to vent. Drop an adjustable panel into the gap, close the sash onto it, and foam-strip the one spot people miss.
Read →How to vent a portable AC through a sliding window
Horizontal sliders are what most universal AC kits are designed for. Fit the panel vertically, slide the pane onto it, and close the small side gap.
Read →Portable AC with no window to open: how to cool the room
A fixed pane will not vent a hose. The honest ways to run a portable AC with no window you can open: vent through an adjacent window or balcony door, or pick a mobile split that needs only a thin line.
Read →How to vent a portable AC through a balcony or French door
A tall door needs a 560 cm seal, not a normal window kit. How to seal a balcony or French door so the unit cools and the door still locks.
Read →Buying
How to choose between single-hose, dual-hose and split units, and what the specs mean.
Portable AC buying guide: single hose, dual hose or split
What separates a single-hose portable from a dual-hose unit and a mobile split, why it matters for cooling, and the specs worth checking before you buy in Europe.
Read →Do 'mini AC' personal coolers actually cool a room?
The cheap 'mini AC' units sold online, including ChillWell and Arctos, are evaporative coolers, not air conditioners. What they can and cannot do, and when you need a real portable AC.
Read →Running cost
Energy labels, refrigerants and the small choices that move your electricity bill.
Bed cooling
Cooling the bed instead of the room: water covers, pads, air systems and toppers, and what works.
How bed cooling works: water covers, pads, air and toppers
The four ways to cool a bed, from smart water covers like Eight Sleep to passive toppers, how they differ in practice, and which suits a hot sleeper.
Read →Eight Sleep Pod 5 in Europe: the price, the subscription, and who it suits
Eight Sleep's Pod 5 ships to the EU and UK, cools each side of the bed, and needs a paid subscription to work as sold. What it costs in euros, and who it is and is not for.
Read →Eight Sleep vs BedJet vs HydroSnooze: bed cooling you can buy in Europe
Three active bed-cooling systems that actually ship to the EU, compared on price, cooling, noise and subscription, with a note on why Sleepme is missing.
Read →Not sure which unit yet?
The finder sizes your room and shortlists units that fit it, your window and your budget.