Cooling

Which Type of Air Conditioner is Right for You?

January 19th 2020

-With summer weather finally putting in an appearance, you may find that your home or business is starting to get a bit stuffy. If you don’t have any cooling system within your premises it might be worth opting for air conditioner hire.


There’s nothing worse than working in an over-heated environment, let alone trying to relax in one. So if you are finding the summer heat unbearable, arranging for a temporary air conditioner could help out.


In a work environment temperature is very important. Being too hot or too cold can actually affect your productivity level. It’s important to keep your work environment at a temperature that’s between 21.7 and 25 degrees centigrade. If you don’t have air conditioning, hiring a unit can improve your work environment. You can usually get an offer for rental over an extended period of time.


Air conditioning can also be a good option for the home, especially if you don’t have an outdoor space to cool off in. Regulating the heat in your home can make days and nights more comfortable, especially if you have little ones who are getting hot and bothered.

Air Con Requirements

Before You Hire or Buy Portable Air Conditioning, it will help if you understand how to find the perfect match for your needs.


There are 4 principle types of Air Conditioners available for Hire from All Seasons Hire. Each environment requiring Portable Air Conditioning is different and therefore careful consideration needs to be made prior to choosing the best Air Conditioning Solution. All Seasons Hire will be pleased to help, give advice and answer any questions regarding your Portable Air Conditioning needs. To help you choose you can Click Here to View our full selection of Air Conditioners.

The basic choice can be made from one of the following:

  1. Evaporative coolers (swamp coolers)
  2. Portable Exhaust tube Air Conditioning
  3. Portable Split type Air Conditioning units (refrigerant)
  4. Portable Split type Air Conditioning units (water cooled)

What should I consider before choosing a portable air conditioner?

The most important factor to consider is the amount of cooling duty that is required for the area to be properly cooled. The amount of cooling duty required (measured in BTU or kW) will be impacted by several issues. i.e. size of area, number of people populating the area, numbers of items that generate heat e.g. PC, photocopiers, fax machines etc. Also the number of windows and the direction of the sun, i.e. buildings with south facing windows will require more cooling duty. Calculating the correct level of Air Conditioning duty required is important as the correct decision can save hire costs and deliver the perfect cooling solution. To help you calculate the correct Air Conditioning duty for your environment please click here for the All Seasons Hire Cooling Calculators.

For a very quick guide the following can be used:

7,500 BTU (2.2kW) - 150 square feet

9,000 BTU (2.6kW) - 250 square feet

10,000 BTU (2.9kW) - 300 square feet

12,000 BTU (3.5kW) - 400 square feet

13,000 BTU (3.8kW) - 450 square feet

14,000 BTU (4.1kW) - 500 square feet


Different factors can reduce the effectiveness of portable air conditioners. Here are a few solutions that might increase or decrease BTU’s if you suspect the effectiveness of your portable air conditioner is going to be altered by an outside factor:

  1. Reduce your required capacity by 10% if your room is heavily shaded.
  2. Increase your capacity by 10% if your room is very sunny.
  3. Add 600 BTU to your capacity for each additional person (beyond two people) that regularly occupies the same room.
  4. Add 4,000 BTU if the room is a hotter than normal environment i.e. similar to a kitchen.

After deciding on the BTU/kW rating you need, the next issue to sort out is what type of Portable Air Conditioner to choose.

Portable Air Conditioners


The type of Air Conditioner you choose may depend greatly on where you intend to exhaust it. Exhaust tube Air Conditioners remove the heat produced by the refrigeration circuit via exhaust tubes. Ideally the exhaust tube is Directed out of an adjacent window, however in some circumstances the heat can be removed via a suitable ceiling void or into other unused space. Each model and size of Exhaust Tube Air Conditioner is capable of different performance. For example with the following models available from All Seasons Hire the exhaust tube can be extended to a maximum of 1.8 meters from the air conditioning unit:

Evaporative coolers

Evaporative coolers (also called swamp, desert, or air coolers) are devices that cool air through the simple evaporation of water. They differ from refrigeration or absorption air conditioning, which use the vapor-compression or absorption refrigeration cycles. In the United States, small-scale evaporative coolers are called swamp coolers by some users due to the humid air conditions produced. The name sump cooler is also used. Air washers and wet cooling towers utilize the same principles as evaporative coolers, but are optimised for purposes other than air cooling.


Evaporative cooling is especially well suited for climates where the air is hot and humidity is low. For example, in the United States, the western/mountain states are good locations, with swamp coolers very prevalent in cities like Denver, Salt Lake City, Albuquerque, El Paso and Phoenix, where sufficient water is available.


Evaporative air conditioning is also popular and well suited to the southern (temperate) part of Australia. In dry climates, the installation and operating cost of an evaporative cooler can be much lower than refrigerate air conditioning, often by 80% or so. But evaporative cooling and vapor-compression air conditioning are sometimes used in combination to yield optimal performance. Some evaporative coolers may also serve as humidifiers in the heating season.


In moderate humidity locations there are many cost-effective uses for evaporative cooling, in addition to their widespread use in dry climates. For example, industrial plants, commercial kitchens, laundries, dry cleaners, greenhouses, spot cooling (loading docks, warehouses, factories, construction sites, athletic events, workshops, garages, and kennels) and confinement farming (poultry ranches, hog, and dairy) all often employ evaporative cooling. In highly humid climates, evaporative cooling may have little thermal comfort benefit beyond the increased ventilation and air movement it provides.


At HSS Hire, will guide you through and advise on the best models for you, simply call 0800 082 8001.

About the Author

Lauren King

Lauren works in our Ecommerce Team, with over 6 years of experience at HSS. She brings product knowledge and is able to give her advice on the right tool for the job no matter how big or small.

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