Portable air conditioners in stock in the UK — our stock check
Heatwave demand empties UK retailers fast. This page shows the availability and price of every cooling unit we've tested, as last confirmed — and tells you honestly what to buy instead when the answer is sold out.
By Tom Calder
Air conditioners — availability as last confirmed
These units aren't all on our automatic price sweep, so each row shows the stock state and price on the date we last confirmed it — where a row shows no price, we haven't checked it recently enough to show one. Use the button to check the retailer's page for today's position.
| Unit | Stock | Price | Last confirmed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Cooling a bedroom, home office or living room up to about 28m² through summer heat spikes. | — | — | not recorded | Check stock → |
Medium-to-large rooms (up to ~30 m²) where you want cooling in summer plus heating and dehumidifying the rest of the year from one unit. | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
Quietly cooling a small-to-medium bedroom or home office through a heatwave, if you want a premium build and don't need heating. | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
Cooling a single medium-sized room during a heatwave, a little more quietly than most. | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
Cooling a single bedroom or home office through a summer heatwave. | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
Cooling a small bedroom or home office (up to ~15-18 m²) year-round, with heating for the colder months. | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
ⓘ As an Amazon Associate, PreparedBritain earns from qualifying purchases. We may earn a commission when you buy, or a fee when you request a quote, through our links — it never affects what we recommend. Amazon prices come from Amazon's own product data and show the date and time they were retrieved. Prices at other retailers are checked by us, less often. Prices and stock can change at any time, so always check the retailer's price before you buy.
Restock & price-drop alerts
Stock and prices above are as last confirmed on the date shown. Leave your email and we'll tell you when a unit comes back in or drops in price — nothing else.
If everything above is sold out — or £400 for a fortnight of heat feels wrong — work down instead of panic-buying: an evaporative cooler takes a few degrees off the felt temperature for a quarter of the price; a decent fan with a bowl of ice in front of it makes bedrooms sleepable; and blackout blinds on sun-facing windows, closed through the day, beat most gadgets. The units below are the ones we'd actually pick for that job.
Coolers & fans — usually in stock when ACs aren't
| Unit | Stock | Price | Last confirmed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Meaco MeacoFan 1056 Tower Fan Quiet, low-running-cost air circulation in a bedroom or home office through a summer heatwave. | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
Actively cooling a single bedroom or home office through UK heatwaves, where you can vent the hose out of a window. | — | — | not recorded | Check stock → |
Cooling one small-to-medium room (bedroom or home office) on the handful of genuinely hot UK days. | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
Rechargeable Portable Camping Fan Personal cooling in a tent, caravan or at a bedside during a heatwave or power cut. | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
Portable Rechargeable Neck Fan Hands-free personal cooling on the move during a heatwave, or for hot flushes. | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
Honeywell Evaporative Air Cooler Low-power spot cooling in a dry, well-ventilated room during a heatwave | — | — | — | See price on Amazon → |
Common questions
Are portable air conditioners in stock in the UK right now?
The table on this page shows the stock state of every unit we've tested as it was last confirmed, with the date beside each row. In a heatwave availability moves faster than that, so treat it as a starting list and confirm on the retailer's page before you travel or pay.
What should I buy if portable air conditioners are sold out?
Work down the ladder: an evaporative cooler drops the felt temperature a few degrees for a fraction of the price; a decent fan with ice in front of it helps overnight; and blackout blinds or closed curtains on sun-facing windows during the day often do more than people expect. All three are usually in stock when ACs aren't.
Is a portable air conditioner worth it for a UK summer?
For most homes, only for a bedroom or home office you genuinely can't sleep or work in — they're effective but power-hungry and need the exhaust hose out of a window. If your problem is a few hot afternoons a year, a fan or evaporative cooler is the honest recommendation. If it's night after night in a loft room, an AC earns its keep.
How much does a portable air conditioner cost to run?
Typically around 1kW–1.2kW per hour of cooling for a 9000 BTU unit, so an evening's use costs roughly the price of a couple of kettle boils at current electricity rates. The bigger cost mistake is buying an undersized unit that runs flat-out all day — match the BTU rating to the room size.
Why do air conditioners sell out in UK heatwaves?
The UK has low domestic AC ownership, so a hot fortnight sends a year's worth of demand at retailers in days. Stock returns after each spell — which is exactly what the restock alert on this page is for.