Rules last checked on 5 November 2026
Portable or fixed air conditioning?
Choose portable for a rented room, a short hot spell or a tight budget, since it plugs in and needs no installer. Choose fixed if you want one room comfortable year after year, because a split system cools harder, runs quieter and can heat as well. The catch is a much higher upfront cost.
Ask for a quote
Your name, number and postcode. We ring you back.
Portable and fixed air conditioning compared
| Portable | Fixed split | |
|---|---|---|
| Price, on Checkatrade's May 2026 figures | £300 to £650 or so | £1,900 to £2,240 or so, then electrics |
| Getting it working | Plug it in | A professional job with a hole through the wall |
| Where the noisy part is | Beside you | Outside |
| Winter heat | From some models | From most, and cheaply |
| Who has to agree | Nobody | Possibly the council, a freeholder and the neighbours |
Why does a portable cool less well?
It sits in the room, hot parts and all, and pushes its exhaust down a hose poked out of a window or door. Sealing that gap is nearly impossible, so warm air creeps straight back in and the machine ends up working against itself. Some models also have a water tank to empty when the air is humid. In a real heatwave, especially under a roof, it may only take the edge off.
When is a portable the right call?
When your tenancy rules out fixings, or you are waiting on consent from a freeholder or Harlow Council. Also when the problem only bites for a fortnight or so each year, when you need something by tomorrow, or when a fixed system is simply out of budget this year. Whichever you have, opening windows at night and shading them by day will help.
When is fixed worth the money?
When you are staying put and want every hot spell sorted. Also when noise matters, as in a bedroom or home office, when the same room is cold in winter, or when you would like your floor space back and no hose in the window. Domestic air conditioning explains our approach, and what air conditioning costs has the figures.
Questions people ask
Does a portable need an F-gas engineer?
No. It is a sealed appliance and you never touch the refrigerant. Plenty now run on propane, so follow the maker's advice on room size.
Can a portable heat as well?
Some do, but look at how. A simple electric element costs far more to run than a heat pump for the same warmth.
Will a fan or evaporative cooler do the same job?
No. One moves air and the other adds moisture. Neither carries heat out of the room.
Sources
Useful to have ready
A few details about the building let us say more on the first call.
- Your postcode
- House, flat or business premises
- Which rooms, and roughly how big
- Which way the windows face
- Who owns the outside walls, if you rent or lease
Want this done rather than read about? Air conditioning in Harlow shows what we fit, service and repair, and where we go.
If you want this done
Domestic air conditioning
For the bedroom that stays hot after dark, and rooms like it.
Air conditioning installation
The whole job, stage by stage, from first visit to handover.
Other guides
How much does air conditioning cost?
Every cost from purchase to running it, with the working shown.
Does air conditioning need planning permission?
The national conditions, the noise limit and Harlow's protected streets.
Can you have air conditioning in a flat?
Leases, freeholders, council homes and the planning limit on a block.
Can air conditioning heat your home?
Reversing the system, running costs against gas and electric, and where it falls short.
What size air conditioner do you need?
Floor area, kW and BTU, and what shifts the answer.
How to check an installer's F-gas certificate
Two certificates worth asking for, plus leak checks and refrigerant bans.
Ask us to ring you
Leave a number and we will call to talk about the job. Or ring 01279 744503.