So the mercury’s rocketed and you’ve decided it’s time to invest in an air conditioner. Luckily, we’ve breezed to the rescue with a guide to the best models available, whether you’re keen to cool down an overheated office space, sleep soundly with a breath of fresh air, or splash out on an all-singing, all-dancing piece of kit which will clean your air as well as cooling it. Wall-mounted air conditioners are best suited to larger properties, and will generally cost significantly more.
This is because there’s more tech involved, and you’ll also need to get these models professionally installed. It’s also important to remember that, although they take up less floor space, they’re more likely to stand out. While brands such as Samsung and Daikin are known for producing wall-mounted air conditioners which are compact, slimline and could even be described as stylish, we’ve yet to come across an air conditioner which we’d describe as a thing of beauty.
The good news? There are plenty of options for those who feel their walls are for art, not air conditioning units. Standalone devices are easy to install (although most have a duct which will need to be fed through a window or wall), easy to move from room to room (unlike a wall-mounted air conditioner, which will be fixed in one place) and easy to control, whether it’s with an app or the included remote controls. Our testing, during a particularly muggy week in June, prompted several revelations.
To start wit.