...and get benefits!
Air coolers are often mistaken for air conditioners when it comes to air conditioning devices, but they are based on a completely different principle. As lightweights, they provide the necessary refreshment on hot summer days by distributing ice-cooled air in the room. The cool air fresheners combine a fan and a mini air conditioner in one device.
The main advantages of the room air coolers are their low energy consumption, low weight and great mobility. However, in order to find the right air cooler, a few criteria must be taken into account so that next summer will be a relaxing experience.
While a mobile air conditioner works with waste heat and has a cooling circuit, the air cooler is a kind of fan with an additional cooling system based on the supply of ice or cold water. The biggest difference between an air conditioner and an air cooler is that the air cooler does not use any coolant. A powerful fan sucks the air in at the back and blows it out at the front.
Inside the unit is a container that can be filled with cold packs that have previously been frozen in the freezer compartment. During operation, the air flows over the cold packs and extracts cold from them. The cooler air then enters the room at the front of the unit.
The result is a lowering of the room temperature, which is, however, weaker than with an air conditioner. Instead of cooling packs, cold water can also be filled into the container, but then the effect is less. The air cooler serves its purpose until the cold packs have thawed - then it continues to work like a normal fan until cold packs or cold water are refilled.
In contrast to an air conditioner, an air cooler increases the humidity in the room, which has a positive effect on the body. Whereas an air conditioner does a good job in hot and humid weather, the user gets his money's worth with an air cooler in dry and hot weather. The mucous membranes remain moist, so that the risk of catching a cold in the summer months is reduced.
Anyone who wants to buy an air cooler can do without additional equipment. The unit does not generate waste heat and can therefore be placed in the room like a fan. There is no need to install an exhaust hose through the window, but the cooling capacity is lower than with an air conditioner.
Anyone who wants to buy an air conditioner should take a close look at the energy efficiency of the unit. While heating up a room is relatively easy, extracting heat is technically much more demanding because the room is at a higher energy level. As a result, air conditioners have gained a reputation for consuming a lot of electricity.
However, the continuous development of individual air-conditioning components has improved their effectiveness. It makes sense to buy an air conditioner if new equipment is used. There are a total of seven energy efficiency classes for air conditioners, ranging from A+++ (very good energy balance) to D (poor energy balance).
According to applicable laws, newly produced appliances, whether split air conditioners or mobile air conditioners, must have at least efficiency class B. The class results from the ratio between power consumption and cooling capacity. Overall, air conditioners in classes A+, A++ and A+++ are to be regarded as ecologically and economically sensible, while lower classes should be assessed critically.
Anyone who wants to buy an air cooler can do without additional equipment. The unit does not generate waste heat and can therefore be placed in the room like a fan. There is no need to install an exhaust hose through the window, but the cooling capacity is lower than with an air conditioner.
Mobile air coolers are ready for use anywhere and can be quickly moved from one room to another. At the same time, they prove to be real lightweights and can be easily transported, unlike air conditioners. This is because air coolers do not have a compressor and are essentially made of lightweight elements such as plastic.
The lack of a compressor is also a big plus in terms of noise: mobile air coolers work very quietly and can also be operated at night. Even in apartment buildings and rented flats, there will be no problems with an air cooler. The noise level is within the range of a normal fan or slightly higher if the air cooler is equipped with a very powerful fan.
Another advantage is the low energy consumption of the device. While air conditioners often consume more than 1,000 watts per hour, air coolers are at least 10 times more economical and in some cases are on a par with a somewhat more powerful light bulb in terms of energy consumption.
The most powerful argument for purchasing an air cooler is certainly the low price, which is sometimes in the double-digit to lower triple-digit range, while air conditioners require a significantly higher budget.
Air coolers have some amazing features that are often not noticed at first glance because they are sometimes pejoratively dubbed second-class air conditioners. Yet they are more versatile than you might think: The fan can be adjusted in several stages so that the desired cooling effect can be created at one's own discretion.
In addition, most room air coolers have a heating function that provides pleasant warmth even on cold days. While the operating time of an air conditioner is limited to the summer months, a high-quality air cooler is ready for use all year round.
The fan with a cooling battery provides noticeable cooling, especially in small rooms, while large rooms should rather be cooled with an air conditioner. The mobile air cooler has a sophisticated filter system to keep the room air clean. This means pollen doesn't stand a chance, so the purchase of an air cooler for allergy sufferers quickly pays for itself.
If you want to buy an air cooler, you should also consider devices with an ioniser. This is a special air filter that ionises air components - so-called molecules. In the process, the device generates a large quantity of negatively charged ions. These have the ability to bind harmful substances and particles. Overall, the air becomes cleaner and freed from pollutants. An air cooler with ioniser essentially counteracts the spread of fungi, mites, odours and viruses.
The ionisation function is very practical because the unit works with high humidity anyway and otherwise mould and fungi could develop. On average, 20,000 to 200,000 negatively charged ions are emitted per second. You can also smell the air purity, because the air cooler with ionisation technology also removes stubborn and mouldy odours, for example from cellars or storage rooms.
For more tips on how to buy the right cooling device have a look at our Air Conditioner Buying Guide.
