May 25th, 2023 by Amy Varley

Summer brings with it soaring temperatures, and you need to find a way to cool off after all stifling temperatures can make it uncomfortable to complete day-to-day tasks or even get a peaceful night’s sleep and now more than ever there are lots of cooling options available on the market, but what is the difference and which is the best choice for you? In this blog, we will break down the three main types - fans, air coolers and air conditioners in order to make choosing the right unit for you much easier.  

Fans

Fans are the most basic and affordable way to feel cool when the temperature starts to rise, fans are an affordable option and are the most common choice due to their easy availability, small size and low price. They generally come with 3-speed settings and an oscillation feature, although more modern fans have been designed to include other features such as ionisers, timers and even wind modes. Due to their basic function fans are incredibly easy to use, further making them a popular choice.

How Fans Work

Fans help to make you feel cooler by circulating and moving the air around a room this in turn creates a breeze, when this breeze brushes over the skin it disperses heat energy and encourage sweat to evaporate more quickly which makes you feel cooler. However, it is important to note that while fans will help you feel cooler, they will not lower the overall temperature of a room and the higher the temperature of a room the less effective they will be. Fans work best if there is a source of cool or fresh air for them to circulate around the room which is why it is usually recommended to place them near open windows.

The Benefits

While fans may not lower the ambient temperature of a room they still have plenty of other features that make them a very desirable option when it comes to choosing your cooling option. First of all, they are usually very compact in size making them easy to move around the room and position them where needed. Secondly, they require very little energy to run which makes them an incredibly energy-efficient choice so if you are looking for a way to feel cooler without the risk of running up high energy bills then a fan is a great choice.

Fans also require very little maintenance; the blades will need cleaning to prevent dust from being circulated throughout the room and the fuse may need changing on occasion however this is about as much maintenance as these units require.   

In general, for the amount of warm weather we experience in the UK a fan is usually more than enough to help keep cool during the summer since their low cost requires little investment. That being said for those who struggle with warm weather then these units may not be the best option.

The Disadvantages

As mentioned above the largest disadvantage to these units is that they do not lower the overall ambient temperature of a room they only provide a cooling effect. So if you need something that will decrease the temperature these units are not the best option for you, likewise, these units will not cover large areas unless you employ the use of industrial fans or multiple fans, large rooms or offices will not feel as much benefit, so they are not always the best option for commercial areas unless used in conjunction with other cooling methods.

Mylek Oscillating Tower Fan With 2 Hour Timer and 3 Speeds

Price: £44.99

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Air Cooler

Air coolers are a popular alternative to air conditioners, they offer more cooling than a normal fan too making them the ideal middle ground between the two types. They compromise a water tank, filter and fan and much like fans tend to use the 3 different speed settings, ionisers and of course their cooling function. However, just like fans, unfortunately, air coolers will not lower the ambient temperature of a room but instead will use a method known as evaporative cooling to make the breeze created by the fan feel cooler.

How Do Air Coolers Work?

As mentioned air coolers are made up of a fan, water tank and filter to use a method known as evaporative cooling in order to deliver a cooling breeze that improves on what a fan alone is able to deliver. To do this water runs over the filter or wet pad located in the machine, hot air is then drawn into the machine it then passes through the wetted filter reducing the heat energy before this cooled air is blown back into the room, this cool air again brushes over the body help to evaporate the sweat making you feel cooler, the breeze you feel will also feel cooler, however, it is not enough to reduce the temperature of the room but you will certainly notice the difference.

The Benefits

Air coolers have the benefit of helping to make you feel cooler when compared with a traditional fan, they also remain relatively low cost to run since evaporative cooling is a natural process so the power required is simply for the pump and fan making it an energy-efficient choice. Although they are large than most normal fans they still remain fairly compact so can still be used in smaller areas without taking up too much space. Air coolers can also make the air feel cleaner, as they can remove allergens such as pollen and dust from the air.

The maintenance requirements for this unit are still fairly low, while they do require more care than a fan it can be done at home and does not require any expensive treatments. The water will need changing regularly to ensure it is clean and filters and bladed will also need to be cleaned to prevent contaminants from being circulated around the room and preventing odour.

The Disadvantages

Very much like fans, air coolers’ biggest shortcoming is that it is not able to reduce the ambient temperature of a room which means that they have a limited cooling capacity. They can also be impacted by other weather conditions, such as humidity – where they may not work effectively since they are not able to remove moisture from the air.

MYLEK Remote Control Portable Air Cooler

Price: £89.99

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Air Conditioners

Air conditioners are by far the most effective cooling method out there and are very commonplace in many other countries outside of the UK. This is because unlike the other options on the list, they are able to lower the overall ambient temperature of a room. They are available in portable models or larger fixed units which are more popular in commercial areas. a popular way to cool your home, however, there are a few things to know about an air conditioner before investing in one.

How Do Air Conditioners Work?

Air conditioners are a little more complicated than the other cooling options available on this list and they are primarily made up of a compressor, a fan and a refrigerant. Air-con units use refrigerant which is a chemical compound that has a low boiling point and is easily converted from a liquid to a gas and back. In its liquid form, this refrigerant goes through a compressor that turns it into a high-pressure gas which flows to a condenser, the hot, high-pressure gas is cooled, and as it cools, it condenses back into a liquid. The liquid then flows to the evaporator, which is located inside the building and also consists of a set of coils. As the liquid refrigerant passes through the coils, it expands and becomes a low-pressure gas. This process absorbs heat from the air inside the building, cooling the air which is then blown into the room by a fan, while the warm, humid air is expelled outside through another set of coils.

The Benefits

Air conditioners are the optimum way in which to cool a room as not only will they deliver a cooling breeze since it is taking hot air out of a room and replacing it with cool air they will effectively lower the ambient temperature of the room thus making it comparably cooler.  

Air conditioners are a great investment for large commercial areas that have room for their installation, as they will effectively cool a larger and they can often be used to heat a room too making them a great year-round investment. Air conditioners are now more accessible for homes thanks to the improvement and introduction of portable and compact models which do not require installation and can simply be used by fixing a vent or tube out of an open window.

Due to the process, it uses to cool the air, these units will also help to reduce humidity and remove allergens from the air making the overall atmosphere of a room feel cleaner and more comfortable, which will make the cooling all the more noticeable.

The Disadvantages

However, air conditioners also have their restrictions. The most noticeable is that these units come with quite a hefty price tag, whether you choose a larger installed unit or a smaller portable unit the price raises greatly when compared with fans and air coolers, so it needs to be carefully considered if is an investment that is beneficial in the long run – often time commercial units will benefit greatly however for domestic use these may not necessarily be the right choice. That being said with the increased temperatures even here in the UK over the last few years air conditioners are quickly becoming more and more popular.

MYLEK Portable Air Conditioner with Dehumidifier 9000 BTU

Price: £349.99

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We hope this blog has helped you understand the differences between fans, air coolers and air conditioners. If you're looking for a long-term investment to keep you cool then an air conditioner is a great choice for you however if you are looking for something with lower running costs and initial costs then a fan or air cooler is most certainly a better option.