Are portable AC units worth buying in India? - eNidhi India Travel Blog

Are portable AC units worth buying in India?

We know Split A/C and Window A/C systems. While they are popular and efficient, they do have some disadvantages. Very recently I learnt about the availability of Portable AC Units (sometimes referred to as Tower AC also). I was curious to find out if they are worth buying. This post details my findings.

Below is a quick comparison of conventional Air conditioning (Window/Split) vs portable air conditioning units.
Window/Split AC
Advantages
Disadvantages
1 More powerful 

2 More models and options available
 1 Can't be moved. Needs one per room minimum- for small families with one or two people, who spend few hours in living room and few more in bed room, two AC means double the expense, without full usage.

2 Needs installation effort
Not convenient in rented houses or those who need to keep moving cities frequently
Portable AC
Advantages
Disadvantages
1 Movable units- easy to change direction or move around on need basis
2 No installation expenses
3 Serves the purpose of cooling a bit to some extent

 1 Can't cool medium/big rooms. Portable A/Cs are efficient only in small rooms- around 10ft by 10ft.
2 Not truely portable. They have a big hot air duct that needs to be connected to window
3 No Resale value
4. Major Consumer goods brands like LG, Samsung etc are not offering portable AC. Only few lesser known brands.
5. Star ratings not available as in conventional ones. Power consumption could be higher
When I tried investigating a bit more about Portable Air conditioning systems, AMFAH brand came up prominently on the net. AMFAH has a video demo on youtube explaining how their portable AC works. But we can't ascertain cooling power in the video- that has to be felt in person. So I went to their office in Egmore, Chennai to check it out in person. Below are some pics and first hand observation notes from my visit.

AMFAH 1 ton portable AC costs about INR 35000. It comes with 3 year warranty for compressor and 1 year for whole unit. Min temperature setting possible was 18 degree C, not 16 as in many conventional ACs. As I went inside, the staff opened a new unit, connected it to power socket and switched it on. Cool air started coming out of it, but unless I keep my arm closer to the vent, I couldn't feel it. Of course we were in a room too big for the capabilities of this AC. In small rooms it could be more effective. Compressor needs 3 minutes to turn on- I am told.
The important thing to note is the hot air exhaust duct. This portable AC unit doesn't release water out, but it needs a way to expel hot air. That is facilitated by a plastic flexible duct pipe as you see in the picture. We need to connect this end to an window outlet. This means the unit needs to be kept within about 1 meter from the window, unless you can plan some extension to this pipe.

Connecting this pipe to window is tricky. There is an apparatus provided in the box, which helps fix the pipe to the window. But this apparatus is meant for sliding type windows, which are common in western countries. In India most windows open in a flip style, where this apparatus will not be of much use. (watch online demo to understand this better)
Surprisingly, popular AC makers like LG, Samsung etc are not selling portable ACs in India. (LG sells portable ACs in USA). Either they realize that portable ACs can't be effective in India and selling them could prove to be counter productive as customers realize their limitations, OR they feel portable ACs may cannibalize their main business- window and split ACs.

There seems to be no resale market for portable ACs either. Sites like OLX have near zero listing of Portable ACs- few existing listings seem to be from recent buyers who've realized the limitation of portable AC after buying it and want to get rid of it.

Apart from AMFAH, Llyod seem to be another brand selling portable ACs in India. Lloyd's model is cheaper by 10k compared to AMFAH, with similar specs. Snapdeal had this product listed for about 25k. The user reviews are mixed- few suggesting it is total waste of money, while few saying it is fine for small rooms. Another lesser known site is selling the same for 2k less.

Conclusion: Portable AC is not a replacement for window/split AC. Where possible one should go for these conventional Air conditioning units.

Portable ACs may work for small rooms and can be considered when there're some challenges to buying/installing conventional AC units.

What do you think?

Update: This pot has been one of the most read posts on my blog in recent times.

103 comments:

  1. I guess this maybe worth at 25k, but I am not sure if I'd want to take a risk with brands I've not heard about. Besides, one needs to check how much time it takes to cool the room - it it's too long, then it may not be an attractive option. I like the concept, though. There are energy efficient air conditioners rated at 450W, etc. that consume very less power compared to normal ACs, but they are not easily available, at least not from the bigger brands.

    I was thinking about an air cooler and dehumidifier, but in India, there are surprisingly less options for effective cooling.

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  2. Is there separate 15 AMP socket (Used for Microwave) required for portable A/C ?

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    1. Yes. it works with 15amp socket only. i recently purchased super general portable ac. i would suggest go for conventional split ac

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    2. I checked this Super general 1.5 ton ac yesterday. Since you have already bought it, can you please tell is it efficiently cooling the room or you are facing any problem with the device?
      Your reply would be greatly appreciative.
      Thanks...

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    3. I bought super general portable ac 1.5 ton a wekk back. Its just awesome. Superb cooling. Worth buying. Time to break stereotypes.

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    4. good to know. thanks for the comment

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  3. some one reply to Ravis question

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  4. I know it is 3PIN, but doesn't know about 15AMP.. You can call them and find out

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  5. Good Review, Appreciate your efforts towards collecting and sharing the info.

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  6. Nicely written informative post. This had been useful in evaluating whether or not to purchase a portable air conditioner.

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  7. A well written crisp article, has been useful to me in deciding whether or not to but a tower ac . Thanks!

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  8. shrinidhi
    Good review..nice information..tower type air conditioner is common at outside India by samsung ,LG all major brands with very good air conditioning functionality.however too costly.
    Still in india split or window is best option
    Dinesh

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  9. Thanks Dinesh. I bought a split AC recently

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  10. Really informative article.I saw llyod offering 1 ton portable ac at paytm..it has eer of 2.6w/w. And my requirement is 10x12 ft..shall i go for it.

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  11. I think portable is still bad idea, unless you can't afford or use a split, I suggest not to opt for it.

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  12. Portable A/c is useful only for places where one needs it for just few hrs ..it's easy to install for sliding Windows/doors and can be very easily shifted between two rooms ... It seems purpose is altogether different than usual a/c...I have seen them being used ... One can very easily shift between different room as per need...

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  13. Extremely glad to go through the review. I am not going for portable.

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  14. It costs around 300 dollars from a major brand like LG in the us ... If market is open at this price in India .. It will kill the split AC market and so its all business strategy .... ... U have to have split AC ... As the price is way too high for a portable AC ..

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  15. Excellent review. Thank you v much.

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  16. I once saw a Lloyd's portable AC in Harmony, Park St, Kolkata with price tag of RS23000 as I remember. But very doubtful about its efficiency.

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  17. @Samuel- It is not suitable for a normal Indian room

    @Aubs and Vilas: Happy you found my post useful.

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  18. Extremely helpful & thnx for the detailed review as it saved my so much of time.

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  19. Like so many others have commented..."this blog has been extremely helpful and appreciate the detailed information" on portable ACs in India. Thank you

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  20. Thanks for your review Shirindhi...really helpful for someone looking for an alternative to the conventional AC

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  21. Recently croma is selling a portable ac. Can you review the same. Info given by you was quite good.

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  22. Thanks for the review, very useful information.
    I Recently went to Croma and noticed the portable A/C apart from the two brands mentioned, there is another brand called Super General, the sales person mentioning that this is part of O General group.

    Priced at 37K.

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  23. I was looking for such a detailed I NFO about portable acs thankfully I found this.

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  24. Srinidhi - your review is useful. I might buy one from Lloyds. I have situation in new branch we opened at Ram Nagar, madipakkam, Chennai. We have 4 rooms. Smallest is 10*10. Biggest is 10*15. We have a granite display here. We need air-conditioning only during customer visit in display rooms. Otherwise in the branch head room, mostly. Otherwise, I should invest in all 4 rooms, say at least 120k. As well, I will buy 2 portables, which appeals to me. Customer visits are normally lasyin 30 - 60 min. Cooling is essential, when we collect advance. - pratap

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    1. Did you brought it, if yes can you tell is it useful..as i m in situation where i cant to do piping for split ac nor i have a window for window ac. Yes even the area is 10×10 max. Thankd

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  25. No, I decided it is not worth, didn't buy. Bought regular split AC

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  26. Srinidhi
    Thanks for review. Please advise - i have installed a server in a 8x4 room where neither split nor window AC can be installed. But for cooling the room I need AC. Will it be worth buying portable AC fir server room?

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  27. Srinidhi
    Thanks for review. Please advise - i have installed a server in a 8x4 room where neither split nor window AC can be installed. But for cooling the room I need AC. Will it be worth buying portable AC fir server room?

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  28. @Anon- 8x4 room seems small enough for portable AC. If other options are not viable, then you can go ahead and try Portable AC in my opinion. Note that it may still need some modifications to the window to let hot air out etc.

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  29. Hi Shrinidhi,
    Did you get a chance to review sooper general portable ac. It is now avaliable in croma, i am planning to buy it, but i am thinking too much because we are leaving in rented house and room has split windows, not really sure how this will be usefull for us.

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  30. @Rakesh- no I have not tried it. Take a demo and see if it is as messy as the one shown in this post or if it is really portable. Costs as much as split.. so decide carefully

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  31. Thanks for your review.. this is really informative :)

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  32. As i am going to by tower ac where it is worth or shall i go for split ac can please help me which is better for me

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  33. As i am going to by tower ac where it is worth or shall i go for split ac can please help me which is better for me

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  34. Awesome article. But requested to please update, as we do have many more options, which have come up

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  35. @Anand- Will update when I find time. Meanwhile please do share your findings about latest options

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  36. @Saraswati the post has all the pros and cons- You should be able to decide based on the same, considering your needs and situation. There is no blanket Yes/No answer

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  37. Thanks for the information. Very useful. I have opted for split AC after reading this column.

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  38. Very good information

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  39. Thanks for the detailed review. very informative

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  40. Really informative post..I was planning to buy tower AC but now I am thinking again..

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  41. Amp info is also required to take a decision. Anyone knows the power requirements or had a pic of the power cable?

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  42. Saw the Koryo brand portable AC at big bazaar.it does cool a small room but more expensive than a window ac.Also power consumption is more. How is d brand Koryo?

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  43. @Anon- No idea about Amp info.. Power cable is standard- no need for heavy duty one

    @Anon2: No idea about Koryo- didn't come across this while I was checking.

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  44. I purchased a 1.5 ton portable koryo ac last month from bigbazar. It is ok in cooling a room of 10*10 sqft but I got a bill of Rs 7000 last month by running the ac for 8 to 10 hours a day my normal electric bill per month use to be Rs 1500 to 2000. So I incurred a extra bill of Rs 5000 last month. If you have any idia about electric consumption of portable ac please advice how to reduce the cost.

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  45. I purchased a 1.5 ton portable koryo ac last month from bigbazar. It is ok in cooling a room of 10*10 sqft but I got a bill of Rs 7000 last month by running the ac for 8 to 10 hours a day my normal electric bill per month use to be Rs 1500 to 2000. So I incurred a extra bill of Rs 5000 last month. If you have any idia about electric consumption of portable ac please advice how to reduce the cost.

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  46. Thanks for providing your inputs. Didn't study much on the electricity consumption park. Better to go for regular split AC

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  47. Hi Shrinidhi,

    Lovely review, I am planning to buy the lloyd one. Can you please share the link to ecommerce website as the link above is not working.

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  48. Mostly tower a/c are used on public performance stages like live performance or kathas for vyaspith.artists etc' comfort.see ashatha tv for moraribapu ramkatha where tower are use.this is unique example.

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  49. Thank you so much �� for helping us with a very detailed information!

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  50. I will never purchase any portable A.C..

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  51. Any one kno about performance and electricity consumption of super general 1.5 ton ac. Will croma provide demo to check it?

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  52. Anyone kno the performance and electricity consumption of super general 1.5ton. will croma provide demo at home?

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    1. Electricity info should be available online. Don't think Croma provides demo at home- check

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  53. Dear Sir, I want to purchase 2 TON AC for server room can any body help to get contact details we will supply the Unit us?

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  54. I bought SGpl182 from croma 2 days ago. But my window net is slide type towards sides. What's the way out? Worried about power consumption

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  55. final conclusion to by a portable AC ? or not ?? please explain why ?or why not ?

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  56. Sir kindly me let me, is there any requirement for high power electric line for portable AC or it can be used in normal house power line

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  57. I have been using this ac in chennai from 2016 the ac was working good for intial few months. After that cooling stopped. When looking for service of ac i am totally frustrated in finding the person for service. I dont think it is a good idea to buy it when it comes to service part

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing your experience-sorry to read servicing is very difficult- isn't the manufacturer helping?

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  58. Thank you for sharing this useful information, This blog is really good and the information is also well provided. I read like this article and I gain more information.

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  59. Thanks admin for writing such a great post and making a newbie like me aware about portable ACs.

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  60. Thanks for showing me the picture of how to fix in the hot air duct. I think the big version of air conditions are the best option.

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  61. Were we can buy a good portable ac in tamilnadu

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  62. Just to add on your awesome and detailed review

    As per science, hot air moves up and cold air moves down.

    And hence, performance wise, split AC will always stand out.

    Windows ACs, were designed to fit as one unit, but people started installing it on working windows, which are way lower.

    Performance wise, portable ac will be poorest. Because it sits at the bottom most of all, so upper side of room will never get cooled enough and AC will get time to breath only after longer hours of work.

    However, you can keep such units (if you have extra bucks) for temporary usage. Like if you want to sleep in garage for a day or two, or you want to sleep in temporary part of your home, normally not requiring air conditioning.

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  63. Very good, informative article.much appreciated. Also a request to update it as it is may 2021 . May be now other better options are also available in the market

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    1. I am not in Chennai right now to update. Lots of people have shared their latest comments. Fundamental principle remains same, models pricing would have changed now.

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  64. Thanks for sharing such a amazing information with us it pleasure to read your blog it help to all air conditioner services I am searching such a great tips from longtime but I didn't found such valuable info .thanks once again keep posting such a post in future.

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  65. Thanks for sharing your article its amazing, I think the big version of air conditions are the best option.

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