Portable air conditioner prices are soaring in Spain

Portable air conditioner prices are soaring in Spain

Anyone looking for a portable air conditioner this summer is in for a surprise. Last year, basic models like a Cecotec could be found for 147 euros. Today, the same product costs no less than 250. And that's if you can find one: specialist retailers like Trotec, which used to have constant stock, are sold out. The market has become a maze of inflated prices and elusive supply.

The scam of hoseless coolers

The problem isn't just the price, but the deception. Much of the equipment sold as portable air conditioning for between 100 and 200 euros isn't. It lacks an exhaust hose to the outside: these are simple evaporative coolers that, instead of expelling heat, keep it inside. According to experts, the only effective way to cool a room is with a compressor and an outlet to the outside; everything else is a "money grab".

The physics of evaporation: it doesn't work in every climate

Evaporative coolers do work in low-humidity areas: the latent heat of water evaporation (540 cal/g) lowers the temperature. But in places like Valencia or the Canary Islands, with high humidity, their performance drops to zero. Moreover, their efficiency is low for small temperature differences: cooling from 35 to 25 °C doesn't work as well as dropping from 80 to 40 °C in an industrial process.

The market is responding to demand with mediocre products and rising prices. Anyone who wants a real solution will have to dig deep and look for a split system or a portable unit with a hose. Everything else, as the saying goes, is throwing cold water into a bucket.