It can still pick up to a roar if the temperature rockets in the room even if sleep mode is turned on, however. Starting on the left there’s a timer, followed by a Speed button: the Low setting is surprisingly quiet; Medium produces more clout without excessive noise and High belts out a mini gale that thankfully still isn’t loud enough to irritate. Open the window to check it’s sealed properly and the zip is accessible and then you thread the hose through the unzipped opening and close the zip around it. Derek (aka Delbert, Delvis, Delphinium, Delboy etc) specialises in home and outdoor wares, from coffee machines, white appliances and vacs to drones, garden gear and BBQs. The Dry setting uses the room’s ambient temperature to run the compressor and it behaves a bit like a dehumidifier, drawing moisture from the room.

With the fan on high speed it's quite intrusive, but you shouldn't need this setting on for very long. However to make the most of its full capabilities of Cool Mode, it is essential to have a way for the hot air to be expelled outside. It was such a relief to be able to get cold and sleep comfortably during the heatwave so well worth it every penny ! These window seals work best for sash windows that open upwards and not outwards, so it can be tricky to velcro up your window around the hosepipe if you have a window that cracks open.

Be warned though, this thing gets loud, and it also vibrates, like a constant roaring engine, but we did get used to it after a couple of hours. It’s a bit heavy so not ideal for going up and down stairs but has wheels to be able to move around. duct, this is suitable for most applications however if you need a longer duct, a 2m one can be purchased here (ducts cannot be extended past 2m due to overheating). We are used to plummeting temperatures and have an arsenal of central heating, electric heaters, electric blankets and all the gear needed to keep us cosy and warm - but when the summer comes and the heatwave hits: we’re lost. The Sleep Mode keeps the unit in low fan speed to ensure the lowest possible noise level, you can combine this with the Off timer to ensure that you do not wake up cold during the night.

Of course, you do need to bear in mind the cost of running the unit, and how it will affect your electricity bill. If you are intending on using it purely for Dry Mode or Fan Mode, you don’t need to vent it to the outside but you will need to connect the drainage pipe for the former. The MeacoCool air conditioners work by drawing in warm humid air from the surrounding environment which then is passed over a cold evaporator coil, where the air is cooled and the moisture is removed.

The trouble is that if you don’t expel the hot air, the machine’s efficiency will be cancelled out and it will struggle to lower the temperature in the room. Cool is the main air-con setting and, as is the case the majority of portable AC, the lowest temperature that can be set is 16˚C. My very first impression of the MeacoCool MC Series 7000BTU Portable Air Conditioner was that the box was much easier to lift than most of the other portable air conditioning units I've tested, a testament to how lightweight this unit is. They siphon up all the hot air inside a room, dump it outside a window through a hose and then replace it with a cool blast of air, giving you that same cool-room experience you get in air-conditioned hotels abroad.