{"id":96975,"date":"2025-12-31T04:01:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T18:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=96975"},"modified":"2025-12-31T04:01:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T18:31:10","slug":"air-conditioner-scam-mb3347","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioner-scam-mb3347\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian Consumer Alert: Portable Air Conditioner Scams"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Air<\/p>\n

Ads for cheap(ish) so-called “air conditioners” that look a little like small reverse cycle split system head units have been popping up all over the web. Save your money and your time \u2014 they won’t work as advertised for a very simple reason, and may pose fire safety risks.<\/p>\n

We had our first 40-degree+ day in Adelaide for the summer this past week. Our home’s air-conditioner and solar power system<\/a> not only made things more comfortable, but cost comparatively little to run. I always think back to living in Canberra as a kid, when air-con was a luxury that we couldn’t afford and have never taken what we have now for granted.<\/p>\n

Not everyone is so lucky. There are many Australians who will swelter through summer; particularly renters whose landlords’ glorified tents\u00a0they live in are impossible to keep cool economically.<\/p>\n

So, when what appears to be a cheap solution to keeping cool during summer presents, it can be tempting.<\/p>\n

What Do These Portable Air-Con Devices Claim?<\/h2>\n

Leading into the warmer months, there has been an explosion of ads promoting cheap air conditioning devices that look along the lines of this:<\/p>\n

\"Portable<\/p>\n

The idea is you place it wherever or hang it on a wall, plug it in and you’re all set to (in this example) cool a room up to 30 square metres in under 3 minutes through its “special technology”; which of course was developed by an independent inventor inspired by NASA space innovations.<\/p>\n

The vendors of this particular model claim it will help cut your electricity bills up to 80% during the summer.<\/p>\n

That’s not going to happen.<\/p>\n

Why Won’t These Air-Conditioners Perform As Advertised?<\/h2>\n

Aside from its puny size and very limited power, what else can you notice?<\/p>\n

Unlike a real split air-conditioning system, or even a proper portable one, any heat it does drag out of the air has nowhere else to go. It is circulated back into the room. Proper non-evaporative air-conditioning systems pump the transferred heat from the room to outside.<\/p>\n

Just to be clear, the\u00a0 devices I’m focusing on don’t use evaporative technology either. Evaporative cooling works by pulling hot, dry air through water-soaked pads. As the water evaporates, it absorbs heat from the air, cooling it down. A fan then pushes the cooler, now more humid air created into a room. A room still requires ventilation (open window or door) otherwise conditions become pretty sticky quite quickly.<\/p>\n

I had a very small “swampy” unit for my outback property and it worked well if I was sitting in front of it. That’s how it was designed to work; as a personal, not a space, cooler.<\/p>\n

The scam devices are sold under different brand names including:<\/p>\n