With record heat looming, portable home air conditioners are gaining popularity, especially among single-person households. They are relatively affordable, and after purchase they can be installed easily and used right away without any waiting time.

However, most portable home air conditioners were found to be unable to lower the indoor temperature to 24 degrees.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 8th the results of tests evaluating the cooling performance, energy costs, noise, and safety of six models rated for 5 to 8 pyeong.

According to the agency, the time required to lower the indoor temperature to 24 degrees was shortest for the LG Electronics model, at 26 minutes. The Eparam model reached 24 degrees in the 36-minute range. These times were measured after setting the room to 35 degrees without adding insulation and operating the air conditioner at a 24-degree setpoint with strong airflow.

By contrast, four models (Flux, Bokuk Electronics, Weltem, and Hanil Electric) did not bring the indoor temperature down to 24 degrees even after 5 hours.

In particular, some products lacked enough insulation to seal window gaps, allowing hot outdoor air to enter. Portable air conditioners expel heat generated during cooling outdoors through an exhaust hose, and if the gaps around the window and the exhaust hose are not properly sealed, cooling efficiency declines.

All six products provided an exhaust hose, but five of them, excluding the LG Electronics model, lacked insulation, so hot outside air flowed in.

The results changed after reinforcing the insulation and fixing the window. Flux dropped to 24 degrees in the 41-minute range, Bokuk Electronics and Weltem each in the 54-minute range, and Hanil Electric in the 58-minute range. The Eparam model also improved from the 36-minute range to the 31-minute range, about 5 minutes faster.

Without reinforcing insulation, after running the air conditioners at a 24-degree setpoint with strong airflow for 5 hours, the average indoor temperature differed by up to 2.1 degrees among models. LG Electronics and Eparam maintained 23.4∼23.5 degrees, showing a small deviation from the 24-degree setting. In contrast, Weltem was 2.1 degrees higher than the set temperature, Hanil Electric 2.0 degrees, Bokuk Electronics 1.7 degrees, and Flux 1.1 degrees.

Noise levels were higher than those of wall-mounted air conditioners for similar areas. The average noise of the six models when operating at a 24-degree setpoint with strong airflow was 53 decibels, about 9 decibels higher than wall-mounted models for similar areas.

The monthly electricity bill burden was around 38,000 to 42,000 won, and carbon dioxide emissions were 308 to 334 g per hour, with all six models meeting the standard.

Cases needing labeling improvement were also found. Although the actual cooling area of the Flux model is 23㎡ (7 pyeong), it was labeled as 26㎡ (8 pyeong) in the product name on the official website. LG Electronics described an algorithmic drying function based on airflow and operating time as an ‘AI Dry’ function.

A Korea Consumer Agency official said, “When purchasing a portable air conditioner, you should check key quality factors such as cooling performance and noise, and make a selection after comprehensively considering the installation environment and whether insulation materials are provided.”