As we head into the hottest part of the year, you may be looking to purchase a new air conditioner to help you cool down over summer.

There are several different types of air conditioner technology that you should understand before you make your purchase. These are explained below. Some of these technologies can co-exist in a single unit - for example, LG makes both inverter split and ducted split systems.

Portable air conditioners

A portable air conditioner is exactly what the name suggests - a cooling unit that can be moved from room to room and plugged into any powerpoint. They tend to be the cheapest air conditioners, and are mostly the least effective. You probably won’t be able to cool more than a single room with a typical portable air conditioner, so if you live in a studio or small one-bedroom apartment, this option might suit you.

DeLonghi and Dimplex portable air conditioners are a popular choice.

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Window wall air conditioners

Once again, the name gives it away. Window/wall air conditioners are designed to be fitted in a window or wall and are generally more powerful than their portable counterparts. If you have a larger room or space to cool of up to 50 square metres or so, then this is the air con unit for you.

LG window wall air conditioners, like the one pictured here, are worth taking a look at.

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Split system air conditioners

If you need to cool more than one room, a split system air conditioner is one of your options. They can also cool single rooms that are slightly larger than the 50 square metres that a window wall unit can cover, and therefore tend to be more expensive. The name “split system” comes from the fact that the main compressor unit is housed outside the premises while the outlet(s) through which the air flows are located inside.

These days multi split system air conditioners are available for domestic premises, although they’re still more common for commercial buildings. The technology is the same but they cool on a larger scale - sometimes up to nine rooms. They are still fairly expensive to buy and install.

The best split system air conditioners are from LG, Mitsubishi and Fujitsu.

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Central ducted air conditioners

Central ducted air conditioners are the most expensive of all the cooling-only systems to install and are generally only used for large commercial premises (such as office blocks) or very large, multi-room houses. A fan and motor sit outside and distribute the cool air around the various rooms via ducts. These systems need to be installed be a professional.

Many professionals recommend Daikin central ducted air conditioning systems.

Inverter air conditioners

Some of the air conditioner types mentioned above are available with inverter technology. This means they are constantly on and adjust themselves to maintain the desired room temperature, rather than switching themselves on and off to do so (which is how traditional air conditioner technology works). This makes them quieter and more energy efficient, and thus cheaper to operate, than conventional air conditioners.

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Reverse cycle air conditioners

Reverse cycle air conditioners are capable of both cooling your home in summer and warming them up in winter. Because of this dual functionality, they are more expensive to buy than most cooling-only models, however they can work out cheaper in the long run - you won’t have to buy a separate heater and they are cheaper to run.

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By Caroline Warnes