MeacoCool MC 7000 review: A great-value portable air conditioner for small rooms

If the heat of summer is getting too much and a fan just won’t do, it might be time to consider buying a portable air conditioner (PAC) to keep those temperatures down. Contrary to what you might think, though, you don’t have to spend a fortune to get effective cooling.

The MeacoCool MC 7000, for instance, delivers full air-conditioning capabilities for less than the cost of a Dyson desk fan like the Pure Cool Me. It isn’t the quietest thing in the world but it’s a lot more effective at keeping you cool than a simple air blower.

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MeacoCool MC 7000: Key specifications and price

The MC 7000 sits at the bottom of a range of reasonably priced MeacoCool air conditioning units and it’s designed to cool small or medium-sized rooms from between 12m² and 22m². They’re all the same size, but with different cooling capacities; the larger your room, the higher up the range you need to go. Here’s a quick table detailing all the various options:

MeacoCool MC 7000: What do you get for your money?

All of the MeacoCool MC models come with a decent length of plastic ducting for venting heat out of a window, as well as an adjustable window kit suitable for sash windows or sliding doors. That’s pretty good considering some more expensive air conditioners don’t include one at all. If your windows hinge outwards, however, you’ll need to stump up £20 extra for the flexible window kit so the air conditioner can work efficiently.

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Also in the box is a short pipe for draining moisture from the water collection tank and a small remote control. The latter allows you to turn the unit on and off, adjust the fan speed and temperature, switch modes and set the on/off timer. These controls are mirrored on the panel at the front of the air conditioner, along with a simple LED screen that indicates the target temperature.

You can set the fan speed to low or high and the temperature between 16℃ and 32℃, although it’s probably sensible not to go too low, as the room will quickly get too cold. The unit also has a dedicated fan mode and a Dry dehumidifier mode, although to run in the latter you have to have the drain hose permanently attached.

The unit is small and light enough to manhandle from room to room, too, and small casters attached to the base make it easy to manoeuvre on hard floors. If you have carpet, however, you’ll have to lift it.

MeacoCool MC 7000: How well does it cool?

This is the smallest, and least capable, of the MeacoCool air conditioners but it’s ideal for the rooms in my late 19th-century Victorian terrace. Most of the rooms in this narrow house easily fit within the guidelines for this unit and the MeacoCool had no trouble cooling them down and pretty quickly, too.

Alas, the weather hasn’t been particularly warm during the test period so I can’t give more accurate details than this yet, but it’s a good sign that the unit managed to keep rooms cool even without the installation of a window kit.

If you’re going to be running your air conditioner for long periods, though, you will want to make sure you get a good seal around your windows and shut internal doors. This will ensure you’re not wasting electricity unnecessarily.

MeacoCool MC 7000: Is it noisy?

With rated maximum noise levels of 65dB in high mode and 53dB in low fan mode, the MC 7000 is noticeably louder than your average tower fan (we measured the noise levels at 62dB and 56dB respectively). There’s also a slight buzzing that accompanies the unit while it cools, too, so it isn’t the ideal choice to run overnight in a bedroom.

We do wish it had a lower fan speed to keep the noise levels down but, having said that, this isn’t all that different from most air conditioners at around this price.

MeacoCool MC 7000: Is it energy-efficient?

The MeacoCool MC Series 7000 has an energy rating of A and maximum power consumption is quoted at 780W. We didn’t see power draw reach that level, though.

In Cool mode, it hovered at around 667W with the fan speed set to low and rose to around 672W with the fan at high speed. That’s with the temperature set to its coldest level of 16℃, so over time that should fall to a lower level.

Like most air conditioners, the MeacoCool MC Series 7000 uses refrigerant to cool the air, but it does use the more sustainable R290 variant so it’s a little greener than older air-conditioners that use R410A or R22.

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MeacoCool MC 7000: Should I buy it?

The MeacoCool MC 7000 is best for use during the day for cooling a home office, or for cooling down a bedroom before you hit the sack. It’s very effective for small to medium-sized rooms, cheap to buy and the fact that it comes with a window kit as standard is excellent news if you’re overheated and strapped for cash.

Just be aware that the noise levels and limited number of fan speeds mean it’s too noisy to leave on overnight.