Meaco MC Pro Series 7000 review: Brilliant budget air conditioner for smaller rooms

The MeacoCool MC Pro Series 7000 is the entry-level model in Meaco’s line of portable air conditioners (PACs), with a 7,000 BTU (British Thermal Unit) rating, intended for smaller spaces. We often underestimate how much small rooms can benefit from a little help in keeping them cool, since it’s usually pretty easy to get a decent airflow going in a large room with multiple windows and a lot of space, but I’ve lived in a pokey. one-bedroom flat, and have worked in some tiny offices, and I would have loved some sweet relief from the summer heat – and I suspect I’m not alone.

The biggest barrier, of course, has always been money, both the upfront expense and the ongoing energy costs. The MC Pro Series 7000 helps here by being relatively cheap and reasonably efficient – even if you consider the environmental impact of running AC all day long. But can it deliver the cooling you’re looking for? I’ve spent a few hot days testing the MC Pro Series 7000 to find out.

Meaco MC Pro Series 7000: What do you get for the money?

A portable air conditioner rated for 7,000BTU, providing enough cooling power for rooms of up to 22m2 in size. It also incorporates fan and dehumidifier functions, and features a sleep mode, two fan speeds, and a turn-on or turn-off timer. The Pro Series 7000 is the least powerful PAC in the MeacoCool range, with other models rated at 8,000BTU all the way up to 16,000BTU. We’ve also tested and reviewed the MC Pro Series 10000 CH if you want to compare performance.

At first glance, there’s actually very little to differentiate between the MC Pro Series 7000 and the MC Pro Series 10000 CH – both use the same 70cm tall casing, with the same 34.1 x 33.5cm footprint. That’s fairly compact by PAC standards and shouldn’t be too tricky to cram into a small-ish living room or bedroom. However, at 20.5kg, the MC Pro Series 7000 is 4kg lighter, which certainly makes a difference if you have to heft it up one or more flights of stairs.

There’s nothing particularly remarkable about the gloss white design with its black top panel, barring the addition of displays on both the front and the top panel, and a set of touch-sensitive controls on the top. The displays show the current temperature or the current target temperature, along with the current mode and fan speed. The controls have been kept simple; however, Meaco not only provides a fully-functional remote control but also a smartphone app, which allows you to control the fan as well as schedule on and off times from your phone. It’s just a bit of a shame to see that the app still has a few rough edges, with placeholder text visible in places, but hopefully this will be sorted out in the next few months.

All PACs need to be positioned next to a window so that the output hose, or duct, can pump the hot air and moisture out through it. For best performance, you need to seal that open window as well as possible, which is why most PACs require a window kit, something that may or may not be bundled in with the PAC. To its credit, Meaco throws in two: a three-part plastic window kit to cover sliding doors or windows, and a flexible plastic fabric window cover that attaches using velco strips. The thee-part kit uses sliding extensions to cover spaces between 65cm and 170cm long, while the flexible kit can fill a space of up to 39cm wide and 400cm long.

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Meaco MC Pro Series 7000 review: How well does it cool?

The MC Pro Series 7000 cools very effectively in the right space. I tested it during the late-June mini-heatwave, as temperatures were reaching 26°C inside the house. In a 5m x 3m bedroom, I saw the temperature drop by two degrees in less than 30 minutes, reaching 22.5°C in under an hour. After that, the temperature stabilised at around 21 to 21.5°C, and couldn’t go any lower without closing the blinds to block the incoming sun. That’s a pretty decent performance, given the conditions.

Unfortunately, the MC Pro Series 7000 struggles in larger spaces. I tested it in my 6m x 4m living room and it was able to maintain temperatures of around 20 to 21°C while the temperature outside was 23°C, but as the temperature outside rose to 25°C, it couldn’t keep the room much below 23°C. Of course, this room is greater than the 22m2 recommended size, and has large windows that let in a lot of heat, so hardly reasonable to complain.

The internal fan definitely helps push cooling air into the room. I measured air speeds of 1.6m/sec on the low setting and 2.2m/sec on the high setting – roughly what I’d expect from a basic tower fan.

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Meaco MC Pro Series 7000 review: Is it noisy?

It is fairly noisy: I measured a peak of 49.6dB with the fan at its highest speed, and noticed some occasional buzzing noises being added to the ambiance. However, that’s still quieter than the more powerful MC Pro Series 10000, not to mention the DeLonghi Pinguino PAC EL112, running at full tilt.

You wouldn’t want it on while you’re sleeping – it’s much smarter to chill the room first, then turn it off before bed – but you should be able to use it while you watch TV if you’re okay to turn up the volume.

Meaco MC Pro Series 7000 review: Is it energy efficient?

A lower BTU rating comes with lower power consumption, and the MC Pro Series 7000 is specified to use a maximum of 780W but, in practice, it frequently uses less. With it set to Cool and the fan at top speed, I saw power consumption peak at 668W and once the temperature was stable at the target level, the power consumption dropped as low as 106W. At 668W, you’d be looking at a running cost of roughly 16.3p per hour at the current average electricity cost of 24.5p per kWh.

Meaco MC Pro Series 7000 review: Should I buy it?

Looking for an affordable PAC for a small flat, living room, or home office? The MC Pro Series 7000 is an excellent choice. It’s cheap to buy and reasonably cheap to run, and still provides effective cooling in small spaces. Admittedly, it’s not the best option when you’re trying to get some sleep, and you’d be better off with the more powerful MC Pro Series 10000 for larger or more open-plan rooms, but if your space and needs are modest, this compact PAC is all you could want.