Comparing Coolzy with other air-conditioning technologies

Australian customers awarded Coolzy best portable air-conditioner for 2022.

Coolzy produces more intense local cooling than traditional portables.
Coolzy is the only truly portable and affordable cooling solution at only 15 kg.

Coolzy is quieter, smaller, lighter, and provides the lowest cost, most environmentally responsible cooling solution in the world.

Read more to understand why Coolzy is able to provide the best portable cooling solution.

Split Air Conditioner

A typical wall-mounted split air-conditioner creates 12,000 BTU every hour, enough to cool a 12 square metre room by 10 – 12 °C (18 – 22 °F).

1,000 BTU cooling per spare metre.

The wall unit cools room air and transfers heat to an outdoor unit with a compressor and fan.

 The fast-moving cool air mixes with room air and spreads through the room.

The air-conditioner draws about 900 – 1,200 Watts electricity.

It provides no fresh air ventilation at all, so carbon dioxide and other gases accumulate because the doors and windows are closed.

 

Traditional Portable Air-Conditioner

A normal portable room air-conditioner creates 11,000 BTU cooling every hour and draws about 1,300 Watts electricity.

However, it provides much less room cooling, only 3 – 4 °C (5 – 7 °F).

Why?

A: About 2,700 BTU offsets heat radiating from the hot exhaust pipe.

B: About 6,500 BTU produces cool air that gets sucked into the larger air intake to cool the hot condenser. The heated air is then pumped out through the exhaust pipe, causing warm air to be drawn into the room through many small openings.

C: Only 2,600 BTU remains to cool the 12 square metre room: 220 BTU per square metre, one quarter the room cooling from the split AC.

(numbers change slightly, depending on temperature, humidity, window kit installation, door opening, building structure, and the characteristics of the aircon model)

Coolzy Performance

Coolzy creates about 3,500 BTU cooling every hour and uses only 340 Watts electricity.

Coolzy focuses the cooling on one or more people nearby, over 4 square metres maximum floor area. That’s nearly 900 BTU per square metre, so the cooling is several times more intense compared with a traditional portable AC.

The small amount of warm air rises to the ceiling, just like warm air from your kitchen refrigerator. It escapes through the open window (or doorway).

The cool air jet provides up to 3,000 BTU per square metre cooling intensity at one metre distance.

The apparent cooling inside the optional Igloo tent is 8 – 12 °C (14 – 18 °F), much the same as with a split air-conditioner, but with 70% – 80% less electricity.

Now consider size, weight, noise and the total cooling cost.

Coolzy is smaller, lighter, and easy to carry. You can use it anywhere, even outside in sheltered places.

A traditional ‘portable’ air-conditioner is too large and heavy to carry without help, and must be near a window or doorway to connect its exhaust pipe.

A traditional ‘portable’ air-conditioner makes about the same noise as a kitchen juicer. It is too loud for most people to sleep with.

Coolzy makes much the same sound as an electric fan, ideal for sleeping.

When and where do you need cooling?

A split air-conditioner is great for cooling a crowd.

However, using a split AC all the time costs more than most families can afford, and you install one for every room where you need cooling (or heating in winter).

Coolzy is great for one or two people sleeping.

Coolzy is fine for chatting or watching TV together.

Coolzy is great for working at a desk or in a large space like a warehouse.

Coolzy allows cooling and privacy.

There’s no need to be in the same room as everyone else to be cool.

Coolzy is the only truly portable and affordable cooling solution.

What’s the total cost?

For two months cooling in summer Coolzy costs just 280 € a year including purchase repayments and electricity.

For two months cooling in summer, each single split air-conditioner costs about 1,100 € a year including purchase repayments, installation, and electricity.

A traditional portable air-conditioner provides much less cooling, and still costs 400 € a year, of which 90% is the cost of electricity, of which 75% is wasted.

Coolzy is the least expensive, simplest, most sustainable cooling solution.

(assumes monthly payments for three years with interest rate 18%, typical West European city electricity tariff 0.39 €)

Coolzy: 56 cm high x 27.3 cm x 38.5 cm, 15.4 kg, easy to carry.

Old Style Portable: typically 80 cm high x 40 cm x 45 cm, 32 kg, hard to move, pipe has to be attached to window

In moderately hot weather, a Coolzy can be used on its own (as shown) or with a normal mosquito net. We recommend the optional Igloo bed tent in really hot conditions with indoor temperature over 27°C at night. The tent amplifies cooling over the bed and can also reduce energy consumption by about 30-40% which is ideal for battery and off-grid applications.

Old style portables are unsuitable for bedrooms. They are much noisier and provide about one third of the cooling performance compared with a split AC using the same power. Also humidity builds up in room with time.

Coolzy: use it anywhere because there is no pipe

Old-style Portable: has to be close to a window to attach the large exhaust pipe with the window kit

Coolzy: 349 – 459 € plus 15 – 30 € monthly electricity cost, four months use, total cost over one year 409 – 579 €

Old-style Portable: 300 – 800 € plus 60 – 120 € monthly electricity cost, four months use, total cost over one year  540 – 1280 €.

Coolzy: 800-1,100 Watts cooling, 340 Watts electricity (same as a few lights), 0.25 tonnes CO2 over three years, equivalent to 110 litres of petrol

Old-style Portable: 3,000-7,500 Watts cooling, 900 – 2,400 Watts electricity, 1-2 tonnes CO2 over three years, equivalent to 450-900 litres of petrol.

Coolzy: more intense cooling directed around people using it

Old-style Portable: mixes air in room, most cooling aimed at ceiling, sucks out more air than it cools and sucks in hot air from the hot ceiling spaces through hot light fittings. Only 3 – 4 °C (5 – 7 °F) room cooling.

Coolzy: 41-49 dB – quiet, like an electric fan

Old-style Portable: 55-63 dB – noisy, like a kitchen juicer, can be hard to hear people speak

Note: the higher noise level in the product user manual was obtained under non-standard conditions.

Coolzy: Open windows and doors allow fresh air to circulate, indoor air quality similar to fresh air outside.

Split Air Conditioner: No fresh air circulation at all: carbon dioxide and pathogens accumulate over time.

Old-style Portable (single pipe): Windows closed, however outside air is sucked in because of single exhaust pipe so indoor air quality is similar to fresh air outside.

Old-style Portable (dual pipe): Normally there is no provision to provide fresh air to the room, so indoor air is not refreshed. CO2 and other pollutants accumulate over time.

Coolzy eliminates the need for an exhaust hose: such a wonderful improvement. It is on caster wheels and can easily be moved where you want to use it. At 15.4 kg it is easily carried too. Take it anywhere you need cooling, even outside in sheltered places.

The old-style portable comes with a hose and window kit which is fiddly to install, and only works with some windows. That means you cannot easily move it once you have installed it. Plus the exhaust hose is ugly, helps to heat the room, and makes lots of noise.

 

Answer: A Coolzy releases only 340 Watts, similar to three people in the room. A Coolzy directs its warm air exhaust to the ceiling where the heat is absorbed, just like the warmth from your fridge which you don’t notice (warm air rises naturally). Any excess finds its way out of open windows or doors.

Without sufficient ventilation, even this small amount of heating can raise the temperature in the upper part of a small room. Learn how to provide extra ventilation for a small room.

A Coolzy works in any room, even outside in sheltered places. It creates a micro-climate, a cool zone, up to 4 square metres.

If the temperature inside your bedroom regularly exceeds 27°C at night, the Igloo bed tent provides extra cooling to keep you comfortable, and also provides chemical-free mosquito protection. The Igloo bed tent also reduces the air conditioner power consumption to about 180 Watts average, a valuable saving for off-grid battery installations.

The Igloo bed tent also provides an ideal place for your baby or small child to be cool and comfortable during the day time.

We recommend keeping a Coolzy near you, no more than 1 or 2 metres away.  If you need it further away, or want to useCoolzy while standing, we recommend our Coolzy-Pro Enhancer accessory which extends the range and optionally directs the cool air flow at a higher angle.

If you need to cool a crowded room for 2 – 3 hours, a split AC is effective. Split ACs provide no fresh air exchange and the doors and windows need to be closed to retain the cool air so carbon dioxide, volatile organic compounds and body odours build up with time. Prolonged use of split ACs for sleeping can cause dry itchy eyes and skin irritation from dry air and the running cost can be very high. Expect to pay €1,500 or more to install it and €120 – €250 a month for electricity if you use it for sleeping or during the day.

You can use your Coolzy with the split AC at the same time, leaving the split AC thermostat at a higher temperature to save on running cost. Coolzy provides extra cooling where you need it.

Drink lots of water. Extra hydration is essential to maintain your health in hot weather.

Ceiling fans can be effective in moderate heat.

An electric fan on a table next to a window can draw outside air through the open window and blow it across a bed to provide effective cooling for sleeping. Make sure that there is one other open window or doorway tor air to escape.

Fans provide about 2 degrees of apparent cooling. (Coolzy provides up to 10 degrees of apparent cooling, sometimes more.)

A large roof exhaust fan installed in ceiling of the highest room in the building can provide cost-effective cooling at night for the entire building, especially for brick buildings. The air flow capacity should be about 3,000 – 4,000 m3/hr with a low speed motor drive to ensure quiet running. Arrange for the fan to be switched on around 10 pm, and let it run until about 7 am. Leave some windows open to ensure that fresh air can be drawn into the building and pass through other rooms before reaching the exhaust fan.

Roof exhaust fans prevent a building from getting hotter every day of a heat-wave: the building cools to a temperature 2°C above the night time minimum temperature. A Coolzy can work well with a roof ventilation fan to provide extra cooling when needed.

In dry weather (up to about 60% relative humidity), evaporative (water) coolers can provide effective cooling.  There are many types available, both mobile (not portable) and ducted systems.  Avoid small portable models as they require frequent refilling with water, or have limited effectiveness.  Indirect evaporative coolers provide cooling with only moderate increases in humidity.  Direct evaporative coolers, the more common type, do increase humidity and can cause very high humidity at night. A Coolzy can work well with ducted evaporative cooling systems for homes and offices.

In extremely hot conditions, wet towels draped on your legs can provide effective cooling and sun protection when travelling by car.

Coolzy.com is a Perth and Singapore based start-up company founded in 2007. Inventor James Trevelyan created the concept after experiencing summer heat in Pakistan with intermittent electricity for air conditioning.  He refined the concept with a series of prototypes, assisted by our manufacturers in Taiwan.  Our first commercial models went on sale in India and Pakistan in 2016.