AIBU to buy air conditioning on credit during this heatwave?

[Pansypots]

I'm currently housebound and taking medication that makes it much harder to cope with the heat.

I'm doing all the right things - windows and curtains closed when the sun in on them, reflective foil on the glass, multiple powerful fans, including a misting one but I'm still finding the heat unbearable. My flat is south facing and has large windows which makes it into an oven in the summer.

It's currently 28c in the flat with the curtains closed and the back windows open because they're catching a cool breeze.

I have asked my landlord about fitting shutters or ceiling fans and been refused.

I'm genuinely considering buying a AC unit but would have to pay for it on my credit card. I can afford the repayments but absolutely hate using it unless it's an emergency. Wibu?

have you considered cellular blinds OP?

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/cat/pleated-cellular-blinds-700225/

I have the ikea ones and kept shut through the day with the window open they really keep the temperature down. they are easy to fit as well in a rental property. And great in winter for the heat!

There are portable air conditioners that will cool a room down. Try that before making an investment that you’ll only lose a few weeks a year.

No not at all unreasonable! It's unreasonable to suffer unnecessarily imo. Heat waves are going to become stronger and more frequent. Buy it now and have it paid off for next summer

Yes it would be a portable unit like this

https://www.screwfix.com/p/air-conditioning-unit-5000btu/931ax

I have thermal blinds which should stop the heat apparently!

How much would it be?

Would it be much less than professionally installed air con? x

It would be around £200.

If you’re suffering don’t think twice about it.

Yes, I think that looks like a good investment. Why would you be unreasonable?

I'm honestly questioning your post. WIBU to purchase something I can afford which would make my life easier.

Yes, we bought a portable aircon for about £300, you just stick the pipe out the window. Thai heatwave is due to break on Monday but I’m sure there’ll be more this summer and in years to come. Just be aware that they are very heavy about 20kg so you may need help moving it to the room you want it in and we don’t move ours about the house. Sorry you are suffering OP.

Unfortunately in the past I've had to be extremely careful with money so buying expensive things isn't easy for me!

I think it’s more unreasonable to put it on a. Credit card. If you can’t afford £169 then I’d worry you won’t be able to afford to actually use it.

Yanbu it's made so much difference to me. I have a chronic condition that makes me very vulnerable in the heat and having a portable air con unit has made the world of difference

We bought one last year after years of putting it off, just for the bedroom. It’s a god send and the cost of running isn’t enormous, but we only really run it at night for sleeping, so from about 9:30/10pm through to the morning. Once the room is cooled it doesn’t kick in much to keep it cool. We also have a cheap rate for O/N electricity. Make sure you calculate the right size in BTU; the aircon centre web site has a calculator and make sure you block the window gap where the hose extracts the air from the room, otherwise you’re just trying to cool the outside. The window closers that came with ours were designed for a sash window, and we have side openers, so I got a piece of acrylic sheet, cut an appropriate hole and Velcro’s it to the inside of the window frame. We then stash the acrylic sheet in the wardrobe when we don’t need the aircon anymore.

If you can't afford to buy it outright, can you afford to actually run it?

Yes I can afford to run it. It's about 60p an hour to run and it won't be running all day every day.

We invested in aircon and use it about 6 months of the year. If you get a portable unit make sure it’s the right power for the size space your trying to cool

Make sure it will actually work with your windows and layout. We tried them but the pipe from the unit to the window really needs to run very straight or it will not work.

I paid for proper AC last year. Fucking love it, it's like sleeping in the chiller section of Tescos now. Best thing I have ever bought, just wish we could have afforded it downstairs as well as the bedroom.

They're great, I bought one years ago when I was living in a high rise that was basically like a greenhouse. Even if it's not that high powered, as long as it makes a stream of cold air that you can sit in, it'll make you so much more comfortable. Look into how you're going to run it out thr window though - ideal is if you have a sash window because then you can just like get a bit of plywood (or cardboard at a pinch) and cut a hole in it, it stops the warm air coming back in the window. My windows were high off the ground so I had to put it on a chest of drawers, not ideal at all!

Just buy it if you want it. Noone on here can tell you that you are being unreasonable.

I have one and it costs £50 a week when it’s boiling, but I couldn’t survive this hot flat without it.

Yes. It’s a sensible purchase. You wouldn’t expect if someones room was 10*c in winter they shouldn’t spend £200 on a heater.

We are bizarrely AC averse in this country I will get a unit when we renovate.

Get one I love ours! They’re not that expensive to use

@WiddlinDiddlin "Make sure it will actually work with your windows and layout. We tried them but the pipe from the unit to the window really needs to run very straight or it will not work."

are you having to move it round the corner or something?

I do that sometimes so it goes out of the balcony door but it still doable

But mostly it goes upwards and out of a window that opens about halfway up the wall

It's still an absolute necessity in the same way some people wouldn't do without heating - new build with similar temps to @Pansypots I completely see why you'd put that on credit

@poodlecat mentioned cellular blinds

I talked to the management company about that and they advised not spending the money because the problem here is the thermal bricks. So if I covered up the windows, the bricks would still be pumping out heat at me. But if it brings the room temp down even by 2°, I would still consider that helpful. So I'm not quite sure what to do there. There's a lot of glass.

Aldi have them for £50 in their special buys from thursday just past. We got one and it’s amazing. Not sure if just Scotland though.

in the meantime, get a huge bag of ice and put it infront of your fan. It then blows colder air. Works the same with a bowl of water with fake ice cubes in 😂

edited as I can’t spell