How many summers until a split costs less than a portable?
A split pays for itself against a portable in ≈15.2 summers on running costs alone: it costs £1,115.50 more up front with installation at £608.00, the low end of published UK prices, and saves £73.52 over 400 hours (25 Sep 2026). Put your own quote in the installation box.
estimate
Worked example, already calculated
≈15.2 summers
What is editable
Split shelf price is the median of 14 observed listings whose stated capacity is 2.0–3.5 kW and whose price is £400–£2,500, observed 25 Sep 2026. It is not a Daikin Perfera shelf price — that model has no row in the price file.
Portable shelf price is the observed price of Meaco Cirro® 12000 BTU Super Quiet Smart Portable Air Conditioner - Cooling Only (£519.99).
Seasonal saving compares the cost of delivering 2.5 kW for the hours you set: split uses SEER 9.5, portable uses EER 2.6 from that portable’s row. If the saving is zero or negative, the page says there is no finite payback.
| Piece | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Split shelf price | £1,027.49 | median, n=14, 25 Sep 2026 |
| Portable shelf price | £519.99 | observed retail row |
| Installation | £608.00 | low end of the published UK labour share £608.00–£2,127.00 (Checkatrade May 2026; TradeMatch May 2026; Electrifusion 3 May 2026; AC Journey 31 May 2026) |
| Extra up front | £1,115.50 | split + install − portable |
| Saving over 400 h | £73.52 | equal 2.5 kW service |
| Payback | ≈15.2 summers | extra ÷ seasonal saving |
Next pages
unit_prices_observed.csv; Perfera SEER from the model catalogue; portable EER from the retail/EPREL join · 25 Sep 2026 · n=14 · years = (split price + install − portable price) / (portable £ − split £) at equal delivered kW · updated 25 Sep 2026 · version 1.0.0 · CSV of the values on this page
Source detail
Installation defaults to the low end of the UK labour share in install_cost.csv (£608.00–£2,127.00; Checkatrade May 2026; TradeMatch May 2026; Electrifusion 3 May 2026; AC Journey 31 May 2026).