Can you run two Portable ACs at once?

Running two portable air conditioners simultaneously on the same circuit is not a good practice, as it will increase energy consumption or may trip your circuit breaker.

But still, if you want to run two portable ACs simultaneously, I’ll show you whether you can do it or not. 

Also, I’ll tell you an alternative to portable ACs that will consume less energy! 

Quick Answer: You can run two portable air conditioners at the same time on the same circuit if they do not draw current more than the ampere rating of the circuit (15A – 20A). A 15A circuit and 110V – 120V outlet voltage (US) will not support two portable air conditioners. On the other hand, you can easily run two portable air conditioners when the outlet voltage is 220V – 230V (Europe and UK) and the circuit ampere rating is 15A – 20A.

When would running two portable ACs blow my fuse?

Whether you can run two portable ACs depends on several factors, such as the power consumption of both air conditioners, the ampere rating of the circuit, and the outlet voltage in your region. 

You can run two portable air conditioners at the same time if the amount of current they draw from the circuit is less than the ampere rating of the circuit. 

In this article, we’re going to check whether your home’s circuit can support two portable air conditioners. All you need is the power rating of your portable AC.

Ideally, you should also know your home’s circuit current rating (15A, or 20A). If you don’t know which one you have, then just assume 15A. Better safe than sorry.

If the ampere rating of both portable air conditioners exceeds the circuit’s rating, the breaker will trip and cut off the electrical supply.

Your air conditioners’ current is determined by their wattage (Power consumption) and outlet voltage.

I = P ÷ V

Electric power formula to answer: How much current does a device draw?

Here:

I denotes Current

P denotes Power consumption

V denotes outlet voltage. 

According to the formula of Power, if outlet voltage increases, the current decreases, and if the wattage of air conditioners increases, then they draw more current from the circuit. 

It is common for circuits to have an ampere rating of 15A or 20A and an outlet voltage of 110V – 120V in the USA and 220 – 230V in the UK and in Europe.

Can you run two portable ACs at the same time on 15A Circuits?

Usually, portable air conditioners use a maximum power of 940 Watts – 1650 Watts. So, to find the exact answer to our question, I will analyze the power consumption and the amount of current portable air conditioners draw.

I will also highlight the region (As the outlet voltage rating in the US is 120V, and 230V in the UK and Europe)

So, It’s clear that you can’t run two portable air conditioners in the USA (110V – 120V), as both will draw more current than the circuit breaker ampere rating (15A), and your ACs would trip. 

For Europe and the UK region (220V – 230V), you can easily run two portable ACs, because they would draw less than 15A altogether.

Can you run two portable ACs at the same time on 20A Circuits?

As you can see in the above table, the scenario is slightly different for a 20A circuit. 

In the USA you can only run two portable ACs on a 20A circuit if their power rating is below 1180W. 

In Europe you can always run two portable ACs because both ACs would draw less than 20A altogether. 

Can you run two portable air conditioners on different circuits? 

If you have a dedicated circuit for each portable air conditioner you want to run (for example two separate rooms), then you can run two portable air conditioners simultaneously.

The problem is running air conditioners on the same circuit because it may exceed the ampere rating of the circuit breaker (15A – 20A), causing it to trip and cut off the power. 

What’s the best alternative to running two portable air conditioners?

As you see, two portable air conditioners running in a room simultaneously on the same circuit is not a good idea considering the combined power consumption of both ACs.

It will increase energy consumption, and you don’t want to spend too much on energy bills, right? 

Instead of running two portable ACs simultaneously, a much more energy-efficient cooling method is using a single window air conditioner.

My personal recommendation is this BLACK+DECKER window air conditioner (click here to view it on amazon).

Window air conditioners consume less power, and are more powerful and more efficient than portable air conditioners.

Another advantage of window air conditioners is that they don’t occupy floor space, so they are very well-suited for small rooms or larger rooms with little floor space. 

Now, let’s see how Window AC is better than portable AC in terms of energy and efficiency. 

Comparing the Efficiency of Portable and Window ACs

As we’ve discussed before, the power consumption of Portable ACs ranges between 940W  – 1650 W (rough estimate); it’s time to analyze their BTU (cooling capacity) 

By dividing the cooling capacity by the power consumption, you get an efficiency rating that tells you how much BTU of cooling you get per Watt of power.

So, the efficiency of most portable ACs ranges from 8.4 to 8.5. Now, let’s compare it with window ACs. 

Window ACs have less power consumption and BTU (Capacity). But are they as efficient as portable ACs? Let’s have a look!

Now, you can see that the efficiency of portable ACs is greater than that of window ACs. 

According to these numbers, a window AC is 17.64% more efficient than a portable air conditioner.

Hence, the running cost of portable ACs is always higher than window ACs.

Also, a window AC requires no space in the room (as you just need a window to install your AC in). 

 So, I’d recommend replacing your portable AC with a window AC. 

Can I use a portable AC in a room with no windows?

Although a window is the best option to vent out warm air from the portable AC, there are other options as well. 

A pipe can be installed through a large hole drilled in the wall or ceiling to exhaust the warm air. If you don’t want to drill the hole, you can use the door to vent your portable AC.

Conclusion

Yes, you can run two weak portable ACs on US wall outlets simultaneously. And in Europe and the UK, you can run any two portable ACs simultaneously.

But doing that is not very efficient.

Instead, you should get a window air conditioner. Window air conditioners provide more cooling for your money and will look a lot better than having two portable ACs blocking half of your room’s floor space.