Air cooler deemed ‘pointless’
A Consumer NZ trial of the Instachill Evaporative Cooler has found it to be ‘‘pointless’’ in the New Zealand climate.
The cooler is sold for up to $899 at Harvey Norman, Mitre 10 and through the As Seen on TV shop claims to replace air conditioning units, potentially saving consumers up to $212 a month.
An evaporative cooler is a fan that blows out cool, damp air by sucking in air, passing it over watersoaked pads and blowing it back into the room.
Evaporative coolers work well in hot, dry climates in Western Australia, or parts of the United States such as Nevada and Arizona, but not in a damp climate such as in New Zealand, Consumer NZ said.
Instachill recommended the product be used in a ventilated area.
‘‘Our operating instructions state: It is not advised to use this air cooler in a closed area or an area without air ventilation. For best results use in an open area or an area with good ventilation.’’
Consumer NZ product test manager Dr Paul Smith said that in tests, the Instachill was found to pump about a litre of water into a room every hour. In poorly ventilated spaces, the cooler could increase the chance of mould.
Smith said evaporative cooler technology was not suitable for New Zealand’s climate. ‘‘It only works effectively in desert conditions, somewhere that is really hot and really dry and we are not really hot and really dry.’’ New Zealanders struggled to keep the dampness in their homes down and the cooler was designed to increase the moisture, Smith said. ‘‘At best it is pointless and at worst it is unhealthy.’’
There were a number of coolers on sale at stores and they all had the same issues, he said. In the trial, the cooler provided a negligible cooling effect and in some instances raised the room temperature.
In the best result of the trial, in a garage with a wide-open door, the Instachill lowered the temperature by half a degree Celsius but increased humidity by 5 per cent.
In a poorly ventilated room, the cooler increased the temperature from 25.9C to 31.4C, he said.
The best way to stay cool was to open windows, to use a fan to create airflow, or to turn a heat pump on to cooling mode.
‘‘Don’t waste money on an evaporative cooler,’’ Smith said.
Phil Squire, Sustainability Trust fair energy manager, said the organisation was outraged to see the Instachill Evaporative Cooler advertised as a replacement for an air-conditioning unit. Squire said businesses were using its lower price point to entice buyers.
While the upfront cost of installing a heat pump or air-conditioning unit might feel out of reach for some, spending up to $900 on the Instachill was not the solution, Squire said.
‘‘There are many simple and often inexpensive ways to cool your home without adding unwanted moisture to the air. We don’t need more mouldy homes and flats in New Zealand.’’ Squire said he was disappointed some major retailers were selling the cooler.
Chris Peak, solutions general manager for Mitre 10 NZ, said that in the case of products sourced from New Zealand suppliers, the retailer expected its suppliers to have determined the suitability of the product for the local market.
‘‘This product is supplied by a national supplier and sold by a range of retailers, with demand driven by As Seen On TV.’’
Instachill was not part of the core Mitre 10 range, he said. Last year, Mitre 10 formalised and implemented a new policy which required suppliers to substantiate any claims made about products before the claim could be made.
Harvey Norman declined to comment.