Meaco Cirro 12000 vs 14000 vs 16000 BTU: Which Size?
Three sizes, two of them inverters, £110 between the cheapest and dearest. A side-by-side of price, power, noise, weight and room size, and how to choose without overbuying.
By KeepCoolExpert Team · Updated 14 October 2026
- Meaco Cirro 12000 BTU
- Meaco Cirro+ 14000 BTU
- Meaco Cirro+ 16000 BTU
Our verdict
Choose by room first. The 12000 suits rooms up to about 30m² and is the only size with independent testing. The 14000 is the sensible step up for 25-35m² if you want an inverter. The 16000 only makes sense for genuinely large spaces: it costs £30 more than the 14000 and draws the most power.
All three Cirro sizes share the same case, window kits, controls, R290 refrigerant and two-year warranty. What changes is capacity, price, whether there’s an inverter, and how much power they draw. We haven’t tested any of them; the figures below are Meaco’s unless noted, and the one independent test (Ideal Home’s) covers the 12000 only.
At a glance
| Cirro 12000 | Cirro+ 14000 | Cirro+ 16000 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price, cooling-only | £519.99 | £599.99 | £629.99 |
| Price, with heating | £539.99 | £629.99 | £659.99 |
| Cooling | 12000 BTU | 14000 BTU | 16000 BTU |
| Heating (heater version) | 10000 BTU at 1100W | 12000 BTU at 1300W | 13000 BTU at 1400W |
| Power in cooling mode | 1350W | 1550W | 1750W |
| Meaco’s running cost per hour | about 36p | about 41p | about 46p |
| Inverter | No | Yes | Yes |
| Meaco’s room-size rating | 20-30m² | 25-35m² | 35-40m² |
| Noise, per Meaco | 45-51dB | 42-51dB | 42-51dB |
| Weight, cooling-only | 28.45kg | 24.9kg | 25kg |
| Maximum airflow | 400m³/hour | 480m³/hour | 460m³/hour |
| Approx. price per 1000 BTU (cooling-only) | £43.33 | £42.86 | £39.37 |
| Stock on 14 Oct 2026 | Unavailable; heater back Oct 2026, cooling-only Mar 2027 | Unavailable; cooling-only back Apr 2027 | Unavailable; cooling-only back Apr 2027 |
Running costs are Meaco’s, worked out at 26.32p/kWh. Swap in your own tariff to get a figure that means something for your house.
Choose by room, not by price per BTU
The price-per-1000-BTU row makes the 16000 look like the best value, but that only holds if you need the capacity. A unit that’s too big costs more to buy and run than one that fits, and takes up more of the room. Start from your room: use our room-size calculator, which accounts for ceiling height, sun exposure and insulation, then match the result to the rating bands above. Meaco labels its room sizes as estimates, so a hot, south-facing room should round up and a shaded, well-insulated one can round down.
Is the inverter worth £80?
Between the 12000 and the 14000 you pay £80 for 2000 more BTU, a lighter body, and an inverter. An inverter varies the compressor’s speed instead of switching it fully on and off, which is meant to hold temperature more steadily and use less energy over a long, steady run such as overnight. Meaco claims up to 35% lower energy consumption on that basis. We couldn’t find an independent test that confirms it. Note also that the 14000’s full-power draw is higher than the 12000’s (1550W against 1350W), because it is a bigger machine. Our guide to inverter and non-inverter portables explains when the saving is likely to show up.
Cooling-only or heating?
The heating versions cost £20 more on the 12000 and £30 more on the 14000 and 16000. On Meaco’s own numbers, the heating output is roughly 2.7 times the electricity used (10000 BTU, about 2.9kW of heat, from 1100W on the 12000, with similar ratios on the other two). That is our arithmetic from Meaco’s figures, not a tested result, and Meaco doesn’t say how the heating output was measured. If it holds up, it would beat a plug-in electric heater, which gives one unit of heat per unit of electricity. For cooling only, the cheaper model is the same machine.
Which should you buy?
- Bedroom or room up to about 30m²: the 12000. It’s the cheapest and the one with independent testing behind it.
- Large bedroom, living room or open-plan space of 25-35m², running for long stretches: the 14000.
- Genuinely large or very sunny space of 35-40m²: the 16000. Otherwise save the £30 and the extra power draw.
All three are currently unavailable, so the practical question is also how long you are prepared to wait. Our Cirro range guide covers current stock and where it was last seen. For how the range compares with Meaco’s older units, see Cirro vs MeacoCool Pro.
Worth considering
Meaco
Meaco Cirro 12000 BTU Smart Portable Air Conditioner
Full review →From £519.99
Currently showing as sold out
- + The cheapest way into the Cirro range and the only one without an inverter: £519.99 cooling-only, £539.99 with heating
- + In Ideal Home's hands-on test (July 2026, cooling-only model) it took a 12m² home office from 27.8°C to 25.6°C in ten minutes
- + Two window kits in the box (a standard sash kit and a flexible fabric one for casement windows) plus a 1.8m exhaust hose
- + R290 refrigerant, A energy rating and a 2-year warranty that Meaco says can be extended to 5
- − Sold out at Meaco direct, Air Con Centre and Meaco Dehumidifiers UK as of 2026-10-14 — Meaco lists the heater version as back in October 2026 and the cooling-only version in March 2027
- − Meaco quotes 45-51dB but doesn't say how that was measured; Ideal Home's reviewer measured 59dB in Super Quiet mode and 62dB in normal cooling
- − Heavy at 28.45kg — the Ideal Home reviewer needed help to unbox it and said it couldn't have gone upstairs without a second person
- − The Ideal Home reviewer couldn't get the unit to connect to the Meaco app and used the remote instead
Meaco
Meaco Cirro+ 14000 BTU Inverter Smart Portable Air Conditioner
Full review →From £599.99
Currently showing as sold out
- + Inverter model — Meaco says it adjusts its output to hold your chosen temperature rather than cycling fully on and off
- + Rated for 25-35m² and, at 24.9kg for the cooling-only version, lighter than the non-inverter 12000
- + Meaco quotes 1550W and about 41p an hour to run at 26.32p/kWh
- + Same two window kits as the rest of the range, R290 refrigerant and a 2-year warranty
- − Cooling-only version sold out at Meaco direct with a stated return date of April 2027, and John Lewis lists the heater version as no longer available online (checked 2026-10-14)
- − £80 more than the non-inverter 12000 for 2000 BTU extra — Meaco's 'up to 35% lower energy' claim is its own and is based on overnight use; we haven't found independent measurements of it
- − Quoted 42-51dB with no stated test method; the only independent test we found measured the 12000 model at 59-62dB, and we found none for this size
Meaco
Meaco Cirro+ 16000 BTU Inverter Smart Portable Air Conditioner
Full review →From £629.99
Currently showing as sold out
- + The biggest in the range: rated for 35-40m², with 16000 BTU of cooling (13000 BTU of heating on the heater version)
- + Inverter model, and at 25kg lighter than the non-inverter 12000 despite the extra capacity
- + Same two window kits, R290 refrigerant and a 2-year warranty as the smaller models
- − The highest running draw in the range at 1750W — Meaco quotes about 46p an hour at 26.32p/kWh
- − Cooling-only version sold out at Meaco direct with a stated return date of April 2027 (checked 2026-10-14)
- − Only £30 more than the 14000 cooling-only — worth checking your room genuinely needs the 35-40m² rating before paying for the extra capacity
- − Quoted 42-51dB with no stated test method, and we found no independent noise measurement for this size
Frequently asked questions
- Is the £80 for the Cirro+ 14000 inverter worth it over the Cirro 12000?
- It buys you 2000 BTU of extra cooling, a body about 3.5kg lighter and an inverter compressor. The inverter's benefit is the part we can't verify: Meaco says up to 35% lower energy use based on overnight use, and we haven't found an independent measurement. If your room is within the 12000's 20-30m² rating and you only run it for a few hours, the cheaper model is the safer buy. If it's a larger room and it will run for long stretches, the 14000 is easier to justify.
- Which Cirro is best for a bedroom?
- For most bedrooms, the 12000. It is the only size where an independent reviewer has measured the noise (59dB in Super Quiet mode, 62dB in normal cooling, against Meaco's 45-51dB), and the larger models cost more and take more floor space for capacity a bedroom rarely needs. Unless your bedroom is large and sun-facing, there is no strong reason to go bigger for sleeping.
- Are the Cirro models in stock?
- Not at the moment. On 14 October 2026 every Cirro model was unavailable at Meaco direct, Air Con Centre and Meaco Dehumidifiers UK. Meaco lists the 12000 heating version as back in October 2026, the 12000 cooling-only in March 2027, and the 14000 and 16000 cooling-only models in April 2027. Dates can slip, so check the retailer before planning around one.