Heatwave 2026: how to get a portable AC when everything is sold out

What happens to stock when a heatwave hits

The mechanics are straight out of a supply-and-demand textbook. Demand for portable ACs is not constant: it spikes the moment temperatures rise and everyone decides to buy the same weekend. Supply, by contrast, cannot react that fast, because shops sell the units they already have and restocking a batch takes time.

The result, with the most wanted models like the Midea PortaSplit, is that a whole batch sells out within hours and waits between restocks can run 15 to 20 days. On top of that, at the peak, third-party sellers appear listing units well above the normal price, exploiting the urgency. Understanding this saves you two costly mistakes: thinking there is "none" forever, and falling for a markup out of haste.

When restocks land (and how long they last)

The honest truth is that restocks are not announced: stock arrives with no notice and leaves almost as fast. Even so, there are useful patterns:

• There is no fixed hour, but sites tend to update stock during working hours on weekdays, when deliveries reach the warehouses.
• A small batch can last minutes or hours; it pays to have the purchase half-ready (account created, shipping details set) so you do not lose your turn filling in forms.
• Because Midea spreads batches across several distributors, a restock is rarely from a single shop: if it restocks, there are usually units at more than one at once, so watching several multiplies your options.

The practical conclusion: checking a single shop once a day is useless. What works is watching several at once and reacting the moment one of them becomes buyable again. We develop it in the why the PortaSplit sells out guide.

If you cannot find the one you want: alternatives that are in stock

When the star model is sold out, the worst decision is to pay a third-party markup out of haste. There are almost always options on sale that do the job for surviving the heatwave:

• Available monobloc portables: models like the Cecotec ForceClima or the De’Longhi Pinguino are real air conditioners (not evaporative), cheaper and better stocked than a no-works split. They put the compressor inside the room, so they are noisier, but they cool.
• Honest warning on evaporatives: evaporative "air coolers" are not air conditioning and barely help in a humid heatwave. Do not buy them expecting the cooling of a real AC.

You have the full run-down, with the good and bad of each, in the real alternatives to the PortaSplit guide, all on sale in Spain. If you would rather wait for the PortaSplit, at least do it with a plan to catch it, not by crossing your fingers.

Alert strategy: how to be first

The realistic way to win the stock race in a heatwave is not willpower, it is automation. Instead of refreshing ten sites between meetings, let something watch for you and alert you the instant units appear:

• Watch several shops at once, not one: it multiplies your chances of catching the restock.
• Trust only verified alerts: a good system checks the stock change is for the right product (by its identifier) before alerting you, so it does not send you to the wrong page.
• Prepare the purchase in advance: account created and shipping details ready, so the alert turns into an order in a minute.

AireRadar does exactly that: it continuously monitors Spanish shops, verifies every change against the product identifier and alerts you by email or Telegram with the direct link. You can see how the alerts work and the PortaSplit’s current state on its availability page. The season pass costs €6.90 one-time, valid until 30 September 2026, with instant alerts; a free tier with the public information delayed by 20 minutes also exists. We are independent: we sell no appliances and take no commission from shops.

While you wait: bringing the temperature down without AC

Until you get the unit, there are age-old measures that make several degrees of difference and cost almost nothing:

• Close blinds and curtains against the afternoon sun: blocking the radiation coming through the windows is what prevents the most heat.
• Ventilate at dawn and first thing: open to bring in the cool night air and shut everything tight before the sun bites.
• A fan with a frozen water bottle or ice in front of it: it is not air conditioning, but it moves the air and gives a real, cheap sense of coolness.
• Cut heat sources: switch off and unplug what you are not using, cook at cooler hours, and swap any bulbs that still run hot for LEDs.

They are patches, not a solution, but they help you ride out the peak of the heatwave without despairing while your alert does the job of finding you the unit.