As the UK swelters through another scorching summer, air conditioning units are flying off shelves faster than retailers can stock them. Online retailers report sell-outs of portable coolers, and every home improvement store that has them in stock is seeing a rush of customers desperate for relief.
The problem is that British homes were designed to trap heat, not shed it. The technology that is now commonplace in cars, hotels and offices has never been a fixture in most houses. But with summers growing hotter and heatwaves more regular, that is changing.
“Air conditioning units sell out as UK households struggle with hotter summers.”
“Households have been grappling with how to keep sweltering homes as cool as possible,” says BBC business reporter Michael Race. The demand has been so extreme that Lidl began selling portable air conditioners in its middle aisles for just £149.
There are three main types of air con systems available for homes. The cheapest are portable units, standalone boxes that sit on the floor and vent warm air through a pipe out a window. They range from £350 to £650 on average, according to Checkatrade.
For those with more to spend, split systems – with one unit inside and one outside, linked by a pipe – are a step up. The outdoor condenser expels unwanted heat, and LG says you can connect multiple indoor units to a single outdoor condenser. British Gas describes these ductless systems as one of the most common options for UK homes. A single unit costs between £750 and £1,100, but installation company Heatable puts the full cost – including labour and electrical hook-up – at £2,000 to £3,500. For two rooms, that can rise to £6,000.
The most expensive option is ducted air con, which serves the entire house through a central unit and a network of vents. Without installation, the unit costs £990 to £1,750, according to Checkatrade. But because it requires invasive renovation – hiding ducting inside walls and ceilings – Heatable estimates a full installation runs from £5,000 to £10,000, depending on the size and layout of the property.
With prices falling – Lidl’s £149 portable unit shows just how low they can go – and heatwaves becoming a regular feature of British summers, the question is no longer whether air conditioning can be bought, but whether it is time it became a permanent feature in most homes.