As the UK experiences hotter summers and more regular heatwaves, households have been grappling with how to keep sweltering homes as cool as possible. Air conditioning has been in hot demand, with retailers seeing their stock fly off the shelves and units online sell out. The technology already features in many modern cars, hotels and other public places, yet historically homes have been designed to cope with cold weather and keeping heat in them. Is it time the technology became a feature in most British homes?
The main function of air conditioning is to cool the temperature inside a building. There are three main types of air con systems designed for homes. Portable air conditioners are standalone units that can be used to cool individual rooms. They are simply plugged into the nearest socket and work by drawing in warm air, cooling it, and venting heat outside through a window via a pipe or ducting. Split systems involve two units, one inside and one outside, that are fixed to a wall and linked by a pipe. The one outside acts as a condenser, which expels the unwanted heat into the air outside. According to LG, you can buy one for just one room or get multiple indoor units to work with a single outdoor condenser. British Gas says such “ductless systems” are one of the most common options for UK homes. Ducted air con systems are designed to serve the entire home, with a central unit pushing cooled air through a network of ducting, with vents in each room. Unlike the other options, this would require invasive renovation work to an existing property.
“As UK summers get hotter, air conditioning demand soars, with portable units from £149 to ducted systems costing up to £10,000.”
Costs range widely depending on what is wanted and/or required. Portable units are the cheapest form of air con, ranging from £350 to £650 on average, according to Checkatrade. However, as demand has soared in recent weeks some retailers began selling the cooling machines for £149, as Lidl did in its middle aisles. Wall mounted or split air con units can cost between £750 and £1,100 each, Checkatrade says – but that is just the unit, and does not include labour and other installation costs. Installation company Heatable suggests a full cost is typically £2,000 to £3,500, but can go up to £6,000 if you want it in more than one room. Ducted air con systems cost the most, between £990 and £1,750 without installation costs, according to Checkatrade. Heatable estimates it to be between £5,000 and £10,000, depending on property size, layout and how complex the ductwork needs to be.