Number of air conditioned UK homes doubles to more than 4m in three years

An estimated 4m homes in the UK now have air conditioning, double the figure from three years ago as Britons complain of “unliveable” conditions during high temperatures.

Portable units with power ratings around 1kW are slightly more common than the more powerful built-in versions that can guzzle 2.7kW of power – more than an electric oven.

Experts suggest the increase in ownership is the result of more people working from home and rising summer temperatures. Some of the UK’s warmest summers have been in recent years, and the UK’s hottest day was in July 2022, when temperatures hit 40C.

Aria Toupchi, who runs London air conditioning specialists Debonair Cooling, said demand for its cooling systems, which cost about £2,500 per room, was coming from owners of both period and new-build properties. “They are struggling to sleep at night, or have children with breathing problems,” he said, adding that loft conversions were also posing problems. “I’ve seen loft rooms go up to 50C. It’s unlivable.”

The government’s climate advisers said in a report this week that British homes would need air conditioning to survive predicted levels of global heating, as measures such as drawing curtains, opening windows and growing trees for shade were unlikely to be enough.

Air conditioning should be installed in all care homes and hospitals within the next 10 years, the Climate Change Committee said in its findings on adapting to the impacts of global heating. With heatwaves expected to exceed 40C in all parts of the UK by 2050 and about nine in 10 UK homes were likely to overheat.

Air conditioning is energy intensive, accounting for about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. More efficient modern systems can use heat pumps, the purchase of which is already subsidised by the government to replace gas boilers, but these are rarely installed at present.

Britons have traditionally reached for fans to cope with high temperatures but a bigger range of portable air conditioning units is now available on the high street.

“We’re seeing a clear shift in how people in the UK think about indoor comfort,” said Ciaran Murphy, the chief executive at Dimplex Consumer Products, which sells cooling gadgets, including a£440 portable air conditioner and dehumidifier unit. “Air conditioning was once viewed as a luxury for a few hot days a year, but cooling solutions are increasingly being considered essential in the home.”