Why Stevenage homes run hot
The post-war estates that make up most of the town — Bedwell, Broadwater, Chells, Shephall, Pin Green — were built quickly in the decades after the war, with plenty of glazing to bring light into every room. That glazing is lovely in April and punishing in July, especially in south-facing living rooms and the small bedrooms above them. Town-centre flats and maisonettes have their own problem: heat builds through the day and there is often no easy way to pull cooler air through in the evening. Newer developments such as Chells Manor tend to be better insulated, which cuts heating bills but also traps summer heat indoors.
The upside of new-town construction is that it is usually straightforward to work on. Plain brick walls, sensible layouts and decent access mean a wall-mounted split unit is often a shorter, tidier job here than in older housing stock. We won't quote prices on this page, because the honest answer is that the cost depends on your walls, your pipe runs and your electrics — our cost guide explains what moves the figure up or down. Worth knowing: a modern split system is a reversible air-to-air heat pump, so it can heat in winter as well as cool in summer, though air-to-air systems don't qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Planning, consent and electrics
A few checks before anyone fixes a unit to your wall:
- The Old Town is a different animal from the estates. Older buildings on and around the High Street may carry conservation or listing constraints, so check with Stevenage Borough Council before planning any external unit — don't assume either way.
- Flats and leasehold properties, including the town-centre blocks, need freeholder consent for anything mounted on the building.
- Post-war homes have often been rewired over the years, but older consumer units are still common, and an installer will want your electrics checked before connecting a split system. Our electrics guide explains what to expect.
Where Coolhouse is up to in Stevenage
Honestly: our vetted installers currently cover St Albans and Harpenden, a little way south-west across Hertfordshire. We don't yet have installers in Stevenage, and we won't pretend otherwise. We're building the network here now, and vetting properly takes time. If you leave your details via our estimate tool, we'll tell you plainly where we've got to — no invented waiting lists, no pressure, and we'll let you know the moment that changes.