Why East Sussex homes run hot
The Sussex coast catches plenty of sun, and the housing stock wasn't built with that in mind. Brighton's Regency squares and dense Victorian terraces — Hanover, Kemptown, the streets running up from the seafront — are solid-brick buildings that soak up heat all day and let it go slowly through the evening. Top-floor flats in converted townhouses are the classic case: heat rises through the building and has nowhere else to go. Eastbourne and Hastings have their own versions of the same problem, from tall seafront blocks with big single-aspect windows to hillside terraces where loft rooms sit directly under the roof.
A modern split-system air conditioner deals with this directly, and it helps to know what you're actually buying: a reversible air-to-air heat pump. It cools in July and heats in January, and because it moves heat around rather than generating it, it can also be a cheap way to heat a single room. What it costs to install depends heavily on the property — where the outdoor unit can sit, how far the pipes have to run, how many rooms you want covered — so rather than quote a figure here that won't match your actual quote, our cost guide breaks down what drives the price.
Flats, conservation areas and old wiring
Three things come up again and again with East Sussex homes, so check them before you get quotes:
- Conservation areas and listed buildings. Brighton has a lot of conservation areas, Lewes's historic core is full of listed buildings, and parts of the county sit inside the South Downs National Park. None of that automatically rules out an outdoor unit, but check with the council before anything goes on an external wall — and don't let an installer wave it away.
- Flats and leasehold. A large share of homes in Brighton and Eastbourne are converted or purpose-built flats. You will almost always need the freeholder's consent for an external unit, so start that conversation early.
- Electrics. Older Regency and Victorian properties sometimes need electrical work before a system can go in, and an electrical condition report (EICR) will tell you where you stand. See our guide on whether your home's electrics can handle air conditioning.
Where Coolhouse is up to in East Sussex
Honestly: we're not live here yet. Our vetted installers currently work in Hertfordshire, and East Sussex is one of the areas we're building towards. If you leave your details, we won't pretend a quote is coming tomorrow — we'll tell you plainly where we're up to, and get in touch as soon as we have a vetted installer covering your part of the county.