Why London homes get so hot
London sits in its own bubble of warmth. Brick, tarmac and glass soak up heat all day and let it go slowly at night, which is why the city runs several degrees warmer than the countryside just outside the M25. The nights are the hard part — the streets never quite cool down, so a bedroom that was stuffy at six in the evening is still stuffy at two in the morning.
The housing stock makes it worse. Victorian and Edwardian terraces in places like Islington, Camden and Wandsworth have solid brick walls that hold on to heat for days once a warm spell settles in. Top-floor flat conversions and mansion blocks collect all the heat rising through the building, with no easy way to shed it. Newer riverside flats with floor-to-ceiling glazing can be hotter still. If you own an older property, our guide to air conditioning in Victorian homes goes into the detail.
On price, we would rather not throw numbers at you, because the honest answer depends on your property: how many rooms you want cooled, how far the pipework has to run, and what your electrics can take. Our UK air conditioning cost guide walks through what actually drives the figure. One thing worth knowing: a modern split system is also an air-to-air heat pump, so the same unit can heat your rooms in winter.
The London complications worth sorting first
- Flats and leasehold. Much of London lives in leasehold flats, and fitting an external unit almost always needs the freeholder's consent. Start that conversation before anything else — it is the most common cause of delay.
- Conservation areas and listed buildings. Boroughs such as Camden, Islington and Richmond have large conservation areas, and much of central London is covered too. That does not automatically rule out an external unit, but it does mean checking with your borough before anything goes on a wall. Never assume.
- Electrics. Older London homes often need their consumer unit looked at before an installer will quote. A qualified electrician can tell you quickly whether yours is up to the job.
Where Coolhouse is up to in London
Straight answer: we are not live in Greater London yet. Our vetted installers currently work in Hertfordshire, just north of the capital, and we are building the London network now. Vetting takes time, and we would rather do it properly than list anyone with a van. If you leave your details through our estimate tool, we will tell you plainly where we have got to, and match you when installers in your part of London come on board.