Why Islington homes run hot
The borough's housing stock is dominated by solid-brick Georgian and Victorian terraces, and a large share of them have been carved into flats. That combination is almost designed to overheat. Solid brick soaks up heat all day and releases it into the evening, tall sash windows let the sun pour in, and a one-sided conversion flat rarely has any cross-ventilation. Top-floor and loft flats around Highbury Fields and off Upper Street get it worst — heat from every flat below rises into them, and there is nowhere for it to go.
The fix most people land on is a split-system air conditioner, which in these homes earns its keep twice. A modern split is a reversible air-to-air heat pump: it cools in summer and heats in winter, putting out several units of heat for every unit of electricity it uses. In a draughty period flat that can make it a genuinely cheap way to heat a room, not just a summer luxury. Prices vary too much with access, wall build-up and pipe runs for us to put an honest number on this page — our cost guide explains what moves the price and what a fair quote looks like.
Conservation areas, freeholders and old wiring
Much of Islington sits within conservation areas, so before anyone fixes an outdoor unit to your building, check with the council first. Do not assume — a listed terrace or a conservation-area frontage changes what is possible, and with so little outdoor space the unit often ends up on a rear elevation, in a lightwell or on a flat roof, which takes some thought.
- Flats and leaseholds — the norm here — almost always need freeholder consent before an external unit goes up.
- Old wiring matters too. Many period conversions need an electrical inspection first, and some need a consumer unit upgrade before an install. See whether your electrics can handle it.
Where Coolhouse is up to in Islington
Straight answer: our vetted installers are currently in Hertfordshire, and we are building our London network now. We will not pretend otherwise, and we will not promise a quote we cannot yet deliver. If you leave your details, we will tell you honestly where things stand and match you up as installers covering N and EC postcodes come on board — early interest helps us decide where to expand first.