Why Surrey homes run warm
Surrey's housing stock leans large and bright, and that is exactly why it overheats. The detached family homes around Cobham, Esher and Weybridge — and the newer builds on private and gated roads — tend to have generous glazing: bi-fold doors onto the garden, glazed extensions, floor-to-ceiling windows on the landing. Lovely light for most of the year. In a warm spell, though, all that glass traps heat, and big open-plan spaces are slow to cool down once the sun has moved off them.
Upstairs is usually worse. Loft conversions and bedrooms under the roof in Guildford's older streets hold heat long after dark, and with plenty of people in the county working from home — often in a converted spare room or garden office — a hot house is no longer just an August annoyance.
On cost, we would rather not throw numbers at you that turn out to be wrong for your house. What a system costs depends on how many rooms you want covered, where the outdoor unit can go and the state of your electrics, and quotes for the same job can vary a lot. Our guide to air conditioning costs in the UK sets out realistic ranges and explains what pushes a price up or down. One thing worth knowing before you write the idea off as a luxury: a modern split system is a reversible air-to-air heat pump, so the same unit that cools a room in July can heat it cheaply in January.
Planning and practical checks worth doing first
Plenty of Surrey towns and villages have conservation areas, and the county has its share of listed buildings. That does not automatically rule out an external unit, but it does mean checking with your local planning authority before anything is fixed to a wall — and being wary of anyone who tells you not to bother. Flats and leasehold properties will almost always need the freeholder's consent too.
Electrics are the other thing to look at early. Larger systems put real demand on a consumer unit, and some older homes need work done before an installation can go ahead. Our guide to whether your home's electrics can handle air conditioning covers what to check and who should check it.
Where Coolhouse is up to in Surrey
Straight answer: we are not live in Surrey yet. Our vetted installers currently work in Hertfordshire, and Surrey is on the list as we build the network out. If you leave your details through our estimate tool, we will tell you honestly where we are up to and get in touch when installers covering your area come on board. No pretending otherwise — just a straight answer when we have one.