Why Tower Hamlets homes get so hot
Tower Hamlets has two housing stories, and both overheat for different reasons. Around Canary Wharf, the Isle of Dogs and the riverside at Wapping and Limehouse, thousands of flats sit in modern towers and warehouse conversions with big glazing, sealed facades and often a single aspect — once the sun gets in, the heat has nowhere to go. A building designed to hold warmth in January does the same job in July whether you want it to or not. The Victorian terraces of Bow, Bethnal Green and Mile End work the other way round: solid brick soaks up heat all day and releases it overnight, and the top-floor bedroom under the roof is usually the worst room in the house. Central London nights also stay warmer than the suburbs, so opening a sash window often does less than you would hope. If you are in one of the terraces, our guide to air conditioning in Victorian homes covers what installers look for.
A modern split system is worth knowing about because it is a reversible air-to-air heat pump: it cools in summer and heats in winter, and it delivers considerably more heating or cooling than the electricity it draws. We would rather not quote prices for a borough where we have not yet priced real jobs — our cost guide explains what genuinely pushes the number up or down.
The Tower Hamlets complication: leasehold
Here is the bit many installers skip past. Most homes in the borough are flats, and flats are almost always leasehold, so you will very likely need written consent from your freeholder or managing agent before an outdoor unit goes on a balcony, wall or roof. In the larger developments, building management often has its own rules about the facade. It is rarely an outright no, but it is a process, and it is far better started before you collect quotes than after.
For the terraces, the questions are different: older wiring may need checking before you add a system, and some streets sit in conservation areas, so it is worth asking the council before fixing anything to a front elevation. One more honest note: air-to-air systems are not covered by the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which applies to air-to-water heat pumps.
Where Coolhouse is up to in East London
Straight answer: our vetted installers currently work in Hertfordshire, and we have not yet signed anyone we are happy to recommend in the E postcodes. We are building that network now. Leave your details through our estimate tool and we will tell you honestly where we have got to, and match you the moment a local installer we trust comes on board. No fake urgency, and no passing your number to whoever pays.