Why Warwickshire homes overheat
The county's most distinctive housing is also its warmest. Leamington's Regency terraces and villas were built with tall ceilings and generous sash windows — elegant, but big south-facing glazing can turn upper floors into greenhouses on a sunny afternoon, and solid masonry walls hold that heat well into the evening. Stratford adds its own complication: a town centre full of timber-framed and listed buildings where nothing about an installation is straightforward. Rugby and Warwick have street after street of Victorian and Edwardian terraces with the same overheating problem in miniature, plus loft conversions that are routinely the hottest room in the house. The newer estates on the edges of Warwick and Leamington have the opposite issue: modern insulation is very good at keeping heat in — in August as well as January.
The part most people don't know is that a modern split system works in both seasons. It's a reversible air-to-air heat pump, so it cools in summer and heats in winter, putting out several times more heat than the electricity it draws. Costs vary a lot with the property and the number of rooms, so rather than quote figures here that may not match your house, our cost guide sets out what actually drives the price. One honest caveat: air-to-air systems don't qualify for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which only covers air-to-water heat pumps.
Listed buildings, conservation areas and older wiring
This matters more in Warwickshire than in most counties. Stratford-upon-Avon is heavily listed, and much of central Leamington and Warwick sits within conservation areas — so before any outdoor unit goes on a wall, check with your district council about whether consent is needed. We won't pretend it's always fine; sometimes it isn't, and a good installer will talk you through the options rather than gloss over it. Flats and leasehold properties almost always need the freeholder's consent too.
Older homes also need their electrics checked before anything is installed — many Regency and Victorian properties need a consumer unit upgrade first. There's more in our guide on whether your home's electrics can handle air conditioning.
Where Coolhouse is up to in Warwickshire
Straight answer: we're not live here yet. Our vetted installers currently work in Hertfordshire, and we're building our network elsewhere as demand shows us where to go next. If you register your interest, we won't promise a quote we can't deliver — we'll tell you honestly where we're up to and get in touch as installers near you come on board. Early interest genuinely helps us prioritise Warwickshire sooner.