Get that Air Con – you won’t regret it (part 1)
Warming weather trends now mean we regularly have around 40 hot days (25°C or more) each year in London and the South East. (It’s that fine threshold between enjoying blue skies and sunshine to suffocating through muggy summer nights.)
Despite this only an estimated 4 to 7% of UK homes have built-in air conditioning systems! 1, 2 Come on now. It’s 2026. We have self-driving cars and AI in our smartwatches but not air con?
To help you finally decide if you should bite the bullet and buy an air conditioning system for your home, we scoured the internet far and wide for testimonials.
Brits asked fellow Brits for air conditioner recommendations, what air con units do people have in their homes, is it worth it for the UK summer weather, or are they just a waste of money?
Here are real people’s real experiences on forums.
“Best thing I have ever done”
When I say that countless testimonials regard their AC installation as the best decision they made that year, its not just me saying it. And ‘best’ isn’t hyperbole. It’s literally what satisfied customers have said:
“Best decision of my life. … Priceless.” 3
“We got one during the May [2026] heatwave and it’s honestly one of the best investments we’ve ever made.” 4
“Air con unit was the best thing we ever bought.” 5
“If anyone’s spending 50-80k on a loft conversion, spend the extra grand or two and get a proper split unit, best money you’ll ever spend.” 6
“Yeah I’ve just got proper AC installed and my god it’s incredible!” 7
“Modest 3 bed semi whole house and it’s the best thing I have ever done. It’s not too expensive to run … about [£]2.50 a day.” 8
“Its my favorite invention. There is nothing like AC …” 3
- https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/22/air-conditioning-uk-homes-doubles ↩︎
- https://www.reading.ac.uk/news/2026/Research-News/The-most-at-risk-from-heat-have-the-least-air-con ↩︎
- https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/1iijku0/do_you_have_air_conditioning_is_it_worth_it/ ↩︎
- https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/1ubgg5w/anyone_else_cave_and_bought_an_air_con/ ↩︎
- https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/145xjry/have_you_bought_an_air_conditioning_unit/ ↩︎
- https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/1ldsjii/is_air_con_going_to_become_more_and_more/ ↩︎
- https://www.reddit.com/r/CasualUK/comments/1kayz3w/who_here_owns_a_portable_air_conditioning_unit/ ↩︎
- https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/137h561/is_buying_ac_worth_it_for_this_summer/ ↩︎
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