The recent heatwaves mean that many people in northern Europe are now looking at new ways to cool their homes.

Historically, northern European building design has prioritised heating, but more home owners are considering adding air conditioning.

While 88% of US homes have air conditioning, only about 3% of UK homes have it.

What are the big issues?

Fitting an air-conditioning system to an existing home is likely to cost more than £6,000 for a whole house. It will also mean running pipework through walls, which may require renovation afterwards. Running costs range from a few hundred pounds to a few thousand per year depending on the size of the UK property. It is worth remembering that electricity in the UK is twice the cost of the US, where more homes have air conditioning.

Typically, to fit air conditioning you have an outdoor unit (the condenser) and a fan unit mounted on the wall or in the ceiling, connected by pipes. These pipes feed cold water from the condenser into the fan unit, which cools the air (which can be reversed in winter to provide heating). This is known as a split system.

Then there’s planning and consent. Condensers generate noise and can be unsightly. You generally don’t need planning permission if units are........

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