The UK is in the middle of another heatwave, and as record-breaking June temperatures lead to sleepless nights in the sticky heat, households across the country are asking if it is finally time to take the plunge and invest in air conditioning.
While air conditioning units are common in most American homes, households in Britain stick to fans and open windows to keep themselves cool. But with this June reaching record-high temperatures, it could be a worthwhile purchase. An estimated four million homes in the UK now have air conditioning – nearly 1.9 million of those built-in units – double the figure from three years ago. In the US, as many as 90 per cent of homes and commercial buildings have built in AC units.
According to installation data from home cooling specialists BOXT, demand for residential air conditioning installations rose by 495 per cent in May alone, and they are on track to sell as many units by the end of June as they did during the whole of 2025, with many customers using their next-day installation service.
Adam Knight, a lead engineer at BOXT with over 17 years of industry experience, says, “We’re seeing a sharp rise in demand, and it’s a trend we expect to continue. More people are recognising that air conditioning is no longer just a luxury, and that it’s a smart, long-term investment in comfort and wellbeing, especially as UK summers become hotter and more unpredictable.”
