How can you get air conditioning in your home and how much does it cost?

Costs range widely depending on what is wanted and/or required.

Portable units are the cheapest form of air con, ranging from £350 to £650 on average, depending on the brand and performance, according to Checkatrade., external

However, as demand has soared in recent weeks some retailers began selling the cooling machines for £149, as Lidl did in its infamous middle aisles.

Wall mounted or split air con units can cost between £750 and £1,100 each, Checkatrade says – but that is just the unit, and does not include the labour and other installation costs, such as hooking it up to the property’s electricity fuse board. Installation company Heatable suggests, external a full cost is typically £2,000 to £3,500, but can go up to £6,000 if you want to have it in more than one room.

Ducted air con systems cost the most, between £990 and £1,750 without installation costs, according to Checkatrade. Fitting the ducting or remedial work to hide it inside properties means it is likely to be more expensive than any of the other systems given the level of work involved. Heatable estimates it to be between £5,000 and £10,000, depending on the property size, layout and how complex the ductwork needs to be.

The size of both split and ducted units are determined by what is known as the BTU (British Thermal Unit), Checkatrade says, to ensure it will cool the space it’s required to. The larger the BTU number, the bigger the room to cool, and therefore the more expensive the unit.

Following installation, consumer group Which? suggests the running costs “vary wildly” and depend on the type of system.

“A typical portable air conditioner adds roughly 25p to 40p an hour to your electricity bill,” it says.