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Aircon Adviser
Independent advice

Guides

Plain-English guides to home air conditioning: systems, costs, installation and choosing the right company.

Costs

How much does ducted air conditioning cost?

Real UK installed prices for ducted (concealed) air conditioning in 2026 by number of rooms, what moves the cost, how it compares with multi-split, and when the whole-home finish is worth the premium.

6 Aug 2026
Buying guides

Air conditioning for home offices and garden rooms

How to cool and heat a home office or a detached garden room for year-round working from home: the best system for each, what it costs to run at work-day rates, keeping it quiet for calls, powering an outbuilding, and the planning rules.

3 Aug 2026
Buying guides

Air conditioning for flats and apartments

What you can install in a flat depends on your lease, your outdoor space, and whether you rent or own. Here is how to cool a flat legally, from portables for renters to a proper split if you can get freeholder consent.

31 Jul 2026
Types

Window air conditioners in the UK: do they work here?

Window air conditioners exist in the UK but rarely suit our homes. Here is why they seldom fit UK windows, and the alternatives worth buying instead.

27 Jul 2026
Types

Smart and Wi-Fi air conditioning explained

What makes an air conditioner smart, how Wi-Fi and app control work, and the two ways to get it: a unit with built-in Wi-Fi, or a low-cost controller that makes almost any unit smart.

24 Jul 2026
Types

Air conditioning without an outdoor unit: your options

How to cool a home with no outdoor condenser, using a monobloc wall unit or a portable, plus the honest trade-offs in efficiency, output and noise.

20 Jul 2026
Buying guides

Conservatory air conditioning: the best way to cool and heat one

Why conservatories overheat, why air conditioning beats blinds and fans, and the best system to cool your conservatory in summer and heat it in winter, with real UK costs.

17 Jul 2026
Running and maintenance

Why is my air conditioner not cooling? Causes and fixes

A UK troubleshooting guide for a home unit that has stopped cooling: the common causes in order, the DIY fixes that cost nothing, and when to call an engineer.

13 Jul 2026
Buying guides

Air cooler vs air conditioner: do air coolers actually work?

An honest UK comparison of evaporative air coolers, portable air conditioners, fans and splits, so you spend your money on cooling that works in a British summer.

10 Jul 2026
Running and maintenance

Air conditioning maintenance: a UK home upkeep guide

Most air conditioning maintenance is simple DIY. Here is how to clean the filters, indoor and outdoor units, drains and portables, and where the F-Gas line falls.

6 Jul 2026
Buying guides

Can I install air conditioning myself? The UK rules explained

A heatwave buyer's guide to what you can legally fit yourself, what needs an F-Gas engineer, and how to buy online without getting caught out.

3 Jul 2026
Woman relaxing on a grey sofa beneath a wall-mounted air conditioner in a bright living room. Living with Air Conditioning

How to keep your house cool in summer

A practical, honest ladder of ways to keep your house cool in a UK heatwave, from free fixes to fans, portable units and fitted air conditioning.

30 Jun 2026
Close-up of a wall-mounted air conditioner with its louvre open and display showing 20 degrees. Buying guides

Best air conditioning units UK: top picks by use case

The best home air conditioning units in the UK by use case, covering fixed wall-mounted splits and portables, with specs, indoor noise, prices and how to choose.

29 Jun 2026
Man sleeping peacefully on a white pillow in a bright bedroom. Buying guides

Quietest portable air conditioners UK

The quietest portable air conditioners on sale in the UK, ranked by noise in decibels, with an honest look at what counts as quiet and the noise-versus-cooling trade-off.

28 Jun 2026
Woman sleeping soundly in bed under a white duvet. Buying guides

Bedroom air conditioning: how to choose a unit quiet enough to sleep through

The quietest bedroom air conditioning, decoded. How many decibels you can sleep through, why splits beat portables on noise, and the UK units that actually hit the numbers.

27 Jun 2026
Portable air conditioner on a wooden porch with its exhaust hose vented through a window. Buying guides

Best portable air conditioners UK 2026

Our ranked picks of the portable air conditioners actually sold in the UK, by use case and budget, with honest noise figures, prices and the no-hose myth busted.

26 Jun 2026
Pedestal fan silhouetted in front of a bright window with sheer curtains. Types

Air conditioning vs fans: which actually cools you?

A fan moves air to make you feel cooler; air conditioning actually lowers the room temperature and dries the air. Here is what each really does, what they cost to run, and when a fan is enough versus when you need AC.

24 Jun 2026
Top control panel of a portable air conditioner set to 23 degrees, with sleep, timer, speed and mode buttons. Buying guides

Portable air conditioners without a hose: do they work?

The honest answer on hose-free portable air conditioners in the UK: why most are evaporative coolers, the one genuine no-hose option, and what to buy if you cannot fit a hose.

23 Jun 2026
Hand pointing a remote control set to 24 degrees in cool mode at a wall-mounted air conditioner. Costs

How much does home air conditioning cost?

Real UK prices for home air conditioning in 2026, by system type, plus running costs, the hidden extras and what moves the price up or down.

22 Jun 2026
Woman adjusting a wall-mounted smart control panel at home in warm evening light. Running and maintenance

Is air conditioning expensive to run? UK running costs explained

Honest, dated running costs for home air conditioning, from pence per hour to a full summer. See the maths, the by-size table, and why AC heating can beat gas.

20 Jun 2026
White wall-mounted air conditioning unit with insulated pipework running into the wall. Buying guides

How to choose an air conditioning system for your home

Single split, multi-split, ducted or portable? A plain-English guide to picking the right home air conditioning unit for your rooms, budget and whether you want heating too.

18 Jun 2026
Air-source heat pump on a plinth outside a brick house, between garden shrubs. Types

Air conditioning vs heat pumps: can AC heat your home?

A reverse-cycle air conditioner is already a heat pump. Here is how home air conditioning and air-source heat pumps really compare, and which warms your home in winter.

16 Jun 2026
Woman sitting on a grey sofa pointing a remote at the air conditioner mounted on the wall above her. Costs

Is home air conditioning worth it?

An honest UK cost-benefit look at home air conditioning: when it earns its money, when it does not, and how to tell which side of the line you are on.

15 Jun 2026
Installer wearing a tool belt fitting the front cover of a wall-mounted air conditioning unit. Installation

How is air conditioning installed?

A plain-English walkthrough of how air conditioning is installed in a UK home, step by step, plus how long it takes, the F-Gas rules and why fitting a split is not a DIY job.

13 Jun 2026
Mother giving her daughter a piggyback in a bright living room with a wall-mounted air conditioner. Buying guides

What size air conditioning do I need? BTU and kW sizing guide

How to work out the right air conditioning size for a room in BTU and kW, with a clear UK sizing table, the adjustments that change your answer, and a worked example.

12 Jun 2026
Engineer checking refrigerant pressure gauges on an outdoor air conditioning unit on a rooftop. Running and maintenance

How often should air conditioning be serviced?

A professional service once a year is the UK norm for home air conditioning, with simple filter cleaning by you in between. Here is what a service covers, what it costs, and what you can safely do yourself.

11 Jun 2026
Dyson bladeless purifying fan on a desk beside a computer and houseplants. Types

Dyson air conditioning explained: does Dyson make an aircon unit?

Dyson does not make an air conditioner. Here is what its fans, heaters and purifiers really do, why they cannot cool a room, and what to buy if you want real cooling.

9 Jun 2026
Toddler taking early steps with arms outstretched while parents watch, an air conditioner on the wall behind. Living with Air Conditioning

Is air conditioning bad for your health?

A calm, evidence-led look at whether home air conditioning is bad for you, separating myth from fact on colds, dry air, allergies, legionella and sleep, plus how to run it healthily.

8 Jun 2026
Air conditioning outdoor unit mounted on a bracket on the outside wall of a rendered house, below a window. Installation

Do you need planning permission for air conditioning?

A cooling-only unit usually needs full planning permission in England, while a reverse-cycle (heat and cool) unit is often permitted development. Here are the rules, the conditions and the exceptions.

6 Jun 2026
Gloved hand sliding the filter out of an open wall-mounted air conditioning unit. Types

How does air conditioning work?

A plain-English guide to how home air conditioning works: it does not make cold, it moves heat. We explain the refrigeration cycle, the parts and the jargon.

4 Jun 2026