The Met Office declared another heatwave in early July 2026, with temperatures set to breach 30°C in much of the country for up to a week1. The declaration followed the breaking of the June temperature record in England, which reached 37.7°C at Lingwood in Norfolk1.
The heat has renewed attention on cooling in UK homes, where uptake remains low by international standards. Just 4.3% of homes in England have air conditioning, compared with 16% in Brazil, 24% in France, 60% in China and 91% in Japan1. Survey data indicate the share of UK homes self-reporting use of air conditioning has doubled in three years, and the share reporting a built-in unit, effectively an air-to-air (A2A) heat pump, has risen from about 3% to 7% since 20221. The share using fans has climbed from 14% to 34% over the same period1.
A2A systems can heat in winter and cool in summer using the same hardware1. Nesta reports that a split system feeding multiple rooms costs roughly £1,500 to £2,700 per room, so a three bedroom house needing heating or cooling in a single open plan living area could face upfront costs of £6,000 to £10,8001. Grants for A2A are set at £2,500, compared with £7,500 for air-to-water (A2W) heat pumps, and were only announced in November 2025, three years after the A2W scheme launched1. At current energy pricing, running costs are likely to be lower than an oil boiler and similar to a gas boiler or an A2W heat pump on a standard electricity tariff; on a special heat pump tariff an A2A system could be cheaper to run than a gas boiler1.
Suitability varies. Properties with limited external space, many separate rooms or poor insulation may not be ideal, and strict leaseholds prohibiting external alterations can present a barrier1. Under permitted development, only detached homes can have two outdoor units; other property types need planning permission for additional units1.
"In early July [the Met Office declared another heatwave]"
Why it matters for households
Cooling is becoming a factor in how homes are run, not only how they are heated. Research cited by Nesta argues cooling demand could increase by as much as 140% by 2050, and market analysis forecasts the domestic air conditioning sector could grow by around 6% year-on-year between 2026 and 20341. The Met Office assesses a 40°C summer day in the UK as about 20 times more likely than in the 1960s1.
For a household weighing energy independence, the same unit that provides summer cooling can, if correctly installed, provide winter heating, reducing reliance on a gas boiler for part of the home1. The practical limits are cost, housing type and permissions rather than the technology itself. Nesta notes that official Ofgem advice on A2A systems does not mention that they can also provide cooling1. Households considering shared or local arrangements rather than individual systems can read about community energy schemes versus installing your own solar and local energy supply and Energy Local clubs.
What happens next
The heatwave was expected to bring temperatures above 30°C in much of the country for up to a week1. No further dated steps are set out in the source.