Online air conditioning installation requests rise more than 300% during heatwave

Online marketplaces reported that requests for air conditioning installations rose by more than 300 per cent at the start of July 2026, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). The association said its members were receiving installation enquiries from members of the public who had already bought cooling units from online retailers, during the UK's third official heatwave of the year¹.

BESA, which runs REFCOM, described as the UK's leading F-Gas certification body, said products containing refrigerant gases continue to be bought by DIY users and unqualified installers. It said some of these gases require specialist handling and may present a flammability risk if equipment is improperly installed or used, and that sales have continued despite repeated warnings and the potential safety risks to people and property¹. Record-high temperatures in June prompted a spike in online searches for cooling products¹.

The Environment Agency (EA) enforces the F-Gas regime, which requires retailers to sell equipment charged with refrigerant gas only when they have evidence that it will be installed by a properly qualified engineer. The EA has successfully prosecuted online sellers in the past for failing to establish the credentials of buyers, but BESA said the practice has continued and recently accelerated again¹.

Kevin Morrissey, BESA's technical director, said most professional merchants and wholesalers are aware of their obligations, but described online sales as "something of an Achilles heel". He said anyone selling specialised air conditioning and heat pump equipment must be able to prove they received confirmation from the buyer that the equipment would be installed by someone holding a valid F-Gas handling certificate or by an F-Gas registered contractor¹.

"The safety issue will only become more serious as the industry transitions to more equipment charged with flammable refrigerants, including R290 propane."

BESA said it was also aware of reports that some buyers had attempted to misuse the details of certified businesses when purchasing equipment online. The REFCOM register does not publish the information required to verify a company's F-Gas certification for sales compliance purposes. REFCOM said it had no evidence that information held within its systems had been accessed improperly, and that it processes personal data "in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation"¹.

Why it matters for households

Cooling equipment that contains refrigerant gas sits inside the F-Gas regime, which places duties on the seller at the point of sale rather than on the householder afterwards. Where a unit is bought online without evidence of a qualified installer, the compliance gap opens before the equipment reaches the home¹.

The practical consequences described by BESA concern handling and flammability. Refrigerant gases can require specialist handling, and the association said the risk grows as the industry moves to more equipment charged with flammable refrigerants, including R290 propane¹. Improper installation or use is the point at which that risk is described as arising¹.

For a household, the equipment itself is only part of what determines comfort and running costs during a heatwave. Fabric, shading, ventilation and how a home is used in hot weather all bear on internal temperatures, and none of them depend on a refrigerant circuit. The market data points to a surge in demand for installed cooling at a moment when the association representing certified installers says enforcement of the sales rules is limited¹.

What happens next

No dated next steps were reported. BESA said the industry is braced for another rise in demand as hot spells continue, and that REFCOM members complain about the lack of an adequate deterrent, with only limited enforcement of the law by the EA¹.

Sources1 cited

1. Heatwaves Spark Online AC Selling Alarm, thebesa.com