- Air con ownership in UK homes has soared 90% in the past two years – rising from less than two million households to nearly four million[1]
- Increased working from home and rising summer temperatures may be behind the rise, with some of the UK’s hottest days happening in the past two years[2]
- More than eight million homes rely on a desktop fan[1], while 250,000 households have heat pumps[3], which can be used in reverse for cooling[4]
- Households will collectively spend £5 million a week using desktop fans when the year’s first heat wave arrives[5]
- Uswitch.com offers hacks on how to stay cool during hot spells without increasing your bill.
The number of UK homes keeping cool with air conditioning has rocketed 90% in two years[1], according to research from Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
Some 3.7 million households now have air conditioning – up from less than two million households in 2022[1]. Portable units with power ratings around 1kW are slightly more common than the more powerful built-in versions that can guzzle 2.7kW of power – more than an electric oven.
Table: Household use of fans and air conditioning
| Cooling method | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop fan | 3,809,355 | 9,588,000 | 8,369,325 |
| Portable air con unit | 1,024,078 | 1,650,831 | 2,004,918 |
| Built-in air con unit | 925,980 | 913,344 | 1,692,000 |
| Total air con | 1,950,058 | 2,564,175 | 3,696,918 |
Source: Uswitch.com
Experts suggest that more people working from home and rising summer temperatures may be behind the rise. Some of the UK’s warmest summers have been seen in recent years, including UK’s hottest ever day, which saw temperatures hit 40°C in July 2022[2].
Of the nearly four million households with air conditioning, over 1.7 million have built-in units with power ratings up to 2.7kW[1]. In a typical week, households use their units for almost three hours, but when temperatures are high, they use them for just over nine hours a day, sending the cost soaring from £2.19 a week to £46.49 a week[5].
The two million homes with portable air conditioning units – which use 1kW of power[1] – typically use them for almost two hours a week at a cost of 54p. During hot spells, when they are used for more than nine hours a day, this bill rises to £17.22 a week[5].
Over eight million households use desktop fans to keep cool, down 13% from the nearly ten million homes using them last year[1]. A 35W desktop fan uses just 1% of the power of built-in air conditioning units, meaning households that switch could reduce their energy consumption by 99% and save themselves £46 a week[2].
More than 250,000 UK households now have heat pumps that can be used to cool homes[3]. Heat pumps work like traditional air conditioning units by extracting heat from the home and releasing it outside. A typical air source heat pump used in cooling mode will use around 1kWh per hour, costing a similar amount to a portable air conditioning unit – although the heat pump is likely to be more efficient at cooling large rooms[7].
UK households are likely to spend £5 million a week using desktop fans when the year’s first heat wave arrives[6].
Table: Weekly cost of using fans, air coolers and air con units for 9 hours a day
| Device | Power | 9.1 hours a day for seven days | 24 hours a day for seven days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handheld fan | 3W | £0.05 | £0.14 |
| Desktop fan | 35W | £0.60 | £1.59 |
| Pedestal fan | 60W | £1.03 | £2.72 |
| Air cooler | 75W | £1.29 | £3.41 |
| Heat pump on cooling mode | 1kW | £17.22 | £45.41 |
| Portable air con unit | 1kW | £17.22 | £45.41 |
| Built-in air con unit | 2.7kW | £46.49 | £122.61 |
Source: Uswitch.com
Natalie Mathie, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “Millions of people have swapped air-conditioned offices for working from home over the past few years, so it’s understandable that more of us are investing in keeping our homes cool.
“As more people turn to air conditioning to keep cool, remember that it’s easy to build up a hefty bill, especially during a heatwave.
“There are other simple tricks you can use to keep the temperature down inside your home.
“Keeping your curtains closed during the day will stop sunlight from warming up your property, while filling a hot water bottle with cold water can help keep you cool.”
Uswitch.com is offering tips and tricks for staying cool and saving energy this summer.
Uswitch’s five tips for keeping cool
- Create a cooling breeze: Place a bowl of ice cubes in front of an electric fan to create a refreshing breeze as it blows the ice-cold air around the room.
- Close the curtains: Keep your curtains shut while you’re at work during the day. It may be tempting to let the light in, but the sunshine will heat the room, turning your home into a greenhouse.
- Unplug the tech: Plugged-in gadgets produce heat, including those that are on standby. Unplug them when you are not using them to keep the room cool.
- Take advantage of the daylight: Switch the lights off during the day. Lightbulbs release heat, causing a room to get warmer, so turning them off or switching to LED bulbs that generate less heat can help reduce the overall temperature. With the sun setting late in the evening during summer, you can keep the lights off for longer and therefore keep the room cooler.
- Use a ‘cold’ hot water bottle: You don’t have to use a hot water bottle just to keep warm. Instead, you can fill it with cold water to keep you cool during the night.
See if you can save by comparing energy deals at Uswitch.com
For more information
Beverley Noble | Energy PR Manager
beverley.noble@rvu.co.uk
Twitter: @UswitchPR
Notes to editors
1. Research conducted online by Opinium, 29th April to 3rd May 2022, among 2,000 UK residents, weighted to be nationally representative. Respondents were asked, ‘Which of the following do you have?’ 3% said built-in air con system. 3% of 28.1 million UK households = 843,000 households. 14% said desktop fan = 3.9 million households. 4% said portable air con unit = 1.1 million households.
Research conducted online by Opinium, 8th to 11th October 2024 among 2,000 UK residents, weighted to be nationally representative. Respondents were asked, ‘Which of the following do you have?’ 6% said built-in air con system. 6% of 28.1 million UK households = 1,692,000 households. 29.7% said desktop fan = 8.4 million households. 7.1% said portable air con unit = two million households.
2. Met Office: Record high temperatures verified
3. Uswitch.com: Cornwall is the UK's heat pump capital, with 13,000 households using the technology to reduce their energy bills and emissions
4. National Grid: How do heat pumps work?
5. 2 million households (See Note 6) own portable air con units with a typical power rating of 1kW. Running one for 9.1 hours a day for a week costs 1kW x 7 days x 9.1 hours = 63.7kWh of energy. At electricity unit rates of £0.2703/kWh (April 2025) this equals £0.27 x 63.7kWh = £17.22 a week. For 2 million households this equals 2 million x £17.22 = £34 million a week. 1,692,000 households own built-in air con units with a typical power rating of 2.7kW. Running one for 9.1 hours a day for a week costs 2.7kW x 7 days x 9.1 hours = 171.99kWh of energy. At electricity unit rates of £0.2703/kWh (April 2025) this equals £0.27 x 171.99kWh = £46.46 a week. For 843,000 households this equals 1,692,000 x £46.46 = £78.6 million a week. Total weekly air con bill is £34 million + £78.6 million = £112.6 million. 8.4 million households own desktop fans with a typical power rating of 35W. Running one for 9.1 hours a day for a week costs 0.035kW x 7 days x 9.1 hours = 2.23kWh of energy. At current electricity unit rates of £0.2703/kWh this equals £0.2703 x 2.23kWh = 60p a week. For 8.4 million households this equals 8.4 million x £0.60 = £5 million a week.
6. 3.7 million households with air con currently spend £112.6 million a week. If these 3.7 million used desktop fans it would cost 3.7 million x £0.60 = £2.22 million. Saving is £112.6 million - £2.22 million = £110 million.
7. EnergySage: How much energy does a heat pump use?
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to find their energy, broadband and mobile deals than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.