Last updated: October 2026
UK summers are getting hotter, and heatwaves are becoming more frequent. More people are now thinking about how to keep their home cool, not just warm, especially bedrooms on hot nights. There are three main options, and they can be used on their own or together.
1. Air conditioning
Air conditioning is the most powerful way to cool a room. It draws warm air over cold coils filled with refrigerant, which absorb the heat and carry it to an outdoor unit, then circulates the cooled air back into the room.
Modern air conditioners are air-to-air heat pumps, so the same unit can also heat the room efficiently in winter.
- Best for: homes with a gas boiler, bedrooms, home offices, garden rooms, conservatories, shops and cafés
- Bonus: filters can reduce dust and allergens in the air
- Grants: since 2026, air-to-air heat pumps can qualify for a £2,500 grant through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme when they replace fossil fuel heating. Ask us whether your project would qualify.
Is air conditioning bad for the environment?
It’s much better than it used to be. Older systems used refrigerants that damaged the ozone layer. Today’s units typically use R32, which has zero ozone depletion potential and about a third of the global warming potential of the R410A refrigerant it replaced. F-gas regulations control how refrigerants are handled, and modern inverter units are far more efficient. Running air conditioning from your own solar panels, which generate most when it’s hottest, reduces its impact further.
2. Comfort cooling with a heat pump
If you have, or are getting, an air-to-water heat pump, it may be able to cool as well as heat. In cooling mode, the heat pump sends cool water around the house instead of warm water. This is called comfort cooling. It won’t chill a room like air conditioning, but it can take the edge off a hot day by a few degrees.
The best way to deliver it is through fan-assisted radiators, such as those made by Jaga. They have a small fan that pushes air across a compact heat exchanger, so they:
- deliver strong heat output at the low water temperatures heat pumps use
- circulate cool air in summer
- are smaller than standard radiators, and can even be recessed into walls
- respond quickly, as they hold far less water than steel panel radiators
We recommend fan-assisted radiators on upper floors, where bedrooms get warmest. Underfloor heating can also provide gentle cooling in some systems.
3. Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR)
MVHR continuously extracts stale, humid air from kitchens and bathrooms and replaces it with fresh, filtered air. In winter, it recovers heat from the outgoing air. In summer, a bypass brings in fresh air without warming it, and on cool nights it helps flush warm air out of the house.
MVHR won’t replace air conditioning on the hottest days, but it’s ideal in well-insulated, airtight homes and new builds.
Which is right for you?
- Gas boiler, need real cooling in a few rooms: air conditioning
- Heat pump installed or planned: comfort cooling with fan-assisted radiators
- New build or major renovation: MVHR, possibly combined with either of the above
- Garden room or office: a single air conditioning unit to heat and cool
Good insulation and shading also help keep heat out in summer, as well as in during winter.
We design and install all three as part of our heating, cooling and ventilation work. Contact us or call 01242 323923 to talk through your options.