Only 3% of UK homes have air conditioning. What are the costs and consequences of fitting it?

A UK home with an external air conditioning unit. Paul Briden/Shutterstock The recent heatwaves mean that many people in northern Europe are now looking at new ways to cool their homes. Historically, northern European building design has prioritised heating, but more home owners are considering adding air conditioning. While 88% of US homes have air conditioning, only about 3% of UK homes have it. What are the big issues? Fitting an air-conditioning system to an existing home is likely to…