Air conditioning has a reputation for being expensive to run. With modern systems that's out of date: air conditioning moves heat rather than making it, which makes it remarkably efficient.
The short answer
Cooling a typical bedroom costs roughly 5 to 10 pence an hour once it's up to temperature. Heating the same room costs roughly 8 to 15 pence an hour on a cold day. Exact figures depend on room size, the unit, your tariff and the weather.
Why it's so efficient
An air conditioner pumps heat from one place to another. For every unit of electricity it uses, a modern system moves six to nine units of heat out of a room in summer (its SEER) and brings four to five units in during winter (its SCOP). An electric heater only ever turns one unit of electricity into one unit of heat.
Keeping running costs down
- Choose a sensible temperature: 21–24°C for cooling. Every degree lower costs more.
- Use the timer or the app to cool bedrooms before bed rather than all day.
- Close curtains and blinds on sunny windows.
- Keep the filters clean: it takes two minutes every few weeks.
- Pick the right range. Higher SEER and SCOP units, like our Premium system, cost a little more to buy and less to run.
Our estimator shows the running cost per hour for each room alongside the price. Try the estimator or book a free survey.