Twelve months of enquiries, quotes, installs and installer chat. Here is what stood out.

Domestic install volumes climbed again

Air conditioning installs in UK homes climbed for the fourth year running. Industry estimates put the total at just over 900,000 domestic units fitted in 2025 - up from about 750,000 in 2024 and roughly double what the country installed in 2022.

The reason is not complicated. Summers are hotter. Households have money for one comfort upgrade. Air con is cheaper to run than most people expect. Word of mouth is spreading.

Prices held steadier than we predicted

We went into 2025 expecting price inflation on kit. It did not really happen. A fitted single-room split in December 2025 costs about the same as it did in December 2024 - £1,800 to £2,700 depending on brand.

The reasons:

R32 refrigerant costs settled after the 2024 phase-out spike.
More UK installers entered the market, which softened labour prices.
Panasonic and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries expanded their UK distribution, giving budget-conscious buyers real alternatives to Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric.

Where prices did move up was multi-split and ducted work. Complex installs went up about 8% because good installers stayed booked six weeks out most of the year.

Brand movement

Daikin held the top spot for most-specified in domestic. Mitsubishi Electric close behind. Panasonic climbed noticeably in the mid-market. Fujitsu picked up ground in period property work where the slim wall units matter. LG kept quiet in domestic but grew hard in commercial VRF.

The obvious loser was any budget Chinese brand without a UK service network. Two of them exited the UK domestic market this year after installers refused to keep specifying kit they could not service in warranty.

Regional pattern

Enquiries out of the North West grew fastest as a percentage. Not surprising - we are based here and our marketing is regional - but the underlying market shift matches. The North West lags the South by about 18 months on air con adoption. That gap is closing.

Manchester and Warrington were our two biggest single-city enquiry sources in 2025. Preston and Blackburn picked up hard in Q3. Wigan and Bolton are steady.

What installers told us in 2025

Three consistent themes from every installer we spoke to:

Servicing volume is finally catching up with install volume. Installers who scaled service contracts in 2024 had a better 2025 than those who chased new installs alone.
Landlord and rental market work grew. More property developers specified air con on new-builds and renovation flips.
Commercial enquiries stayed uneven. A great summer for retail cooling, then a quiet autumn. Commercial installers who diversified into domestic filled the gaps.

What we expect from 2026

Prices roughly stable for another year. Kit and labour both settled.
More R290 refrigerant systems entering the market as R32 gets its first regulatory review. R290 is more efficient and has a lower environmental impact but requires more careful install work.
Continued growth in bedroom-first installs. Households now buy for sleep quality as much as summer cooling.
Heat pump grants may finally include hybrid air con systems in some form. We are watching the Boiler Upgrade Scheme consultation closely.

Ready for 2026

If you are considering an install in the New Year, late December through January is the right time to line up quotes. Diaries are calm, prices are fair, and install dates are still open. Fill in the quote form and we will match you with up to three vetted installers.

Best wishes for the holidays from the Cooler Spaces team.

The UK air con market in 2025: what we saw