The summer home improvement that adds up to £15k to your property value now – and even more in 10 years

YOU could add up to £15,000 to the value of your property with a summer home improvement. Curetons buying agent Robin Edwards has said adding air con could add an extra 1-3% of value to your home. Installing air con could increase the value of your home by thousands of pounds That equates to an extra £8,184 for the average property with a house price of around £270,000, according to Sanctuary Bathrooms analysis. If you’re in an average London home worth £527,000, you could see an even bigger increase of £15,800. Sign up for the Money newsletter Thank you! Homes in Liverpool are likely to see the lowest increases, at around £5,130. Our map above shows how much extra YOU could get if you had air con installed. Adding an efficient air-conditioning system can make your home more attractive to buyers hoping to escape the summer heat. Over four million households had some form of air conditioning last year. That’s more than double the two million that had it in 2022, according to data from Uswitch. And with summers getting hotter, the value of homes with air con could rise by even more in the next 10 years. Most read in Money Mr Edwards said that within a decade, the average UK home’s value could increase by between 2-5% – or a huge £13,600. The average London home could increase by £26,400. The buying agent said higher-value homes might see bigger increases because buyers expect a certain level of comfort. “In some premium properties, where overheating is a genuine issue, the uplift could be higher because it helps differentiate the home in a competitive market,” he said. Properties might also see a bigger uplift in value if they are flats with large south-facing glazing or top-floor homes. “However, homeowners should still view air conditioning primarily as a way to improve desirability and reduce buyer objections, rather than a guaranteed financial return,” Mr Edwards said. “A discreet, energy-efficient system that is professionally installed will add far more value than a visible retrofit with bulky units and poor aesthetics.” How much does it cost to install air con? Installing air con does have a big upfront cost but it could be worth it Credit: Getty You will need to pay a fairly hefty upfront cost to get air con installed, but the price varies depending on a number of factors. For example, it could depend on what the access is like to your property, the number of units needed, and whether you need any electrical upgrades. The most common AC installed in homes is a wall-mounted split system. These are usually the cheapest to install and run, and they’re best suited to cooling smaller houses or single rooms. You’ll usually be able to operate yours with a remote control. Checkatrade estimates it would cost between £1,580 and £2,300 to have it installed. That’s based on paying between £620 to £900 for the unit, and £960 to £1,400 for the labour. A fancier ducted system unit will cost you much more, at around £3,000 in total. Ducted systems are controlled by a central thermostat and use vents in the ceiling to pump out cold air. They’re generally better if you want to cool multiple rooms, and they’re also usually quieter than split systems. Once you’ve got the unit installed, you’ll also need to consider the running costs. Uswitch estimates they use 2.7kW of power and would cost £6.64 if left to run for nine hours overnight. Comment now