How much does air conditioning cost to run?
A worked example of home air conditioning running costs in the UK, with every assumption stated so you can adjust for your own tariff.
The simple formula
Running cost = electricity used (kWh) × your electricity price (£ per kWh).
A unit's cooling capacity (for example 2.5kW or 3.5kW) is the amount of heat it can move — it is not the electricity it uses. Modern inverter air conditioners speed up and slow down as the room's cooling needs change, so their electrical draw rises and falls rather than running flat out at a fixed rate.
A real-world illustration from ACD
As one real example: four air conditioning units running overnight used about 40p of electricity on a 7p per kWh night tariff — roughly 5.7kWh in total across all four units.
This is an illustration, not a guarantee. Actual consumption varies with room size, the temperatures you set, the outdoor weather, insulation and glazing, how well the units are sized and how much cooling load there is. Check your own tariff — daytime rates are usually higher than night rates.
Ways to keep costs down
- Set a sensible temperature (around 22–24°C) rather than as cold as possible
- Close curtains or blinds on sunny windows
- Keep filters clean — annual servicing helps efficiency
Get your fixed-price estimate
Tell us which rooms need cooling and upload a few photos (and a rough floorplan if you have one). We'll show your initial estimate and flag anything that needs review.