Online searches for homes for sale with air conditioning have more than tripled over the last year, according to latest figures from property website Rightmove.

Searches for properties to rent with air conditioning are also up, by 74% over the last five years.

Searches on July’s hottest day this year saw a quadrupling in online searches for homes with air conditioning compared to 2021.

Already estate agents are acting, with many highlighting features that keep homes cool, including flagging up ceiling fans and describing rooms as “airy”.

Rightmove’s figures also show rapid growth in homes for sale with air conditioning mentioned as a feature. This has more than quadrupled over the last year.

“This is likely a combination of more homes having the feature, and more agents highlighting it as a key selling point as temperatures rise and people imagine next summer in their new home,” said Rightmove.

However, the property website points out that homes for sale or to rent with air conditioning still make up less than 1% of available properties.

“During the hottest days of the year we’ve seen people across the UK jump straight onto Rightmove to see where they could live with the luxury of air conditioning,” said Rightmove property expert Tim Bannister.

“Though they make up a very small portion of the current property market, homes with air-con and other features that keep a home cool could attract even more interest in the future if we experience similarly hot summers, and these features rise up the priority list.”

Earlier this month a report by think tank Verdant calling for greater investment from businesses and policy makers in cooling programmes as well as better protection for workers, such as a national maximum working temperature.

It found that successive heatwaves between May and July this year cost the UK economy at least £4.4bn, through reduced productivity and damage to overheated equipment.

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