Why Sevenoaks homes overheat
Sevenoaks sits up on the Greensand Ridge, which is lovely for the views, but height doesn't save you in a heatwave. The Victorian and Edwardian villas around the station and the top of town have solid brick walls that soak up the day's heat and hand it back all evening, just when you want to sleep. The older Kentish cottages have their own version of the problem: thick walls and small windows that turn snug into stifling by late July.
Then there are the loft conversions, which half the town seems to have. A room directly under a sun-baked roof is reliably the hottest space in the house, and no fan fixes it. A split system does, and because it's a reversible air-to-air heat pump, it heats that same room efficiently in winter too.
One local caveat: parts of the town centre are a conservation area and there are listed buildings nearby, so check with the council before an outdoor unit goes on a street-facing wall. A decent installer sorts this at the survey stage.
Sort the electrics first
Before you compare units, look at your fuse board. Plenty of period homes in Sevenoaks still run on older consumer units, and a split system wants safe, modern electrics behind it. An electrical condition report (EICR) tells you where you stand and typically costs £150–£300; some older homes need a new consumer unit before taking on the extra load. Our guide to whether your electrics can handle air conditioning covers what to look for. None of it is usually a dealbreaker, just better known upfront.
What it typically costs, and where we are in Sevenoaks
A single-room wall-mounted split, for the loft office or the main bedroom, typically comes in around £1,500–£3,000 fitted, depending on the unit and the pipework run. A multi-split covering three or four rooms is roughly £3,500–£7,000. Our cost guide breaks down what drives the price either way.
And a straight answer about us: we're just opening in Sevenoaks, so we don't yet have installers actively working here. We're vetting and onboarding local firms now. Leave your details and we'll match you as the TN13–TN15 network comes online. No call barrage, just one introduction when we have the right installer for your house.