Number of air conditioned UK homes doubles to more than 4m in three years

Greater working from home and hot summer temperatures believed to be driving increase in ownership

An estimated 4m homes in the UK now have air conditioning, double the figure from three years ago as Britons complain of unliveable" conditions during high temperatures.

Portable units with power ratings around 1kW are slightly more common than the more powerful built-in versions that can guzzle 2.7kW of power - more than an electric oven.