The new gadget
Octopus Energy has launched the Cosy Cooler, a portable unit that turns its Cosy heat pump into a cooling system. The add-on will retail at £500-£600 when fitted to an existing Cosy system, compared with the £2,000–£6,000 cost of a traditional air-conditioning installation. It is designed to connect to the pipework already in place and should take around three hours to fit, with no major building work or outdoor hose required.
How it works
The unit, roughly the size of a tall kitchen bin, plugs into radiator pipework and circulates chilled water through the home. It can cool a single room or run up to two or three units across different rooms, depending on the heat-pump model. Warm air is drawn in, heat is removed via an exchanger and cooler air is blown back out; the extracted heat is released outside through the existing heat pump. The water temperature stays high enough to avoid condensation on radiators.
Availability and trials
Live trials in homes and offices have already started, though the product itself is not due until 2027. Octopus is still seeking more testers via its online form. The move follows the record 38.2 °C temperatures seen in August 2026 and comes as the company reports 570,000 heat-pump enquiries in the past 18 months.
Wider context
Greg Jackson, Octopus Energy founder and chief executive, said: “Sadly, British homes need to be ready for freezing winters and increasingly hot summers. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme has helped give the industry the confidence to invest, innovate and drive costs down – and Cosy Cooler is the latest result of Octopus ingenuity.” Heat pumps already cost the same or less to install than a gas boiler under the grant, and 99 % of Cosy customers pay less to run them than they would with gas, saving an average of £230 a year. We compare heat-pump tariffs and running costs at our energy hub.
