As another heatwave sends temperatures soaring across the UK, a new interactive map called Where's Cool could save you from sweating through your next coffee meeting or pub lunch. The tool pinpoints every pub, café, restaurant and bar in England and Wales confirmed to have air conditioning, making it easier to find somewhere to escape the heat.
Creator's inspiration and the need for cool spaces
Developer Thomas Chivers created the free online tool amid this year’s first heatwave in May, saying 'I needed to find somewhere cool to work because my flat was far too hot to work in.' 'I’m really glad I did, because we’re now somehow on our third and it’s only July,' he continued. 'For those of us, like me, who work from home without aircon, it’s become a necessity to know where we can go with our laptops when the temperature starts to creep above the 30°C mark.'
Surprising scarcity of air conditioning in UK hospitality
Despite summers getting hotter, air conditioning remains surprisingly uncommon in Britain’s hospitality sector. Of the more than 280,000 businesses listed, only around 8,000 – roughly 3% – are marked as having it. Chivers added he hopes his site 'can be useful in helping others find a place to go and cool off, as well as helping out the hospitality venues who can always do with the customers.'
How the Where's Cool map works
Rather than relying on user guesses alone, the tool combines official government datasets to identify venues with cooling systems. Every food business in England and Wales is legally required to register with the Food Standards Agency’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, providing the comprehensive list of venues. That information is then cross-referenced with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s public Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) database. If a venue’s EPC states it has cooling installed, it’s marked on the map. Users can also help by reporting whether individual venues do or don’t have air conditioning. Once multiple people agree on a venue’s status, the listing is updated.
Limitations and future plans
The Where’s Cool creators note that the map isn’t yet exhaustive. Around 30% of Food Standards Agency records don’t currently include map coordinates, meaning those venues cannot yet be displayed. Some non-public venues, such as school canteens and workplace refectories, may appear occasionally too, although users can report these to be removed. At present, the map also only covers England and Wales, since Scotland uses a different reporting system. However, the website notes developers 'hope to add it in a future release.'
Is installing home air conditioning worth it?
While an air-conditioned café or bar can be a godsend, heading out every time you need to cool down doesn’t feel like much of a long-term solution. John Small, eco performance specialist at Ty Eco, warns that having AC installed in your home is 'not a decision to take lightly.' 'A fixed unit typically costs between £1,000 and £2,000 per room and full ducted or multi-room systems can run from £6,000 or £9,000 or more,' he told Metro. 'You’re also looking at running costs of around 20-30p an hour for portable units and roughly 22p an hour for in-built systems, which works out as £1-2 a day per room.' John added: 'From a sustainability perspective, I’d always suggest looking at passive solutions first, like shading, insulation and proper ventilation. Air conditioning can be useful, especially in homes that trap heat, but it should be seen as the last resort, not the first fix.'
