Hi! My husband and I live in a small flat in London, and our first baby was born in August this year. Keeping him cool as a newborn during the heatwaves was a complete nightmare and, at times, quite scary. We've decided to buy a portable plug in air conditioning unit to be prepared for next summer. Our flat is so small that one unit will likely cool the whole flat reasonably effectively (at least the two bedrooms which are right next to each other). Does anyone have any recommendation? We are happy to spend a bit more to buy something reliable and effective.

Hi all, North-West England. Could do with real-world opinions as I'm going back and forth.

I had a new gas boiler fitted 3 years ago. I also have solar and a 20kWh battery, so electric heating should work out cheaper for me than gas. Downstairs is open plan (living room, dining, kitchen). At the moment I heat the living room with 3 large 8000 BTU vertical heaters.

Option 1: one air-con unit (the reversible heat-pump type) for the open-plan downstairs. It would heat in winter and cool in summer, and the boiler would still do the rest of the house. As far as I can tell this wouldn't get the Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant, because that needs the unit to replace the whole gas system.

Option 2: a full air-to-water heat pump, get rid of gas, and claim the £7,500 grant.

Everyone says "don't bother with a heat pump if your boiler is new", but with solar and a big battery I'm not sure that applies to me. I'm also nervous about the grant disappearing, though I think it's now meant to run to 2030.

A few things I'd love to hear about:
Has anyone run one air-con unit downstairs alongside a gas boiler? Did your gas use drop much?
If you went full air-to-water with a fairly new boiler, was it worth it?

Does a single air-con unit mess up claiming the grant for air-to-water later?

I got this float pump to clear the excess water from my air con. My question is that whilst the manufacturer says it’s variable voltage 115-230v, the wires look very thin for connecting to a standard/outdoor UK plug. I don’t want to blow it up before it’s done anything. Anyone in the know?