The area around Gatwick Airport is unusual for a price guide because it crosses a county boundary. Crawley and the airport are in West Sussex, in Crawley Borough. Horley, just to the north, is in Surrey, in Reigate and Banstead Borough. Our price bands are the same on both sides, but you’ll deal with a different council for planning.
The area also has a lot of business premises, from hotels to offices and industrial units, so this guide covers commercial work in more depth than most.
Price bands
Homes, all + VAT and including equipment, installation, commissioning and F-Gas documentation:
- single room: £1,200–£2,200;
- two rooms: £2,800–£4,500;
- three to five rooms: £4,500–£8,500.
Businesses: commercial and VRF systems are priced after a survey. Servicing is £95–£150 per system and repairs start with a diagnosis from £75, both + VAT. Maintenance contracts are priced with your quote.
Hotels and airport businesses
Crawley Borough Council calls Gatwick Airport one of the most important developments within the borough in its Gatwick Airport planning document. Around it are hotels, offices, logistics and service businesses. For these, cost depends on:
- the system type: individual splits, multi-splits, or a VRF system with many indoor units on one outdoor circuit;
- access: roof plant areas, risers and ceiling voids, and any airside or security rules;
- timing: phased work so rooms or floors stay open;
- compliance: F-Gas leak checks and, for larger systems, TM44 inspections.
Our hotel guide and VRF guide explain the options. Hotel and business installations pay standard-rate VAT.
Keeping windows shut
If you live under a flight path, you may keep windows closed on summer nights to cut out aircraft noise, and then find the bedroom too warm. Air conditioning solves the heat without opening up. Indoor units are quiet, and the outdoor unit’s noise is part of the MCS 020(a) check for permitted development. We position it away from bedroom windows, yours and your neighbours’.
Want it done properly? AirCon Doctor installs, repairs and services air conditioning and heat pumps across London and the South East, from our base in East Grinstead. We’re an F-Gas certified company and NICEIC approved. Get a fixed-price quote.
Homes around the airport
For houses in Crawley, Horley and the villages between, the factors are the usual ones. A back bedroom above the garden with a ground-level outdoor unit is simple and sits low in the band. A front room, a loft conversion or a full consumer unit pushes the price up. We list each part on the quote. See our bedroom guide for sizing and noise tips.
Crawley side: planning
Crawley Borough Council has 13 conservation areas, including Ifield Village, High Street and Worth. In those, an outdoor unit facing a road isn’t permitted development. For homes elsewhere, the national rules on the Planning Portal apply: outdoor unit no more than 1.5 m³, MCS 020(a) compliant, not used only for cooling, correctly sited. Air-to-air heat pumps are included since 2025. Those rules are for houses. For business premises, check with the council before outdoor plant goes up; we can supply the product and noise details it may ask for.
Horley side: planning
Horley is in Reigate and Banstead, whose planning application page has the forms and fees. The same national permitted development rules apply to houses. Reigate and Banstead will become part of the new East Surrey Council from 1 April 2027, according to the Surrey reorganisation hub; until then the borough council handles applications.
Homes: grants and VAT
For a home replacing gas or oil heating, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump that meets the whole heating demand, or £7,500 for air-to-water. Not as an add-on to a boiler, and only through an MCS-certified installer. We are one, and we apply for you.
For homes, the VAT on a qualifying heat pump is nil until the end of March 2027 and 5% from 1 April 2027, as set out in HMRC Notice 708/6. We confirm the VAT on your quote. This is general information, not tax advice.
Local pages: Crawley and Horley. See also our Crawley installation cost guide and Crawley area page.
Quick answers
Which council do I ask about planning in Horley?
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council until 31 March 2027, then the new East Surrey Council.
Can you install air conditioning in a hotel while it stays open?
We plan phased work so that only some rooms or floors are affected at a time, and set out the plan on the quote.
Do you look after commercial systems once they’re fitted?
Yes. We offer servicing, F-Gas leak checks and maintenance contracts, priced with your quote.
Will an outdoor unit add to the noise I already hear?
Modern outdoor units are designed to be quiet, and we site them away from bedroom windows. The MCS 020(a) check covers noise for permitted development.
Related services
More advice
- Air Conditioning Installation Cost in Crawley: 2026 Price Guide
- Air Conditioning for Hotels: A Property Manager’s Guide
- What Is VRF Air Conditioning? Guide for Business Owners
- Air Conditioning Cost in Reigate and Redhill: 2026 Price Guide
- All advice
This guide is general information, checked against the sources linked on 30 October 2026. It isn’t legal, tax or financial advice. Rules, grants and product ranges change, so check the current position before you rely on it.