Wokingham · Commercial air conditioning
Commercial Air Conditioning in Reading
Commercial air conditioning for Reading, from F-Gas certified engineers, with warranty terms explained brand by brand. Enquiries answered the same working day.
- Planning ahead for the HFC phase-down
- New tenancies needing cooling and heating
- Commercial systems near the end of their life
When something else is needed
A few issues sit outside what this work can do:
- Formal planning decisions, which rest with the council
- Structural alterations to the building
- Fire risk assessments
If in doubt, ring 07833 053749 or write to us at info@aircondoctor.co.uk and we’ll say what we think before booking.
What we work on in Reading
- Ceiling cassettes
- Multi-split systems
- Server and comms room cooling
- VRF systems
- Ducted systems
- Wall-mounted split systems
How we handle commercial air conditioning in Reading
Commercial air conditioning comes with F-gas duties for the operator. Systems at or above 5 tCO2e need leak checks, and records kept of the checks and the work done. We carry out the checks, keep the records and tell you when the next one is due. Common call-outs are for workspaces that overheat on warm days and installs that must fit around trading hours, across multi-split systems, wall-mounted split systems and ceiling cassettes.
A comms room in Reading needs cooling every day of the year, so a second unit for back-up is often worth it.
Nothing is signed off by word of mouth: commissioning details and F-Gas records for a new system, a note of the fault and the fix for a repair, or a service record. Keep it with the system’s paperwork, because it helps with any later warranty question.
Common questions in Reading
Is Reading in your area for commercial air conditioning?
Yes. We work across London and the South East from our base in East Grinstead, and Reading is part of that. Get in touch with the details and we reply the same working day.
Can I fit air conditioning in Reading without planning permission?
There’s no single answer: the building and the outdoor unit position decide it. The Russell Street and Castle Hill Conservation Area is close to the centre of Reading. Permitted development only covers heat pumps that aren’t used solely for cooling, and not within the grounds of a listed building. Conservation areas add limits on outdoor units facing a road. Where needed, we check with Reading council, which is normally the planning authority for Reading.
Who has to arrange F-Gas leak checks?
Responsibility is shared between the operator, usually whoever owns or controls the equipment, and the service technicians. How often depends on the size of the refrigerant charge in tonnes of CO2 equivalent: at least yearly for 5 to under 50 tCO2e, and every 6 months for 50 to under 500 tCO2e.
How soon will you get back to me?
On the same working day you contact us. Then we agree a date that works for you, and you get a fixed price before any work goes ahead.
Can you look after our air conditioning after it’s installed?
We do. A contract keeps the system serviced and any required leak checks on schedule and each visit is recorded.
Which brands do you work with?
We install and work on the leading makes, including Mitsubishi Electric, Daikin, Fujitsu, Panasonic, Toshiba, LG, Samsung, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Hitachi. Send us the make and model if you have it.
Will you work on another installer’s system?
Yes. We start with a proper look and tell you honestly what we find, including anything about the original installation that needs putting right. Any work is priced before it goes ahead.
Business air conditioning in Reading
There are about 287 restaurants, cafés and canteens, about 10 hotels, B&Bs and guest houses and about 29 schools and colleges within roughly a mile and a half of the centre of Reading, according to the Food Standards Agency’s register. Each of those is a different cooling job, from kitchen heat to quiet bedrooms and server rooms. About 36% of homes in the Reading area have been built since 2000, according to the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax figures, and about 63% of households live in flats, according to the 2021 Census. In mixed streets, commercial outdoor units have to be placed and sized with the homes nearby in mind.
If you run a surgery, clinic or pharmacy in the area around Royal Berkshire Hospital, about 0.8 miles east, cleanable, quiet units and regular maintenance matter.
Reading is about 38 miles west of London, in Wokingham. Whatever kind of property you have in Reading, we can help with commercial air conditioning. You’ll hear back from us the same working day and our emergency line runs 24/7. In Wokingham alone we list 35 places and Reading is among them. There’s also a page for Guildford, about 22 miles away.
Not far from Reading, a recent job of ours was on Princess Way, Camberley (GU15), about 13 miles south-east: installing a Samsung VRF system serving twelve rooms across two floors, including open-plan working areas, individual offices, a server room and a boardroom.
From Downshire Square, Market Way and Market Place to the smaller roads in between, the whole area is covered. Jobs in RG6, RG31, RG1 and RG30 are looked at, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. Places around Reading that are also on our list: Coley Park (1 mile south-west), West Reading (1 mile north-west), Newtown (1 mile east), Lower Caversham (1 mile north-east) and Whitley (2 miles south-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Wokingham (6 miles south-east), Woodley (3 miles east), Crowthorne (9 miles south-east) and Lower Earley (3 miles south-east).
Local landmarks in Reading
In Reading, that means homes and buildings near Former Kennet Arms, Eldon Square and Kendrick School. Also close by are University of Reading library (1.5 miles south-east) and Eurospeak Language School (0.5 miles north). Reading’s nearest station is Reading West station, roughly 0.7 miles north-west. Nearby you will also find The Oracle (less than half a mile north-east) and Berkshire Medical Heritage Centre Museum (0.8 miles east). The countryside around Reading includes Sonning Hill and Longwater.
Rented and managed buildings
Running several properties is easier with one contractor. Our area covers Greater London and the South East, so work at different addresses can be planned together and kept to a regular schedule.
If you look after several properties, we can plan visits across the portfolio and price them together. Each property gets its own records, so each one has its own history.
Places near Reading
What else we do in Reading
Common problems we fix in Reading
Many businesses call us when an older system is struggling or failing. Parts become harder to find and the system cannot keep up, and replacing it becomes the better option.
What we are most often called about:
- New tenancies needing cooling and heating
- F-gas leak checks and records that are overdue
- R410A systems getting dearer to top up
For a school like Coley Primary School, air conditioning work is best done out of term.
Questions to ask before you book
- Which VAT rate the quote uses, and why
- How extra work would be agreed if they find something unexpected
- Whether they hold F-Gas company certification, not just individual qualifications
What we do, step by step
Our engineers arrive at the time agreed with you and check the plan with you first. Floors and furniture near the work are covered with dust sheets, and anything electrical is made safe before work starts. The work itself takes anything from a day or two for a small office to several weeks of phased work on a large building. For a visit in Reading, let us know where we can park and how to reach the outdoor unit.
- First comes a site survey of the building, its occupancy and the heat it has to deal with.
- You get a fixed-price quote with the equipment, the layout and the programme set out.
- We agree a programme that suits the site, including evening, weekend or phased installation.
- We fit the units, run and test the pipework, connect the condensate and wire in the controls.
- We commission the system, record the refrigerant details and hand over the controls and documents.
Preparing for the visit
- Find the manual or the paperwork for the system, if you have it
- Let us know if the units are on a roof, a high wall or in a locked area
- Let us know where we can park and unload
Ask for a quote
Quotes do not take long. Send a few details and pictures, and we reply the same working day. If we need to see the property first, we book a survey at a time that works for you.
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A customer’s words
“Office air con broke down in the July heatwave. Called at 8am, engineer was here by noon and fixed within 2 hours. Brilliant emergency response. They now hold the service contract for the whole building.”
James T., Crawley, office manager