Domestic air conditioning

Cooling and heating for your home

Homes in the South East were mostly built to keep heat in, not out. In a hot spell, loft rooms, south-facing bedrooms, home offices and conservatories can stay uncomfortable well into the night. A modern air conditioning system fixes that, and because most systems are heat pumps, the same unit heats the room efficiently in winter. The Energy Saving Trust notes that air-to-air heat pumps are sometimes referred to as air conditioning.

The rooms people ask about most

• Bedrooms: quiet units with a low published sound level and a night mode. See our bedroom guide.
• Living rooms and kitchen-diners: sized for the whole space and its glazing. See living rooms and kitchen air conditioning.
• Home offices: screens and computers add heat, so a small room can need more cooling than its size suggests. See our home office guide.
• Conservatories: glass heats up fast, so careful sizing matters. See our conservatory guide.
• Garden rooms and loft conversions: see garden rooms and loft conversions.

Prices

All prices include supply, installation, commissioning and F-Gas documentation, and are + VAT:

The price depends on the unit, the room, the pipe run and access. After the survey you get a fixed-price quote. See our prices page for more.

Single splits or multi-split

For one room, a wall-mounted split with its own outdoor unit is simple and efficient. For two to five rooms, a multi-split runs several indoor units from one outdoor unit, which saves space outside. If you want nothing on the walls, ducted units can go in a loft or ceiling void with grilles in each room. We talk through the trade-offs on the survey.

VAT, grants and planning

VAT. HMRC’s Notice 708/6 zero-rates the installation of energy-saving materials, including qualifying air source heat pumps, in homes from 1 May 2023 to 31 March 2027. HMRC says most air conditioning units are air source heat pumps, but whether a product qualifies depends on the facts of each case. We confirm the VAT on your quote. This is general information, not tax advice.

Grants. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme offers £2,500 towards an air-to-air heat pump in England and Wales, but only if it replaces fossil-fuel heating and meets the home’s full heating demand, installed by an MCS certified installer. It does not apply to air conditioning added alongside a boiler. We are MCS certified and can tell you whether your project could qualify. Our article on the air-to-air grant explains more.

Planning. The Planning Portal explains that an air source heat pump on a house can be permitted development if it meets set limits, and since 2025 that can include air-to-air systems. A unit used solely for cooling is not covered, and listed buildings and some conservation areas have extra rules. See planning permission for air conditioning.

Flats, leaseholds and shared walls

In a flat, the outdoor unit usually goes on a balcony, a flat roof or an external wall, and the building owner or managing agent will normally need to agree. Flats have tighter permitted development limits than houses, so check with the council too. We can supply product data, a unit position and pipe route for the request. Our articles on leasehold consent and air conditioning in flats explain what to ask for.

Electrics and the neat finish

Most installs need a new electrical circuit. The Planning Portal explains that electrical work must conform to Approved Document P, and that competent person schemes let registered firms self-certify. We are NICEIC approved, so we fit and certify the circuit ourselves. We run pipework through the shortest neat route, use trunking where it has to show, and fit condensate pumps where there is no drain. The outdoor unit goes where it has airflow and won’t bother you or the neighbours. Our article on where to put the outdoor unit covers the options.

Quiet running

Noise is the most common worry. We compare the published sound levels of indoor and outdoor units, and place the outdoor unit away from bedroom windows, yours and the neighbours’, on anti-vibration mounts.

Warranty and servicing

Your system is covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, on the manufacturer’s terms, which we explain brand by brand on your quote. Most manufacturers expect regular servicing. A yearly service keeps filters, coils and drains clean, checks the refrigerant circuit and helps the system run efficiently for years.

How it works

We reply to enquiries the same working day. Then a site survey, or photos and details for simple jobs. A fixed-price quote. Installation, usually in a day for a single room. Then commissioning, F-Gas records and a handover, where we show you the controls. We cover homes across London and the South East.