Air conditioning for London homes
never designed for it

In most cases no. A domestic outdoor unit is normally permitted development in England, which means no planning application, provided it meets a short list of conditions: one unit only, sited at least one metre from the boundary if it is on a wall or roof, not on a wall facing a highway forward of the principal elevation, not above the highest part of the roof, and quiet enough to meet the MCS 020 noise standard.

London breaks that rule more often than anywhere else, because London has more conservation areas, more listed buildings and more flats. In a conservation area the unit cannot go on a wall or roof facing a highway. On a listed building you need listed building consent whatever else is true. Use the check at the top of this page and we will tell you which of those applies to you.

A single room wall-mounted split system, supplied and fitted with VAT, is typically 1,750 to 3,500 pounds in London. A two-room multi-split on one outdoor unit is typically 3,200 to 5,500 pounds, and a three-room system 4,500 to 7,500 pounds.

What moves the number is access, pipe length and electrics rather than the unit itself. The full breakdown, with the things that add cost and the things that do not, is on the installation cost page.

Usually yes, but you need the freeholder's written consent before anything else, because the outdoor unit changes the exterior of the building and almost every London lease restricts alterations to the exterior. Planning permission is a separate question and it comes second.

Ask the freeholder or managing agent first. We give you the drawing, the unit specification and the noise data they will ask for, at no charge, because a refused application wastes everyone's time. There is a full order of events on the leasehold flats page.

Yes. Every system we fit is a reversible air-to-air heat pump, so the unit that cools in August heats in February. It does it by moving heat rather than making it, which is why it delivers roughly three to four units of heat per unit of electricity.

For most London rooms that makes it cheaper to run than an electric heater and competitive with gas on a cold day, and it is the reason a lot of customers who bought it for summer end up using it more in winter.

No. There is no UK grant for air conditioning or for air-to-air heat pumps. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays 7,500 pounds towards air-to-water heat pumps only, which are a different machine that heats water for radiators and a cylinder rather than blowing cooled or warmed air into a room.

If what you actually want is the grant, that is an air source heat pump, and we install those too.

One day for a single room in a typical north London house, including commissioning and handover. A two or three room system on one outdoor unit is usually two days. Every job on the recent installs rail on this page was a single day on site.

We work in one property at a time rather than starting four and finishing none, so the date you are given is the date the work happens.

No. This is building air conditioning only, for homes and commercial premises. Vehicle air conditioning is a separate trade with separate qualifications and we would be no good at it.

All of Greater London, with a north London focus. We are based in Southgate N14, so Enfield, Barnet and Haringey are our nearest work and usually the quickest to book. There is a page per area on the areas we cover page.