Air conditioning installation in London
One room needs a split system; several rooms can often share a multi-split running off a single outdoor condenser. Which one suits a property depends on how many rooms need cooling, where the outdoor unit can realistically sit, and what the walls and existing cabling will allow. And because refrigerant work is legally restricted, it is always F-Gas registered engineers handling that part — never left to chance.
- Refrigerant work by F-Gas certified engineers
- Engineers DBS-checked and fully insured
- Price agreed before we start
- Workmanship guaranteed
Monday – Sunday, 7:00 AM – 10:00 PM · Out-of-hours emergency? Call 020 3576 5825
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Included in the job
- Room-by-room survey and sizing
- A single split system for one room
- Multi-splits serving several rooms from one outdoor unit
- Positioning the outdoor condenser and planning pipe runs
- Proper condensate drainage, not a pipe run to whichever gutter is nearest
- Electrical supply and isolation for the new unit
- Pipework pressure tested and checked before first use
- Replacement of an existing system, like for like or upgraded
Read this before you ring
You may find you can sort some of this yourself, without calling us. We are fine with that, and would rather you knew it.
The survey comes before the price
A sensible quote needs someone standing in the rooms. At the survey we look at the size and use of each room, which way the windows face, where the outdoor unit could go, how the pipes would reach it, where the water can drain and whether the electrics can take a new circuit. The price comes from that, not from a floor area typed into a website.
Size it by the room, not just the square metres
Floor area is only the starting point. A south- or west-facing room with a lot of glass, a top-floor London flat under a hot roof, or a loft conversion with roof windows and sloping ceilings can need much more cooling than a shaded room of the same size downstairs. Kitchens and home offices full of screens add heat of their own. An undersized unit runs flat out and never catches up. An oversized one cools in short bursts and can leave the air feeling clammy.
Let the rooms, not only the budget, decide split or multi-split
For a single room, a simple split system is enough. With several rooms, it is often possible to run them all from one outdoor condenser, known as a multi-split. That looks tidier and usually costs less than separate systems, as long as the outdoor unit has a sensible spot and the pipe runs are workable. The drawback is that if the one outdoor unit fails, every room connected to it loses cooling together.
The outdoor unit needs a proper home
It needs clear air around it, a solid wall or base, and a sensible way for the pipes and drain to get back inside. It also needs to be reachable: a unit bolted high on a back wall with no safe access costs more to look after for the rest of its life. Wall brackets, flat roofs, balconies and ground-level bases can all work, within the manufacturer’s limits on pipe length and the height between the units.
Planning, leases and conservation areas
Whether an outdoor unit needs planning permission depends on the building and the borough. Flats do not have the same permitted development rights as houses, and listed buildings and conservation areas, of which London has a great many, are more tightly controlled again. Leaseholders usually need the freeholder’s written consent as well, because most leases keep the outside walls and roof under the freeholder’s control. Check with the council and the managing agent before the survey, not after the unit has been chosen.
Think about the neighbours before the unit goes up
An outdoor unit hums and blows air whenever it runs, and in a terrace or a row of back extensions that sound lands close to somebody else’s window. Siting it away from bedrooms, on anti-vibration mounts and out of corners that bounce sound around makes a real difference. Some London councils ask for a noise assessment with a planning application.
Plan where the condensate goes
Each indoor unit makes water while it cools. It needs a proper drain falling to a waste pipe, not a pipe dribbling onto a flat roof or next door’s wall. If there is no natural fall, a small pump lifts the water away, and that pump will need looking after as well. This gets settled at installation, not sorted out later.
The part you never see is the part that matters
Once the pipework is connected, it is pressure tested with nitrogen to prove it holds, then pumped down with a vacuum pump to clear out air and moisture before any refrigerant goes into it. Rushing that stage is how a new system ends up losing gas or failing early. It is also the part of the job that legally has to be done by an F-Gas registered engineer.
Questions we often get
Does an outdoor unit need planning permission?
Sometimes. It depends on the building, where the unit goes and the borough. Flats, listed buildings, conservation areas and units facing the street are the most likely to need consent, and your council’s planning department can confirm for your address.
How many rooms can a single outdoor unit serve?
As a rule of thumb, a multi-split runs anywhere from two to five indoor units off a single outdoor condenser, depending on the make and how much combined capacity the rooms need. We size the system to match the rooms, not to whatever happens to be sitting on the van that day.
Is your installation work certified?
By law, refrigerant work must be done by F-Gas registered engineers, and ours are. It is a requirement, not an optional extra, and we can show you the certification if you ask.
Can air conditioning heat as well as cool?
Most split systems sold now can, because the unit can run in reverse and move heat into the room rather than out of it. Whether it makes sense as your main heating depends on the room and what else heats the house, which we can talk through at the survey.
How much mess does an installation make?
For a single split, the main work is one hole through the outside wall for the pipes, cable and drain, usually hidden behind the indoor unit, and a straightforward job is often done in a day. Multi-splits take longer because pipework has to reach each room. Where every pipe will run is agreed with you before any drilling starts.
Can you look after the system once it is installed?
Yes. We offer annual maintenance and F-Gas leak checks as a separate service, set out on our air conditioning maintenance page, and you can book it whether or not we fitted your system.
Other air conditioning jobs we do
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Air Conditioning Repair
Stopped cooling, leaking indoors or tripping the breaker? We track down the fault before quoting for anything.
Read about Air Conditioning Repair -
Air Conditioning Maintenance
A yearly visit to keep your system cooling efficiently and to catch a refrigerant leak before it turns into a breakdown.
Read about Air Conditioning Maintenance -
Air Conditioning Replacement
Worn-out or failing systems replaced, including older units whose refrigerant is no longer available for top-ups.
Read about Air Conditioning Replacement
Businesses use us for air conditioning installation too, among them offices, shops and retail, schools and colleges, pharmacies, co-working spaces, dance schools and studios, and plenty of other business types.
Looking for air conditioning installation in London?
Tell us what is wrong and where you are, and you will have the price before any work begins.