Air conditioning questions, answered

For most houses in England, no, as long as the system heats as well as cools, the outdoor unit isn't on a wall facing the road above the ground floor, and it is the first outdoor unit on the property (the first two on a detached house). Conservation areas, listed buildings and streets with Article 4 directions have tighter rules. Our planning permission guide sets out every condition.

Your lease will almost certainly need the freeholder's or managing agent's written consent before anything is fixed to the outside of the building. We can send them the unit specifications and a description of the work. If you rent, you need your landlord's permission too. See air conditioning for flats.

Often, yes. In a conservation area the outdoor unit can't go on a wall or roof facing the road, so it usually goes at the back or on a flat roof. A listed building needs listed building consent before any work starts.

A standard system needs an outdoor unit. Some new-build blocks don't allow them, and in that case a water-based system is needed, which we don't currently install. We will tell you straight away rather than waste a survey.

One room starts from £2,300 supplied and fitted, an open-plan room from £2,900, and a concealed system from £4,200 per room. These prices are for our standard systems: Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric AY, Daikin Perfera and concealed ducted. Other brands and models are available if you would prefer, just ask. Our London price guide has the full table and typical whole-house examples, and the instant price calculator works out your own rooms.

Home installations carry 0% VAT. Commercial installations, servicing and repairs are charged + VAT.

Yes. We visit, measure the rooms, agree where the indoor and outdoor units and pipes will go, and send a fixed quote. There is no charge and no obligation.

It depends on the size of the room, how you use it and your electricity tariff. An inverter heat pump delivers several units of heat or cooling for every unit of electricity it uses, which is why it is usually much cheaper to run than an electric heater or a portable air conditioner.

Yes. Every system we fit is an air-to-air heat pump, so the same unit cools in summer and heats in winter.

The units we fit are inverters, so once the room reaches temperature they slow right down rather than switching on and off. Most have a quiet or night mode for bedrooms. Outdoor units have to meet a noise standard at the neighbour's nearest window, and we place them with that in mind.

Cooling takes moisture out of the air. It runs away through a small drain pipe, by gravity wherever possible, or through a small pump where the drain has to go uphill.

Yes. The Fujitsu and Mitsubishi Electric wall units we fit can be controlled from an app as well as the remote.

A well-maintained split system typically lasts 10 to 15 years. A yearly service is the best way to get the full life out of it.

Yes. A portable unit is noisy, needs a hose out of the window and cools far less for the electricity it uses. A fixed split system is quieter, much more efficient and heats in winter too.

For a wall unit there is one hole through the outside wall behind the indoor unit. We put down dust sheets, run any visible pipework in neat trunking, and most single-unit installs are done in a day.

Usually on brackets on a rear wall or on feet on the ground at the back of the house. A flat roof works too, as long as the unit is at least a metre from the edge. Outdoor units can't go on a pitched roof under permitted development.

Outside, pipes run in trunking that is painted or colour-matched where possible. Inside, we route them through walls and voids where we can. A concealed system hides the indoor unit in the ceiling, with only a grille on show.

Yes. Airconcool Limited is an F-Gas registered company (FGAS3011677), REFCOM and SafeContractor certified. Handling refrigerant legally requires F-Gas certification, which is why you should always check a company's registration before booking.

We install Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu and Daikin, and we service and repair all the main brands.

Yes. Servicing starts from £120 + VAT for one unit and repair visits from £125 + VAT for the first hour. See air conditioning repairs.

Yes. See our commercial air conditioning page for offices, shops, restaurants and server rooms.

London, Surrey and south-west Hertfordshire. See the areas we cover for local details.