Air conditioning for the London heat your house was never built for

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, 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 more often than anywhere else, because London has more conservation areas, more listed buildings and more flats. Every condition is set out on the planning permission page.

A single room wall-mounted split system, supplied and fitted with VAT, is typically 2,400 to 3,200 pounds in London. A two-room multi-split on one outdoor unit is typically 4,300 to 5,800 pounds, and a three-room system 6,400 to 8,600 pounds.

What moves the number is access, pipe length and electrics rather than the unit itself. The full breakdown and a calculator are 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 that. Planning permission is a separate question and it comes second.

We give you the drawing, the unit specification and the noise data the managing agent will ask for, at no charge. 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 moves heat rather than making it, which is why it returns roughly three to four units of heat per unit of electricity.

That makes it the cheapest way to heat one room that most London homes have, and it is why a lot of customers who bought it for summer end up using it more in winter.

That changed in 2026 and a lot of pages still say otherwise, including this one until recently. The Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays 7,500 pounds towards an air-to-water heat pump, which heats radiators and hot water, and it now also lists 2,500 pounds towards an air-to-air heat pump, which is what an air conditioner is.

Since 2026 the Boiler Upgrade Scheme also lists 2,500 pounds towards an air-to-air heat pump, which is what an air conditioner is. It is not the same as the 7,500 pound grant for an air-to-water heat pump and the conditions are narrower: it depends on what is being replaced, on the property having a valid EPC, and on an MCS certified installation. We will check whether your property qualifies and tell you either way, and we will not put a grant in a quotation until it is confirmed. The current rules are on GOV.UK.

There is a full page on it: is there a grant for air conditioning, including what is verified and what is not.

If the grant is what you are after, 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.

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 N14, so Barnet, Enfield and Haringey are our nearest work and usually the quickest to book. There is a page per area on the areas we cover page.