Home Air conditioning installation Exeter
Air conditioning installation in Exeter
Tell us which rooms overheat and we send your details to F-Gas certified air conditioning installers who work across Exeter.
Most Exeter homes don't need air conditioning. Where it helps is in rooms that overheat, such as top-floor flats, loft rooms and home offices, and as a cheaper way to heat flats that rely on electric heaters.
Before you buy, work out which room is the problem and why. A loft room under a slate roof, a south-west facing flat with full-height glazing and a box room full of computer equipment each need a different answer, and only some of them need a unit at all.
Exeter at a glance
- Electric heating by area
- In St David's ward, which covers the city centre, 27.6% of households (1,319) heated with electricity only in 2021. Exwick was at 19.7%, Duryard and St James at 17.4% and Newtown and St Leonard's at 16.3%. Source
- Housing mix
- 31.3% of Exeter households lived in terraced houses in 2021, 26.9% in semis and 15.1% in detached houses. 26.0% lived in flats, maisonettes or apartments. Source
Cheaper fixes first
Close blinds or curtains on sunny windows during the day, open windows on opposite sides of the home in the evening if it's safe, and add insulation to a loft room's roof. A fan costs pennies to run and may be all a bedroom needs for the few hot weeks of an Exeter summer.
Heat as well as cool
In practice, a split air conditioner works as an air-to-air heat pump. In the 6,000 Exeter homes that heat with electricity only, an air-to-air unit can heat the main room for much less than storage or panel heaters. If it replaces fossil fuel heating, a £2,500 Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant may apply.
Flats and conservation areas
A quarter of Exeter households live in flats. Check your lease and get consent before fixing an outdoor unit. In conservation areas near the historic centre, an outdoor unit on a street-facing wall may need permission, so ask the installer to check with Exeter City Council.
Installers
Only F-Gas certified engineers can install and charge the refrigerant circuit. Ask for proof of certification, efficiency ratings and noise levels.
A good installer will size the unit from the room's heat gain rather than its floor area alone, and will explain where condensate will drain and how loud the outdoor unit will be at your neighbour's window.
Exeter homes and what they need
Interwar and post-war semis
Conservatories and loft conversions get hot. Shading may help more than an AC unit.
Victorian and Georgian terraces
Top-floor rooms overheat. Place the outdoor unit at the rear, away from the street.
New-build estates on the edge of the city
Some new homes overheat because they're airtight. Check the ventilation system is working before adding AC.
Areas covered
Engineers who cover Exeter work across areas including Heavitree, St Thomas, St Leonard's, Pennsylvania, Alphington, Whipton, Pinhoe, Exwick, Topsham and Cranbrook.
Questions people in Exeter ask
Can I fit a split air conditioner in my Exeter home myself?
No. Connecting and charging the refrigerant pipes must be done by an F-Gas certified engineer, and DIY installs usually void the warranty.
Is a portable unit worth it for a student flat?
For a few hot days, possibly. Portable units are noisy and much less efficient than a split system, and the exhaust hose needs a window opening, which isn't always secure.
Sources
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