Air Conditioning Installation London: F-Gas Fitters

On 19 July 2022 the Met Office recorded 40.2°C at both Heathrow and St James's Park. That night Kenley, in the borough of Croydon, stayed at 25.8°C, the warmest night on UK record. Hot nights are the real problem in a city flat, because the building never gets the chance to cool.

London at a glance

Homes that are flats: 54.0% of London households (1.8 million) lived in a flat, maisonette or apartment in 2021, against 21.7% across England and Wales. Source
Record heat: St James's Park and Heathrow both reached 40.2°C on 19 July 2022. That night Kenley, in Greater London, set the UK record for the warmest night at 25.8°C. Source
Cooling policy: London Plan Policy SI 4 sets a cooling hierarchy that puts air conditioning last, after shading, insulation and ventilation. Boroughs apply it when they judge applications for outdoor AC units. Source
Heat pump planning: An air source heat pump is usually permitted development, up to 1.5 cubic metres on a house and 0.6 on a block of flats. In conservation areas it cannot face a highway; listed buildings need consent. Source

Cheaper fixes come first

The London Plan's cooling hierarchy, Policy SI 4, asks for shading, insulation and ventilation before air conditioning. It's written for planning decisions, but it's also good advice for your money: external blinds or solar film on a south or west window cost less than a split unit.

If you still need cooling, an air-to-air heat pump also heats in winter. If it replaces fossil fuel heating, the Boiler Upgrade Scheme pays £2,500 towards it, which a cooling-only unit can't get.

Planning and permission

Air conditioning has no national permitted development right of its own, so an outdoor condenser can need planning permission. Camden and Westminster have approved units on condition of acoustic enclosures and noise reports. Phone your borough's planning team before you pay a deposit.

Leaseholders usually need the freeholder's consent to fix anything to an outside wall or roof. A listed building also needs listed building consent.

What the installer needs from you

A route for refrigerant pipes and a condensate drain from the indoor unit to outside, a solid wall or flat roof for the condenser, and a spare circuit or space for one at the consumer unit. In a flat with no drain near the wall, ask how they'll deal with condensate before you agree the position.

Where AC goes in London homes

Converted flats and mansion blocks

With 54% of London households in flats, this is the most common AC job. Top floors overheat first. The condenser usually ends up on a rear wall or flat roof, out of view from the street.

Victorian and Edwardian terraces

A loft conversion is often the hottest room in the house. The condenser can sit on the rear dormer roof or at ground level, with pipes run down inside a cupboard.

Outer-borough 1930s semis

A side wall or the garden gives the easiest siting. Keep the condenser away from the neighbours' bedroom windows to avoid noise complaints on summer nights.

Areas covered

Engineers who cover London work across areas including Islington, Hackney, Camden, Brixton, Wimbledon, Ealing, Croydon, Walthamstow, Greenwich and Richmond.

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Questions people in London ask

What about a portable unit?

Portable units need no installer or permission, but they're louder and less efficient, and the exhaust hose through a sash window lets hot air back in around the gap.

Who can fit split air conditioning?

Only an engineer with F-Gas certification can handle the refrigerant. Ask for the certificate number and the company's F-Gas registration before work starts.

Sources

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