Air conditioning FAQs

For a single wall-mounted unit, expect £1,500 to £2,500 supplied and fitted. Multi-room systems start around £3,500 and commercial installations are priced on survey. The main variables are the capacity you need, the length of the pipe run between indoor and outdoor units, and how difficult the access is. Anyone quoting a fixed price without seeing the property is guessing.

For a lot of properties, yes, and the case is stronger in Kent than almost anywhere else in the country. The South East records the UK's highest summer temperatures, and heatwaves are getting longer. The stronger argument is that every modern system is also a heat pump, so it heats efficiently in winter at roughly a third of the cost of electric radiators. You are buying year-round use, not four weeks of cooling.

It means waiting at least three minutes before restarting a unit after switching it off, so pressure in the refrigerant circuit can equalise. Restarting sooner makes the compressor start against high head pressure, which shortens its life. Modern inverter systems have a built-in delay that enforces this automatically, so if your unit does not respond instantly after a power cut, that is normally the delay working rather than a fault.

We would put it differently: the brand matters less than whether the system was sized correctly and installed properly. A well-installed mid-range Fujitsu or LG will outperform a badly installed premium unit every time. What we would avoid is unbranded imports with no UK spare parts supply, and any portable unit sold as a substitute for a fixed system. If parts availability and warranty support matter to you, stay with the established manufacturers.

Kent. We are based in Ashford, Kent and cover the TN23 to TN26 postcodes and roughly twenty miles around them, out to Canterbury, Faversham, Folkestone, Hythe, Tenterden and Romney Marsh. Ashford in Surrey, near Staines, is a different town about seventy miles away and we do not work there.

No. We are a building services company, so we cover homes and commercial premises only. Vehicle air conditioning and regassing is a different trade with different equipment, and you will want a local garage or a mobile auto air con specialist for that.

A single-room domestic installation typically costs £1,500 to £2,500 supplied and fitted, with multi-room systems from around £3,500 and commercial projects priced on survey. The exact price depends on unit capacity, brand, pipe run length and access, which is why we quote from a free site survey rather than over the phone.

Far less than most people expect. A modern inverter unit cooling a bedroom typically uses under 1kW, so an evening's cooling often costs less than a cup of coffee. In heating mode, heat pumps deliver roughly three to four units of heat per unit of electricity, making them cheaper to run than plug-in electric heaters.

Usually not for domestic installations, as most fall under permitted development provided the outdoor unit meets siting requirements. Listed buildings and conservation areas may need consent, which matters a great deal around Wye, Chilham, Smarden, Tenterden and central Canterbury. We check this at survey stage and advise on compliant positioning.

Most single-room installations are completed in one day. Multi-split systems covering two or three rooms typically take two to three days, and commercial projects vary with size. We confirm the timescale in your quote and can work out of hours for businesses.

Yes. Modern systems are air-to-air heat pumps: the same unit cools in summer and heats efficiently in winter. Many customers end up using their system more for winter heating than summer cooling, particularly in home offices, conservatories and loft rooms.

Modern indoor units are extremely quiet, with many running from around 19 to 26dB on low settings, quieter than a library. Outdoor units are also much quieter than older models, and we position them carefully to avoid disturbing bedrooms or neighbours.

We install all leading manufacturers, including Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu, LG, Panasonic and Toshiba. We recommend the best-value brand and model for your rooms and budget rather than pushing a single make.

Yes, bedrooms are our most requested domestic installation. Whisper-quiet wall-mounted units with night modes keep the room at your ideal sleeping temperature through heatwaves without the noise of a portable unit or fan.

It depends on room size, ceiling height, glazing, insulation and what the room is used for. As a rough guide a typical double bedroom needs around 2.5kW of cooling, but undersized units run flat out and oversized ones cycle inefficiently, so we calculate it properly at the free survey.

Domestic systems should be serviced once a year, and commercial systems usually twice a year, or quarterly for critical applications like server rooms. Regular servicing keeps efficiency up, prevents breakdowns and is required by most manufacturers to keep the warranty valid.

Switch the unit off and get in touch. Water leaks are usually a blocked condensate drain or failed pump, which are inexpensive to fix, but they can damage walls and ceilings quickly if the unit keeps running.

Common causes include low refrigerant from a leak, a failed sensor, dirty filters or the unit accidentally set to heating or fan mode. If a settings check does not solve it, book a repair visit and we will diagnose the actual fault.

Yes. We repair and service all major brands regardless of who installed them, and we can take over ongoing maintenance of existing domestic or commercial systems.

Increasingly yes, and Kent makes the case better than most counties. The South East regularly records the UK's highest summer temperatures, and because every modern system also heats efficiently in winter, you are buying year-round use rather than a few weeks of cooling.

A portable unit is cheaper to buy and worse in every other respect: noisier, far less efficient, needs a window vent that leaks warm air back in, and cannot heat. If you are cooling the same room every summer, a fixed split system pays back the difference.

Yes. We design, install and maintain systems for offices, shops, restaurants, salons, surgeries, server rooms and industrial premises across Ashford and Kent, with out-of-hours installation available to avoid disrupting trade.

F-Gas regulations govern fluorinated refrigerants. Domestic customers mainly need to know that installation and servicing must be done by certified engineers. Businesses have additional duties around leak checking and record keeping, which our maintenance contracts cover.

We cover Ashford and roughly a 20-mile radius, including Kennington, Willesborough, Kingsnorth, Great Chart, Wye, Pluckley, Smarden, Bethersden, Tenterden, Biddenden, Hamstreet, Hythe, Folkestone, New Romney, Chilham, Canterbury, Faversham and the surrounding villages of the Weald and Romney Marsh.