Air conditioning for small offices and studios
Hot afternoons cost you focus, and a row of screens or a busy meeting room makes it worse. We fit wall units, ceiling cassettes and multi-split systems in small offices, studios and practices across London and the Home Counties, with prices plus VAT and an install planned around your working day.
- commercial wall unit, from
- £1,795 + VAT
- ceiling cassette, from
- £2,750 + VAT
- TM44 inspection needed
- Over 12 kW
- and REFCOM certified
- F-Gas
Wall units, cassettes or multi-split?
For a small office, the choice usually comes down to the ceiling, the room layout and where an outdoor unit can go.
| System | Best for | Needs | Worth knowing | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wall-mounted split | Private offices, meeting rooms, studios | Wall space, ideally on an outside wall | Quickest to fit. Air throws from one side, so a long room can have a warmer far end | £1,795 + VAT |
| Ceiling cassette | Open-plan rooms, receptions, larger studios | A suitable suspended ceiling with enough depth above it | Spreads air four ways from the centre. Hard to fit into solid concrete ceilings | £2,750 + VAT |
| Multi-split | Several small rooms with one outdoor position | A pipe route from each room to the outdoor unit | Each room has its own control, but all rooms share one outdoor unit | Quoted after survey |
| Separate single splits | Rooms used at different times, or where cooling matters most | An outdoor position for each system | One fault doesn't stop the other rooms | Priced per system |
Business prices are plus VAT.
Sizing for people and equipment
An office gets hot from the inside as well as the outside. Each person gives off roughly 100 W of heat, and every desktop computer, screen, printer and coffee machine adds more. A meeting room full of people can need more cooling than a bigger office with two desks.
Glazing matters too. South and west-facing windows and top-floor rooms under a roof take far more heat in the afternoon. At the survey we count the people, the equipment and the windows, room by room, and size each unit from that.
Typical starting points
A guide for small offices. Your survey confirms the actual sizes.
| Space | Typical use | Starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Private office, about 10–15 m² | One or two people | One 2.5 kW wall unit |
| Meeting room | Six to eight people at a time | One 3.5 kW unit |
| Studio, about 25–35 m² | Four to six desks | One 5 kW unit, or two smaller ones |
| Open-plan floor | Eight or more desks | Ceiling cassettes or several wall units, after a survey |
A server or comms cupboard needs its own dedicated cooling, because it runs day and night. Don't rely on office units that switch off in the evening.
Landlord consent and your lease
Most commercial leases need the landlord's written consent before you core through a wall or put an outdoor unit on the building. Landlords often set conditions on where units go, noise, working hours and whether you must remove everything when the lease ends.
We give you what landlords and managing agents usually ask for: spec sheets, outdoor unit noise figures, marked-up photos of the unit positions and pipe route, and a method statement. Planning rules for business premises differ from homes, and conservation areas and listed buildings need checks. Our planning guide covers the basics.
F-Gas leak checks for businesses
If your business controls the system, you're its operator under the F-Gas rules. That means you're responsible for making sure leak checks happen when the law requires them, and for keeping records. How often depends on how much refrigerant the system holds, measured in tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
5 tonnes CO2 equivalent is about 2.4 kg of R410A, or about 7.4 kg of R32. Most single wall units hold well under that, so they don't need a mandatory leak check. Larger multi-split systems, and older R410A systems, can be above it. We'll tell you which band your system is in and log every check.
- Under 5 tonnes CO2 equivalent: no mandatory leak check
- 5 to under 50 tonnes: at least every 12 months
- 50 to under 500 tonnes: at least every 6 months
- 500 tonnes or more: at least every 3 months, with automatic leak detection
- Fitting automatic leak detection doubles the interval for systems under 500 tonnes
TM44 air conditioning inspections
If the air conditioning systems under your control add up to more than 12 kW of cooling, you need a TM44 inspection at least every 5 years. It's the combined total that counts: three 5 kW units make 15 kW.
An accredited energy assessor carries out the inspection and lodges the report on the national register. We're installers, not energy assessors, but we can give your assessor the system details they need and carry out any work the report recommends.
How an office install works
Survey
We check each room's heat load, the ceiling, the outdoor unit position, pipe routes and the electrics.
Quote and documents
You get a written quote plus VAT, and the documents your landlord or managing agent will ask for.
Consent
Once your landlord agrees in writing, we book the install.
Install
We plan the install around your working day. Talk to us about timing when you book, and we'll agree which rooms we work in and when.
Commission and handover
We pressure test, vacuum and commission the system, record the refrigerant as the F-Gas rules require, and show your team how to use the controls.
Office air conditioning prices
Business prices are plus VAT at 20%. Multi-split and larger systems are quoted after a survey.
- from£1,795+ VAT
Commercial wall unit
Fitted in business hours
- from£2,750+ VAT
Ceiling cassette
In a suitable suspended ceiling
Servicing for businesses
Office systems work harder than home ones, so they need servicing at least once a year, and twice for busy or heavily used spaces. LG asks for a service every six months to keep its warranty valid. A service keeps the units efficient, the air clean and the warranty in place.
Where your system needs an F-Gas leak check, we combine it with the service visit and give you a written record. Any F-Gas certified engineer can service the system and keep the manufacturer warranty valid, so you're never tied to us.
Office air conditioning questions
How much does office air conditioning cost?
A commercial wall unit starts from £1,795 + VAT, and a ceiling cassette in a suitable suspended ceiling from £2,750 + VAT. Multi-split systems and larger offices are quoted after a survey, because the price depends on the number of rooms and the pipe routes.
Can you install outside office hours?
We plan the install around your working day, so the team can keep working in the other rooms. Talk to us about timing when you book the survey and we'll agree a plan that suits you.
Do I need my landlord's permission?
Almost always. Most commercial leases need written consent for alterations, and air conditioning means a hole through an outside wall and a unit on the building. We give you the spec sheets, noise figures and a method statement to send with your request.
Does my office need a TM44 inspection?
Yes, if the air conditioning systems under your control add up to more than 12 kW of cooling. The inspection is needed at least every 5 years and is carried out by an accredited energy assessor. We can give the assessor your system details.
Does our system need F-Gas leak checks?
Only if it holds 5 tonnes CO2 equivalent of refrigerant or more. That's about 2.4 kg of R410A or 7.4 kg of R32. Most single wall units are below it. Above it, checks are needed at least every 12 months, or more often for bigger systems.
Should we choose wall units or ceiling cassettes?
Wall units suit private offices and meeting rooms, and cost less to fit. Cassettes suit open-plan rooms with a suspended ceiling, because they spread the air four ways from the middle of the room. We'll recommend one at the survey.
Can different rooms have different temperatures?
Yes. With a multi-split or separate systems, each room has its own controller, so a meeting room can run cooler than a quiet office next door.
Can the system heat the office in winter too?
Yes. The systems we fit are reversible heat pumps, so the same units heat the office efficiently in winter.
How often should office air conditioning be serviced?
At least once a year, and twice a year for busy or heavily used spaces. LG asks for two services a year to keep its warranty valid. Where an F-Gas leak check is needed, we do it on the same visit.