Air conditioning for shops and retail units
Customers browse longer in a shop that feels fresh, and staff stay sharper through a hot afternoon. We fit air conditioning in shops, boutiques and showrooms across London and the Home Counties, sized for open doors and big windows, with prices plus VAT.
- ceiling cassette, from
- £2,750 + VAT
- commercial wall unit, from
- £1,795 + VAT
- one system, all year
- Heats too
- workmanship guarantee
- 2-year
Why shops are harder to cool than offices
A shop is built to be seen into. A glazed shopfront lets in a lot of sun, and display lighting adds heat all day. Then there's the door. Many shops keep it open to look welcoming, and every minute it's open, cooled air spills out and warm street air rolls in.
That means a shop usually needs more cooling than its floor area alone suggests. At the survey we look at which way the window faces, how much lighting there is, how many people are in at busy times and whether the door stays open. Then we size each unit from that, not from a rule of thumb.
Open doors and heat loss
An open door works against your air conditioning in summer and your heating in winter. You don't have to keep it shut, but it helps to plan for it. A unit near the entrance, an air curtain over the doorway or a lobby with a second door all cut the amount of outside air mixing in.
Air curtains are a separate product from air conditioning. If you'd like one, we'll tell you where it should go so the two work together. If you keep the door closed when the system is running, a smaller system will often do.
Choosing units for a shop floor
| Option | Best for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling cassette | Most shop floors with a suspended ceiling | Spreads air four ways from the centre and keeps walls free for display. From £2,750 + VAT |
| Wall-mounted split | Small shops, kiosks, back offices and stockrooms | Quickest and cheapest to fit, but takes wall space. From £1,795 + VAT |
| Ducted (ceiling-concealed) | Boutiques and showrooms where only grilles should show | Needs a deep enough ceiling void. Quoted after survey |
| Several smaller units | Long or L-shaped shops | Spreads cooling evenly, so the back of the shop isn't stuffy |
Business prices are plus VAT.
Stock, staff and the back of house
Some stock doesn't like heat. Chocolate, cosmetics and candles can soften or spoil on a hot day, and a stockroom with no windows can get warmer than the shop floor. A small wall unit in the stockroom is often worth adding.
Remember the till area too. Staff stand there for hours, often right by the door or the window. Placing a unit so it reaches the counter, without blowing straight onto anyone, makes a real difference to how the day feels.
Installing while you trade
Most of an install is quiet work. The noisy and messy parts are cutting the ceiling for cassettes and drilling through the wall for the pipes. We plan those so they disturb customers as little as possible, and we keep the shop floor clean and safe as we go.
Our listed prices are for fitting in business hours. If the shop can't have a work area on the floor during trading, tell us at the survey. We'll talk through options for the noisy stages, such as doing them before you open, and include any work outside normal hours in your quote.
Landlords, shopping centres and planning
On a high street, your lease will almost always need the landlord's written consent before units go on the building. In a shopping centre or retail park, the landlord often has set plant areas, approved routes and contractor rules, so ask the managing agent for their requirements early.
The permitted development rights for heat pumps cover homes and blocks of flats, not shops. Check with the council before fitting an outdoor unit, and allow for a planning application with noise details. Shopfronts in conservation areas, and listed buildings, need extra care.
Shop air conditioning prices
Starting prices plus VAT. Larger shop floors and ducted systems are quoted after a survey.
- from£2,750+ VAT
Ceiling cassette
In a suitable suspended ceiling
- from£1,795+ VAT
Commercial wall unit
Fitted in business hours
Shop air conditioning questions
How much does air conditioning for a shop cost?
A ceiling cassette starts from £2,750 + VAT and a commercial wall unit from £1,795 + VAT. The number of units depends on the size of the floor, the glazing and the door, so we give you a fixed price after a free survey.
Will air conditioning work if I keep the shop door open?
It will, but less efficiently, and it may need a bigger system. Placing a unit near the entrance, or adding an air curtain or a lobby, cuts the outside air coming in. Closing the door while the system runs saves the most energy.
Can you fit it without closing the shop?
Usually. We plan the noisy stages to disturb customers as little as possible. Our listed prices are for business hours; if you need some work done outside them, tell us at the survey and we'll include it in the quote.
Do I need planning permission for shop air conditioning?
Often. The permitted development rights for heat pumps don't cover shops, so check with your council before fitting an outdoor unit. You'll also need your landlord's written consent.
Can the same system heat the shop in winter?
Yes. The systems we fit are reversible heat pumps, so they heat the shop efficiently in winter as well as cooling it in summer.
Cassette or wall unit for a small shop?
For a small shop without a suspended ceiling, a wall unit is usually the sensible choice. For a larger floor with a suspended ceiling, a cassette spreads the air more evenly and keeps the walls free for display.