Air conditioning in Chesham

A long town in a narrow valley

Chesham sits in a narrow Chilterns valley at the source of the River Chess. The hillsides forced the town to grow along the valley floor, and the council's historic town assessment describes it as about 3 kilometres long. Many newer streets climb the valley sides, so steep drives and sloping gardens are common.

The town got its market in 1257, and the High Street is lined with buildings from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Brush making and boot and shoe making were long the main trades. A Newtown grew to the north of the old core from 1888, and the Metropolitan Railway arrived in 1889.

Workers' terraces followed along Berkhamsted Road and up the valley sides. The Pond Park estate was built in the 1930s, then Chessmount and Hilltop in the 1950s and 1960s.

Chesham homes and what they mean for an install

Planning and the Chesham conservation area

Planning in Chesham goes to Buckinghamshire Council, which replaced Chiltern District Council in April 2020. The old Chiltern plan still applies until the new Local Plan for Buckinghamshire is adopted.

The Chesham conservation area covers the old town and town centre. It was first designated in 1970 and revised in 1987 after the road network changed. Chesham Bois, to the south towards Amersham, has its own conservation area.

A heating-capable unit on a house is often permitted development if it meets the limits on size, position and noise. A cooling-only unit, a listed building, or a unit on a road-facing wall or roof in a conservation area needs permission. Our planning guide explains each rule.

The valley sides and countryside around the town lie in the Chilterns National Landscape, called the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty until November 2023, and the town is ringed by Green Belt. Neither adds a separate limit to the Class G heat pump rules. The Article 4 directions we found on the national register near Chesham cover farmland, not homes in the town.

Steep plots and valley-side streets

Plenty of Chesham homes sit above or below the road, up steps or a steep drive. We check access at the survey and plan how to carry the outdoor unit in. On a sloping garden we use a level ground pad or a wall bracket, and keep the pipe run as short as we can.

The systems we fit are heat pumps, so they heat as well as cool. That makes them useful all year in a loft room or an extension that runs hot in summer and cold in winter.

Air conditioning for Chesham businesses

The council's historic town assessment describes local employers as mostly small firms in light industry, technology and professional services. We fit and service systems for offices, workshops, shops, salons, clinics and small server rooms. Older buildings in the centre may be listed or in the conservation area, so we agree the outdoor unit position first.

Commercial installs are done in business hours. We service most brands, including systems another company fitted, and can look after several sites under one maintenance contract.

Parking on install day

Buckinghamshire Council runs on-street permit zones in parts of Chesham. Permits are digital through MiPermit and only work in their own zone. If your street is in one, tell us when you book so we can plan where the van parks, because we need to unload the outdoor unit close to the house.

What air conditioning costs in Chesham

Our starting prices are the same here as across Buckinghamshire and London. Home prices include VAT; business prices are plus VAT. You get a fixed written price after the survey.

• A bedroom or study

  2.5 kW wall unit, 5 m pipe, fitted in a day

  from£1,850inc. VAT

• A living room

  3.5 kW wall unit

  from£2,050inc. VAT

• Open plan or a loft

  5 kW wall unit

  from£2,450inc. VAT

• Two rooms, one outdoor unit

  Multi-split

  from£3,650inc. VAT

• Three rooms

  Multi-split

  from£5,100inc. VAT

• Commercial wall unit

  Fitted in business hours

  from£1,795+ VAT

• An annual service

  Keeps the manufacturer warranty valid

  from£119inc. VAT

• Repair diagnostic visit

  First hour on site, deducted if you go ahead

  from£125inc. VAT

Areas and postcodes we cover

We cover the whole of HP5 and the villages around it. A few HP5 addresses over the Hertfordshire border fall under Dacorum Borough Council for planning.

• HP5: Chesham town centre, Newtown, Pond Park, Chessmount, Hilltop and Botley
• HP5 villages: Ley Hill, Chartridge, Bellingdon and Ashley Green
• HP6 nearby: Chesham Bois and Amersham-on-the-Hill

Chesham questions