Air conditioning in Essex
We install, service and repair air conditioning across Essex, for homes and businesses. Here's which council deals with planning where you live, how Essex homes affect an install, and our prices.
- councils handling planning
- 14
- single room, from
- £1,850
- annual service, from
- £119
Who handles planning in Essex
Planning applications for homes and businesses go to your district, borough or city council, not Essex County Council. Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock are separate unitary councils and handle their own.
In March 2026 the government decided to replace these councils with five new unitary councils. In September 2026 it withdrew that decision while it reviews the programme, and confirmed that the May 2027 local elections will go ahead on existing council boundaries. So for now nothing changes: apply to the council in the list below.
- Basildon, Braintree, Brentwood and Castle Point
- Chelmsford, Colchester, Epping Forest and Harlow
- Maldon, Rochford, Tendring and Uttlesford
- Southend-on-Sea City Council and Thurrock Council (unitary)
Towns we cover in Essex
We work across the county. Brentwood has its own page. These are the other main towns. If yours isn't listed, put your postcode in the quote form and we'll confirm.
- Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone
- Chelmsford
- Billericay, Basildon and Wickford
- Southend-on-Sea, Leigh-on-Sea and Rayleigh
- Grays and the Thurrock towns
- Epping, Loughton and Harlow
- Colchester, Braintree and Saffron Walden
Essex homes and what they mean for an install
The Essex Design Guide lists the county's traditional materials as red, yellow stock and white gault bricks, render, black or white weatherboarding, clay tiles, pantiles, slate and thatch. Older homes in those materials need more care than modern ones.
| Type of home | Where you'll find it | What it means for the install |
|---|---|---|
| Weatherboarded and timber-framed cottages | Village centres and old market towns | Weatherboard needs a frame-mounted bracket or a ground pad. Check for listing before anything else. |
| Interwar and post-war semis | Suburbs of most Essex towns | Simple installs. The outdoor unit goes at the side or rear, with a short pipe run to the bedrooms. |
| Large detached houses | Brentwood, Shenfield, Hutton and the villages | Room for multi-split or ducted systems. Long runs to the far side of the house are planned at survey. |
| Modern semis and new-build estates | Edge-of-town estates across the county | Well insulated, so smaller units often do. Check the deeds for covenants about external equipment. |
| Flats | Town centres and seafront blocks | Freeholder consent first, and often planning permission. Balconies or flat roofs take the condenser. |
Conservation areas and listed buildings
Many Essex towns and villages have protected historic centres. Saffron Walden and Thaxted are conservation areas in Uttlesford. Dedham, in Colchester's area, has been one since 1974.
Outdoor units on houses can often go up without a planning application under permitted development, within limits on size, position and noise. In a conservation area a unit can't go on a wall facing the road without permission, and listed buildings need listed building consent for most external fixings. Our planning guide covers the rest.
Air conditioning for Essex businesses
We fit and look after systems in offices, shops, restaurants, salons and clinics. Cassettes suit offices with suspended ceilings. Wall units suit shops and small premises. We fit commercial systems during business hours.
We also service and repair existing systems from most manufacturers, including ones another company installed.
Prices for Essex homes
Our starting prices are the same across Essex and London. The survey gives you a fixed price.
- from£1,850inc. VAT
A bedroom or study
2.5 kW wall unit, 5 m pipe, fitted in a day
- from£2,050inc. VAT
A living room
3.5 kW wall unit
- from£2,450inc. VAT
Open plan or a loft
5 kW wall unit
- from£3,650inc. VAT
Two rooms, one outdoor unit
Multi-split
- from£5,100inc. VAT
Three rooms
Multi-split
- from£119inc. VAT
An annual service
Keeps the manufacturer warranty valid
Prices for Essex businesses
- from£1,795+ VAT
Commercial wall unit
Fitted in business hours
- from£2,750+ VAT
Ceiling cassette
In a suitable suspended ceiling
- from£59inc. VAT
Each extra indoor unit
Same visit
Questions from Essex customers
Is Essex local government reorganisation changing who handles planning?
Not yet. The government's March 2026 decision to create five new councils was withdrawn in September 2026 while it reviews the programme. For now, your district, borough or city council handles planning, or Southend-on-Sea or Thurrock if you live there.
Can you fit air conditioning on a weatherboarded house?
Yes. We fix the outdoor unit's bracket into the timber frame behind the boards, or put the unit on a ground pad. Pipes go through one neat hole, sealed and finished. If the house is listed, you'll need listed building consent first.
I live in a seafront flat. Can I have air conditioning?
Often, yes, with the freeholder's consent and sometimes planning permission. Exposed sites need a well-fixed outdoor unit, so we check the position at the survey.
How much does a multi-split for three bedrooms cost?
A three-room multi-split starts at £5,100, including VAT for homes. The final price depends on pipe lengths and where the outdoor unit goes.
Will air conditioning heat my home in winter?
Yes. The systems we fit are heat pumps that heat as well as cool. They're useful for extensions, conservatories and loft rooms that the boiler doesn't reach well.
Do you repair systems another company fitted?
Yes. A repair visit is £125, covering the first hour, and it comes off the bill if you go ahead with the repair.