Air conditioning across London

How we work across London

London has 32 boroughs plus the City of London, and each council sets its own planning guidance, noise standards and parking rules. We check the rules for your street before we quote, not after.

Every install starts with a survey. We look at the rooms, where the outdoor unit could go, the pipe route, the electrics and who needs to agree. You then get a fixed written quote. Where consent is needed, we give you the drawings and noise data for the freeholder, the managing agent or the council.

Flats, leases and freeholders

In the 2021 Census, 54 per cent of London households lived in a flat, maisonette or apartment. If you own a leasehold flat, your lease says whether you need the freeholder's permission for alterations. For an outdoor unit you almost always do, and many managing agents have rules on positions, hours and lift use.

Flats also have tighter planning rules than houses. An outdoor unit on a flat often needs planning permission, and in a managed block the building may already have set positions for plant. We prepare a consent pack with photos, drawings, the unit's sound data and how we'll fix and run the pipes.

Conservation areas and listed buildings

The London Plan counts over 1,000 conservation areas in London and around 19,000 list entries for historic buildings. In Kensington and Chelsea alone, nearly three quarters of the borough is in a conservation area.

In a conservation area, an outdoor unit generally can't go on a wall or roof facing the road without planning permission. A listed building needs listed building consent, often for internal pipe runs too. Councils such as Kingston ask for units at the rear, out of sight from the street, and some, like the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust in Barnet, expect a screen.

The London Plan and the cooling hierarchy

London Plan Policy SI 4 sets a cooling hierarchy for major developments: keep heat out, reduce heat made inside, use thermal mass and ventilation, and only then use active cooling. The Plan says the principles can also apply to smaller schemes, and some boroughs, such as Kensington and Chelsea and Richmond, refer to it in their own policies.

If your install needs planning, we explain in the application why shading and ventilation alone won't do the job, and how the system will also heat the home efficiently.

How the rules differ by borough

Noise targets and parking suspensions for the boroughs we have guides for. Figures are from each council's own documents and fee pages.

Council fees change, usually each April. We check the current charge and show it on your quote.

Parking, access and working hours

Every borough we cover has controlled parking zones, and Kensington and Chelsea has no uncontrolled streets at all. Where we need a clear space outside, we apply to the council for a bay suspension. Notice runs from three working days in Bromley to 10 in Kensington and Chelsea, Greenwich and Croydon. Some boroughs, such as Greenwich, Kingston, Barnet and Richmond, also sell permits for tradespeople working at your address.

The ULEZ covers all London boroughs, and the Congestion Charge covers central London. Nothing can stop on a double red line at any time, so on a red route we plan loading with you in advance.

Croydon, Bromley, Greenwich and Richmond allow noisy building work from 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. Kensington and Chelsea allows none on Saturdays. We keep drilling and core holes within the local hours.

London prices

The same prices apply across London. Access, consents and long pipe runs are quoted 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

• 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

Boroughs we cover

We have detailed guides for these boroughs, each with the local planning, noise and parking rules. We also work in the other London boroughs, so ask us about yours.

• Kensington and Chelsea: Chelsea, South Kensington, Notting Hill, Earl's Court
• Richmond upon Thames: Richmond, Twickenham, Teddington, Kew, Barnes
• Kingston upon Thames: Kingston, Surbiton, New Malden, Tolworth
• Barnet: Finchley, Hendon, Mill Hill, Golders Green, High Barnet
• Greenwich: Greenwich, Blackheath, Woolwich, Eltham, Charlton
• Bromley: Beckenham, Chislehurst, Orpington, Petts Wood
• Croydon: Thornton Heath, Addiscombe, Purley, Coulsdon

London questions