Air conditioning in Greenwich
We install, service and repair air conditioning across the Royal Borough of Greenwich, from Georgian houses in West Greenwich to new riverside flats on the Peninsula and at Woolwich. Here's what the council, your building and the parking rules mean for an install.
- conservation areas in the borough
- 23
- of households in purpose-built flats
- 43%
- Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site
- 1997
- a week for a tradesperson permit
- £31.10
Riverside flats and period houses
Greenwich has two very different housing types, and they need different installs. In the 2021 Census, 43 per cent of the borough's households lived in purpose-built flats. In the Greenwich Peninsula ward the figure was 84 per cent, in Woolwich Arsenal 78 per cent and in Kidbrooke Village & Sutcliffe 75 per cent. In Eltham Park & Progress it was 10 per cent.
The Royal Arsenal riverside in Woolwich is planned for over 5,000 homes, built from 2001 and running to 2030. Kidbrooke Village is replacing the old Ferrier Estate with 5,268 homes, due to finish in 2031.
On the other side are the Georgian houses of Crooms Hill and Hyde Vale in West Greenwich, the Paragon and the Regency and early Victorian houses of Blackheath, and the Progress Estate in Eltham. That estate was built in ten months in 1915 to house Woolwich Arsenal munitions workers.
What that means for your install
In a new-build flat, the managing agent or management company usually controls the outside walls and balconies. Many blocks have rules on where an outdoor unit can go, and some don't allow one at all. Ask for the building's rules early. We'll give you drawings and noise data for the managing agent and help with a planning application, which an outdoor unit on a flat often needs.
Newer flats are often well sealed and face the river or the sun, so a single wall unit in a living room or a two-room multi-split covers most needs. Some blocks have a ceiling void suited to a ducted unit.
Period houses usually take the outdoor unit at the rear, on a flat roof or the ground, with pipes run inside. A heating-capable unit on a house can sometimes go in without planning permission, but conservation areas and the World Heritage Site have siting limits. Cooling-only units and listed buildings always need consent. Our planning guide sets out the national rules.
Planning in Royal Greenwich
The council lists 23 conservation areas. The Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site was inscribed in 1997, and the East Greenwich, West Greenwich and Blackheath conservation areas form its buffer zone. The council treats alterations within the site like those in a conservation area.
Most of the borough's Article 4 directions are in conservation areas. They mainly control windows, doors and re-roofing. The West Greenwich direction also covers alarm boxes and meter boxes on fronts and flanks visible from the street. No direction we've read mentions air conditioning, but any equipment on a front wall in these streets should be checked first.
On noise, the Greener Greenwich SPD says plant should be designed or attenuated to be 10 dB below the existing background noise. It also asks for an assessment of noise, vibration and visual impact on neighbours where an air source heat pump is proposed. We pick units and positions to meet that.
Greenwich conservation areas
Some of the 23 conservation areas we work in:
- West Greenwich, East Greenwich and Greenwich Park
- Blackheath, Blackheath Park and Westcombe Park
- Ashburnham Triangle
- Charlton Village and Charlton Riverside
- Royal Arsenal Woolwich, Woolwich and Woolwich Common
- Progress Estate, Well Hall Pleasaunce and Eltham Palace
- Shrewsbury Park Estate and Plumstead Common
Parking and access for engineers
Royal Greenwich sells a tradesperson permit for addresses in a controlled parking zone. It's £31.10 a week, runs for one to six weeks and is limited to two per property. The vehicle must be under 1.95 m wide and 3 m tall. It suits longer jobs, such as a multi-room install.
Where we need a clear space outside, a bay suspension needs 10 working days' notice and costs £66.40 per bay per day plus a £66.40 admin fee. Parking on a yellow line to work on a property needs a dispensation, applied for at least seven working days ahead at £34.30 a day. Any council fee is shown on your quote.
In managed blocks we book the goods lift and loading bay with the concierge, and work to the building's hours. The council's construction noise hours for large sites are 8am to 6pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on Saturdays. We keep drilling within those hours.
Prices in Greenwich
Standard prices for a typical home install. Long pipe runs, wall frames or access equipment for upper floors are quoted after the survey.
- 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£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
- from£125inc. VAT
Repair diagnostic visit
First hour on site, deducted if you go ahead
Neighbourhoods we cover
We cover the whole Royal Borough, including:
- Greenwich, West Greenwich and Greenwich Peninsula
- East Greenwich and Westcombe Park
- Blackheath (the Royal Greenwich side) and Kidbrooke
- Charlton
- Woolwich and the Royal Arsenal
- Plumstead and Shooters Hill
- Eltham, New Eltham and Mottingham
- Abbey Wood and Thamesmead
Greenwich questions
Can I have air conditioning in a new-build flat on Greenwich Peninsula or at the Royal Arsenal?
Often, yes, but you need the managing agent's consent and usually planning permission for an outdoor unit. Many blocks have set positions, such as balconies or roof plant areas. Send us the building's rules and we'll design around them.
Do I need planning permission in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site?
The national permitted development rules treat a World Heritage Site like a conservation area: no unit on a wall or roof facing a road, or nearer the road than the house. The council also treats alterations in the site like those in a conservation area. A heating-capable unit at the rear of an unlisted house may not need planning; listed buildings always need consent.
How quiet does the outdoor unit need to be in Greenwich?
Council guidance asks for plant to be 10 dB below the existing background noise level. We pick a quiet unit and position it away from neighbours' windows, on anti-vibration mounts.
Can you fit air conditioning in a Progress Estate house?
The Progress Estate is a conservation area with an Article 4 direction covering fronts, side windows, roofs and more. A rear position, with internal pipe runs, is the usual route. We check the direction and the estate's character appraisal before we quote.
Do you service and repair existing systems in Greenwich?
Yes. We service and repair most split and multi-split systems, including ones in new-build flats that came with the building. An annual service starts at £119 and a repair diagnostic visit is £125, taken off the bill if you go ahead.