Air conditioning in Havering

A borough of semis and gardens

In the 2021 Census, 41 per cent of Havering households lived in a semi-detached house, more than double the London figure of 19 per cent. Another 24 per cent lived in a terraced house and 11 per cent in a detached house, so more than three in four households have a house. Only 20 per cent lived in a purpose-built flat.

That's good news for air conditioning. A semi usually has a side wall or a rear wall where the outdoor unit can sit out of view of the street, and one outdoor unit can run a multi-split for three or four bedrooms. In a terrace we usually work from the back garden or the back addition. Every indoor unit has its pipe going straight through the wall behind it, so there is no trunking inside.

In the 2021 Census, 70 per cent of Havering households owned their home, and 35 per cent owned it outright. So in most homes there's no landlord or freeholder to ask first. In a flat, you need the freeholder's consent, and national rules allow only one heat pump per block as permitted development.

Planning in Havering

Planning questions go to Havering Council. Its plan is the Havering Local Plan 2016 to 2031, adopted at Full Council on 17 November 2021, which sits alongside the London Plan. For major developments, London Plan Policy SI 4 sets out a cooling hierarchy: reduce heat gains and use passive measures before air conditioning.

For a house that isn't listed, a unit that heats as well as cools can often go in without planning permission under Class G of the national rules, as rewritten from 29 May 2025, if it meets the size, position and noise limits. The outdoor unit can be up to 1.5 m³ on a house, and two units are allowed on a detached house. A cooling-only unit needs permission. Our planning guide explains the rules in full.

The Local Plan also protects the spacious character of the Emerson Park and Hall Lane areas and the Upminster residential areas, which aren't conservation areas. That mostly affects extensions and new houses, not a neatly placed outdoor unit, but we keep units low and out of sight from the road there too.

Conservation areas and Article 4 directions

Havering has 11 conservation areas, each with an appraisal and management plan. The council has updated the boundaries of the Romford, Rainham and Gidea Park conservation areas, so check the current maps for your address.

Three have Article 4 directions. In Gidea Park, a 2015 direction removes some rights for extensions, roof alterations, outbuildings and hard surfaces, at the front and sides of the homes it lists, and at the back as well for some of them. In Havering-atte-Bower, satellite dishes need permission, and in Cranham, gates, walls and fences do. None of these is aimed at heat pumps, but each area's appraisal guides what the council will accept.

• Gidea Park, the early 20th-century garden suburb in Romford (RM2)
• Romford town centre (RM1)
• Langtons, St Andrews and RAF Hornchurch in Hornchurch
• St Leonards in Hornchurch
• Corbets Tey and Cranham near Upminster
• Rainham village (RM13)
• Havering-atte-Bower and North Ockendon

Shops, offices and industrial units

The Local Plan names Romford as the borough's metropolitan centre, the largest town centre in Havering, with district centres at Hornchurch, Upminster, Elm Park, Collier Row, Harold Hill and Rainham. We fit wall units and ceiling cassettes in shops, offices, salons and restaurants there, in business hours, and service and repair existing systems.

Havering's main industrial areas include the Rainham Employment Area, the Harold Hill Industrial Area, King George Close and the Freightmaster Estate. Units there often need cooling for offices, server rooms or staff areas. We size each system from the heat load, not just the floor area, and business premises usually need a planning application for the outdoor unit.

Parking and access for engineers

Havering has controlled parking zones in parts of the borough, and some streets are permit only for residents and businesses at set hours. We check the signs before the visit. Where your home has a drive, we can often park on it.

Havering only lets utility and street works companies suspend parking bays, at £70 per bay per day for up to 7 days, with at least 5 working days' notice. For a job like ours, the council's route is a parking dispensation for tradespeople, which lets a work van park in a restricted place for the visit. We arrange it where it's needed and show any fee on your quote.

Havering is outside the Congestion Charge zone. The ULEZ covers all of London, including Havering.

Prices in Havering

Our standard London prices. Home prices include VAT and business prices are plus VAT. Long pipe runs and access equipment 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

• Premium range upgrade

  Quieter, more efficient unit

  from£250inc. VAT

• Commercial wall unit

  Fitted in business hours

  from£1,795+ VAT

• An annual service

  Keeps the manufacturer warranty valid

  from£119inc. VAT

Neighbourhoods we cover

We work across the borough, including RM1 to RM3, RM5, RM7 and RM11 to RM14, and the Havering part of RM4:

• Romford, Gidea Park and Rush Green (RM1, RM2, RM7)
• Harold Wood, Harold Hill and Harold Park (RM3)
• Collier Row and Havering-atte-Bower (RM4, RM5)
• Hornchurch, Emerson Park and Elm Park (RM11, RM12)
• Upminster, Cranham and Corbets Tey (RM14)
• Rainham, Wennington and South Hornchurch (RM13)

Havering questions