Air conditioning in Wandsworth

Terraces between the commons

Wandsworth Council's Urban Design Study describes the borough's homes as leafy streets of Victorian terraced housing, with a legacy of post-war council estates and four large commons: Clapham, Tooting, Putney Heath and Wandsworth. That mix covers most of the installs we quote here.

In the terraces of Battersea, Earlsfield, Tooting and Balham, the outdoor unit usually goes at the back, on the ground or on the back-addition wall, out of sight from the street. Many of these houses have loft conversions, and a dormer room under the roof is often the first room people want cooled. A multi-split can serve the loft and the bedrooms below from one outdoor unit.

Mansion blocks, riverside flats and Nine Elms

Battersea's mansion blocks, such as those on Prince of Wales Drive facing Battersea Park, need the freeholder's or managing agent's consent before any work. Outdoor positions are often limited to a rear wall, a lightwell or a flat roof, and the building may set its own working hours.

Nine Elms, which Wandsworth shares with Lambeth, and the riverside around Battersea Power Station and Wandsworth Town are mostly new, high-density flats. We check first whether the building already has a cooling system, then look at balcony positions and the building's rules with the managing agent.

Planning in Wandsworth

Planning questions go to Wandsworth Council. Its Local Plan 2023 to 2038 was adopted on 19 July 2023. For an unlisted house, a unit that heats as well as cools can often go in without planning permission under the national rules, if it meets the size, position and noise limits. Cooling-only units, flats with an existing heat pump, listed buildings and street-facing walls in conservation areas need permission.

The council has 46 conservation areas, ranging from a single street such as Deodar Road to large areas such as West Putney. Eight of them also have Article 4 directions that remove some permitted development rights. On Wandsworth Common Westside, for example, the direction covers external alterations visible from the street. If your house is in one of these, check with the council before planning a unit.

• Shaftesbury Park Estate and Latchmere Estate in Battersea
• Heaver Estate
• Totterdown Fields Estate in Tooting
• Wandsworth Common, on named streets only
• Dover House Estate, Putney Lower Common and Roehampton Village

Quiet units for close neighbours

Terraced gardens in Wandsworth are narrow, so a neighbour's bedroom window is often only a few metres from the outdoor unit. Under the national rules, the noise at that window must come out at 37 dB(A) or lower for the install to be permitted development. We choose the model and position with that calculation in mind and fit anti-vibration mounts as standard.

If the calculation is tight, moving the unit, using a quieter model or adding a solid barrier can make the difference. We show you the figures at the survey.

Parking and access for engineers

Wandsworth lists 16 parking zones, from Battersea, Clapham Junction and Putney to Tooting Broadway, Furzedown and Roehampton. Some run all day and some for just one hour, usually on weekdays, to deter commuters. Outside that hour our van can often park nearby without a suspension.

Where a bay suspension is needed, Wandsworth charges a booking fee of £82.20 with 10 working days' notice or £93.20 with 7, plus a daily charge per space. We apply for it and show the council's fees on your quote. Wandsworth is outside the Congestion Charge zone. The ULEZ covers all of London.

Prices in Wandsworth

Our standard prices for homes and businesses. Home prices include VAT and business prices are plus VAT. Long pipe runs, roof access and planning drawings 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

• Open plan or a loft

  5 kW wall unit

  from£2,450inc. 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

Neighbourhoods we cover

We work across the borough, including the SW8, SW11, SW12, SW15, SW17, SW18 and SW19 postcodes:

• Battersea, Clapham Junction and Nine Elms
• Wandsworth Town and Wandsworth Common
• Putney, Roehampton and Southfields
• Earlsfield and Garratt Green
• Tooting, Tooting Bec and Furzedown
• Balham and the Wandsworth side of Clapham South

Wandsworth questions