How long does air conditioning installation take?
A single wall-mounted unit usually takes 4 to 8 hours, so one room is done in a day. A multi-split for two to four rooms takes 1 to 3 days, and a ducted system for a whole house 3 to 5 days or more. The wait before install day, for a survey and any consents, often takes longer than the fitting itself.
- one wall unit, start to finish
- 4–8 hours
- multi-split, two to four rooms
- 1–3 days
- ducted, whole house
- 3–5 days or more
- before any date is booked
- Free survey
How long each type of installation takes
Time on site for a standard install in a home, from arriving to handing over. Your survey confirms the time for your job.
| System | Usually fits | Time on site |
|---|---|---|
| Wall-mounted split | One bedroom, study or living room | 4–8 hours, one day |
| Floor-standing console | A loft with sloping ceilings, or under a window | 4–8 hours, one day |
| Multi-split | Two to four rooms on one outdoor unit | 1–3 days |
| Ducted | Only slim grilles show in the rooms | 3–5 days or more for a whole house |
| Commercial wall unit or cassette | Offices, shops and meeting rooms | Confirmed at the survey |
A ducted system is often fitted alongside building work, so the timing follows the build programme.
Why one room takes a day
Most of a single-room install is careful work that can't be rushed: drilling the wall, mounting two units level and secure, making the refrigerant joints, then proving the system is sealed and dry before any refrigerant goes round it, and checking it in cooling and heating.
The quickest installs are back to back, with the outdoor unit on the other side of the wall from the indoor unit. Every extra metre of pipe, every floor it has to pass and every awkward height adds time.
What happens on installation day
Arrive and protect the room
We confirm the positions with you, put dust sheets down and move anything delicate out of the way.
Fix the wall plate and drill
The indoor unit's mounting plate goes up level. Then one neat hole through the wall behind it, usually about 65 mm across and sloping slightly down to the outside, as Daikin's and Mitsubishi Electric's installation drawings show.
Mount the indoor unit
The pipes, cable and drain go straight through the wall behind the unit, so nothing runs across your inside wall. The unit then hooks onto the plate.
Fit the outdoor unit
On a wall bracket or a ground stand, on anti-vibration mounts. Outside, the pipes run in neat white trunking to the outdoor unit.
Connect, pressure test and vacuum
We make the refrigerant joints, pressure test them with nitrogen to prove there are no leaks, then pull a deep vacuum to clear air and moisture before the refrigerant is released.
Commission
The power goes on. We check pressures, temperatures and airflow in cooling and in heating, and record the refrigerant in the system.
Hand over
We show you the remote, the app, the timers and how to clean the filters, register the manufacturer warranty for you and clear up before we leave.
What makes installation take longer
None of these is unusual. We spot them at the survey, so the time and the price are right on your quote.
- A long pipe run: the outdoor unit can't go straight through the wall from the indoor unit, so the pipes travel further or pass through floors
- Height: an outdoor unit or pipe route high on the building may need an access tower put up first
- A new electrical circuit, when there's no suitable spur nearby or the system is larger
- A condensate pump, when the water can't drain away by gravity
- Removing an old system first, with its refrigerant recovered legally
- Flats: carrying kit up stairs, reaching a rear wall or roof, and any working rules your building sets
- Several rooms: each extra indoor unit on a multi-split adds its own hole, pipe run and testing
Electrics and Part P
Most single rooms connect to a suitable existing fused spur, which adds little time. A larger system, or a home with no suitable spur, may need a new circuit from the consumer unit.
In England, installing a new circuit in a home is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations (regulation 12(6A) of the Building Regulations 2010). It must be certified by an electrician registered with a competent person scheme, or approved by building control. That's why it shows as its own line on a quote, and why we check your electrics at the survey.
Lead times: from first enquiry to install day
The install is often the quickest part. Before it come the survey, your written quote and any consent the job needs. Our quotes stay valid for 30 days, so you have time to decide.
Homeowners who agree a contract at home or at a distance have 14 days to cancel under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013. We only start inside those 14 days if you ask us to in writing, so the earliest date usually falls after them.
Consents add the most time. A leasehold flat usually needs the freeholder's written consent, and managing agents can take weeks to reply. If a unit falls outside permitted development, councils normally have 8 weeks to decide a householder planning application, and 8 weeks for a Lawful Development Certificate. If you want cooling for summer, start in spring.
How to get ready for install day
- Clear the wall where the indoor unit goes, and the floor beneath it
- Make sure we can reach the outdoor position: garden gate unlocked, side passage clear, bins moved
- Tell us about any water pipes or cables hidden in the wall we'll be drilling
- Have the freeholder's or landlord's written consent ready, if you need it
- Sort parking: in a controlled parking zone, a visitor permit or bay suspension may be needed
- Keep pets and children out of the room while we drill and test
- Have your Wi-Fi name and password to hand if you want app control set up
- Be home at the start to confirm positions, and at the end for the handover
What a one-day install costs
Starting prices for the systems most homes have fitted in a day or two. Home prices include VAT. Our cost guide covers the rest.
- 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£2,350inc. VAT
Floor-standing unit
2.5 kW console
- from£3,650inc. VAT
Two rooms, one outdoor unit
Multi-split
Installation time questions
How long does it take to install air conditioning in one room?
Usually 4 to 8 hours for a wall-mounted split, so one room is fitted in a day. A back-to-back install, with the outdoor unit straight through the wall, is at the quick end. A long pipe run, a high outdoor position or a new circuit pushes it towards a full day.
How long does a multi-split installation take?
1 to 3 days for two to four rooms on one outdoor unit. Each indoor unit has its own hole, pipe run and connection to the outdoor unit, and the whole system is pressure tested, vacuumed and commissioned together.
How many hours does it take to install an air conditioner?
4 to 8 hours for a single wall unit or floor console. Ducted systems take 3 to 5 days or more for a whole house, often alongside building work.
Can I use the air conditioning straight away?
Yes. Once we've commissioned it and shown you the controls, it's ready to use the same day. Commissioning checks the system in cooling and heating, so you can see both working before we leave.
Do I need to be at home during the installation?
Someone needs to be there at the start, to confirm where the units go and let us in, and at the end for the handover. In between you're welcome to carry on with your day, as long as we can reach the room and the outdoor position.
Can air conditioning be installed in winter?
Yes. Installs happen all year, and every home system we fit heats as well as cools, so a winter install keeps a room warm now and cool next summer. Autumn and winter are also a good time to get consents sorted before the warm weather.
How much mess does it make?
Not much. We drill one hole per indoor unit under dust sheets, extract the dust as we go and clean up before we leave. The pipes go straight through the wall behind the unit, with neat trunking outside only.