Split system air conditioning in London
A wall-mounted unit for one room, installed and commissioned in a day, cooling in summer, efficient heating in winter.
A single split system installed in a London home costs £1,600–£2,600 excluding VAT, supplied and fitted, and takes one day. That covers the indoor unit, the outdoor condenser, insulated pipework, a condensate drain, vacuum testing and commissioning. Every split system we fit is also a heat pump: it heats the same room in winter for roughly a third of the electricity of a plug-in heater.
This is for you if
- One room, usually a bedroom, living room or home office, becomes unusable every summer
- You have been through three portable units and are done with the noise and the hose out the window
- You work from home and July video calls have become embarrassing
- A south- or west-facing room with big windows that traps heat all evening
- You want the winter heating benefit as well, not just summer cooling
- A loft conversion that overheats no matter how many windows you open
What's included
- Free survey: heat-load sizing, condenser position, pipe route and a fixed written quote
- A named-brand R32 unit sized to the room, not the biggest one on the van
- Insulated pipework in tidy white trunking, routed the least visible way
- Condensate drainage that actually falls, no pumps unless the route demands one
- Vacuum and pressure test before any refrigerant is released
- Commissioning, a demonstration of the controls, and the F-Gas paperwork
The standard we work to
Refrigerant work is legally restricted to F-Gas certified engineers (R32 systems); electrical connection to BS 7671; condenser siting subject to planning rules and noise limits.
| Guide range | £1,600 – £2,600 |
| Typical duration | 1 day |
| Compliance | Refrigerant work is legally restricted to F-Gas certified engineers (R32 systems) |
Guide ranges for budgeting, excluding VAT. We confirm a fixed price after a free survey; the price we agree is the price you pay.
Price your split systems
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Split systems: what people ask
How much does it cost to install air conditioning in one room?
£1,600 to £2,600 excluding VAT for a wall-mounted split system, supplied and installed. The spread is mostly about the installation, not the unit: a bedroom directly above a side alley needs three metres of pipe and a morning's work, while a top-floor flat where the condenser must go on a bracket two storeys up needs access equipment and a full day. Anything quoted well under £1,300 usually means an uncertified installer or the cheapest unbranded unit; both cost more later.
Read the full answerHow long does a split system installation take?
One day for a straightforward install: indoor unit mounted in the morning, pipework and condenser before lunch, then vacuum testing, refrigerant release and commissioning in the afternoon. You have working cooling the same evening. Installs that need scaffolding, long internal pipe runs or a condensate pump can stretch to a second day; we tell you at survey, not on the day.
Read the full answerDo I need planning permission for a split system?
Not on most houses in England. Since 29 May 2025, permitted development covers an outdoor unit that is not used solely for cooling, and a split system also heats, so it can qualify: one unit on most houses, two on a detached house, not on a pitched roof, and sited to limit its effect on appearance and neighbours. Listed buildings and conservation-area walls facing a road still need the formal route, and a block of flats gets permitted development for its first unit only. Leaseholders need the freeholder's written consent whatever planning says. We advise on siting at survey and position the condenser where it has the least visual and noise impact.
Read the full answerWhat size air conditioner do I need?
As a rule of thumb: 2.5kW for a typical double bedroom, 3.5kW for most living rooms, 5kW for a large open-plan space, then adjusted for glazing, orientation and insulation, which is what the survey is for. Bigger is not better: an oversized unit short-cycles, dehumidifies poorly and wears its compressor. We size from the room's actual heat load, and we will happily show the calculation.
Read the full answerCan I get a grant for a split system?
Only if it becomes the home's heating. Since 28 April 2026 the Boiler Upgrade Scheme has offered £2,500 off an air-to-air heat pump in England and Wales, but the system must replace the existing gas, oil, LPG or electric heating and be sized to heat the whole property. A single split can sometimes meet that in a small flat heated by electric panels; one split added to a house with a gas boiler cannot. The installer must be MCS certified and applies on your behalf.
Split systems across London
The same prices everywhere; what changes is the building. Each area page covers what split systems runs into locally: the roofs, the condenser positions, the consent rules.
Central London
W1, WC1, WC2, SW1, EC1 · Westminster, Camden & the City
North London
N1, N5, N6, NW3, NW5 · Islington, Camden, Haringey & Barnet
South London
SW4, SW11, SW12, SE21, SE22 · Wandsworth, Lambeth, Southwark & Lewisham
East London
E1, E2, E8, E14, E20 · Hackney, Tower Hamlets & Newham
West London
SW3, SW5, SW6, W2, W8, W11 · Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster
Richmond
TW9, TW10, SW13, SW14 · Richmond upon Thames
Planning split systems?
Tell us the rooms and the rough plan. We reply within one working day with an honest cost bracket, then a free survey and a fixed written quote.