Air conditioning in Chelsea
Air conditioning in Chelsea for flats, terraces and mews houses
Apex installs heating and air conditioning in Chelsea homes and businesses. Most jobs here involve a mansion block, a listed terrace or a conservation area, so we settle the outdoor unit position and the consents before any work starts. The survey is free and the quote is fixed and written.
Heating and air conditioning in Chelsea mansion blocks
In a mansion block the hard part is rarely the indoor unit. It is finding a quiet, permitted place for the outdoor unit and a pipe route through the building. The usual answers are a rear terrace, a flat roof behind a parapet, or a lightwell at the back.
Each needs the agreement of the freeholder or managing agent, and many ask for drawings first. We can set out the unit position, pipe route and noise figures for them.
The systems we fit are reverse-cycle heat pumps, so the same unit warms the flat in winter and cools it in summer. For flats with tired radiators that is a real bonus.
It also matters for planning: on a house, a heat-and-cool unit can be permitted development, but a cooling-only unit always needs permission. Our page on fitting air conditioning in a flat covers leases and consents.
Conservation areas and listed houses in Chelsea
Much of Chelsea sits in conservation areas, including Cheyne, Royal Hospital, Sloane Square, Chelsea Park and Carlyle, and Thames, and many older houses are listed. On a listed house, any outdoor unit needs listed building consent.
In a conservation area, a unit facing the road usually needs planning permission. The usual solution is a unit tucked out of sight at the back, with as much of the pipework as possible run inside.
Before quoting, Olly checks the listing, the conservation area and the noise level at the nearest neighbouring window. If an application is needed, you know before spending anything. See our air conditioning planning permission guide.
Not sure which unit suits your Chelsea home? A couple of photos usually settles it.
Near Chelsea
Our London work
- Panasonic Etherea systems with built-in Wi-Fi for homes in Camden and Ealing
- Ducted heating and cooling on a commercial floor in the City of London
- Daikin VRV and mini VRV systems for London commercial clients
Restaurants, shops and offices in Chelsea
For shops and restaurants, the outdoor unit normally lives in the yard behind or up on the rear roof, away from the street. A restaurant kitchen and a full dining room have very different heat loads, so they are normally zoned apart. We also fit larger systems for London businesses, including Daikin VRV and mini VRV.
Commercial outdoor units almost always need planning permission, and in a Chelsea conservation area the council looks closely at noise and how visible the unit will be. More on commercial air con.
Booking a survey in Chelsea
Chelsea is about 17 miles from our Dartford base. To make the first visit count, send photos on WhatsApp of the room, the back of the building and any roof or terrace.
Olly can then see the likely position for the outdoor unit and the pipe route before he arrives, measure up on the day, and follow up with a fixed written quote. If the building has a porter or managing agent, tell us at the start, so access, parking and any working-hours rules are part of the plan.
No obligation: a survey in Chelsea, then a written price.
Air conditioning services in Chelsea
Reviews
What our customers say
Word for word from Checkatrade and Google.
Wonderful Service, Our Air Conditioner was leaking in winter and since then left in very bad condition. Then, Olly did magic and it's now up and running like a new. He did cleaned it thoroughly through low pressure jet and liquid detergent. Tested whole system to identify other faults. He was reasonable in price compared to other service provider. Highly Recommend him for right service and right guidance.
The installation of 2 air-conditioning units (1 in the lounge and 1 in the bedroom) was seamless from olly coming to my flat to the compleatd installation. Olly was very professional in listening to my requirements and giving advice. On the day of installation Olly and Andy carried out the work in a professional, timely and clean manner. I would 100% recommend them to friends and family.
From initial contact to completion of install and subsequent aftercare, my experience with Apex was top class. The install itself was done in half a day and the room was left clean and tidy - you’d not know engineers had worked there! Not often I recommend someone, but I’ve passed their details on to friends who have used them and all had the same personal and great experience.
Questions
Air conditioning in Chelsea: questions
Can I get air conditioning in a Chelsea mansion flat?
Usually, yes, with consent. Your lease will almost always need the freeholder's or managing agent's agreement, and planning permission is often needed too. The outdoor unit tends to go on a rear terrace, a flat roof or in a lightwell. We help by setting out the unit position, the pipe route and the noise figures that the freeholder and the council will want to see.
Does air conditioning heat as well as cool?
Yes. The heat-and-cool systems we fit are air-to-air heat pumps. In winter they take heat from the outside air and release it indoors, and in summer they work the other way round. In a Chelsea flat with old or slow radiators, that makes a wall or floor unit a useful extra source of heat as well as summer cooling.
Do I need listed building consent for air con in Chelsea?
If the house is listed, yes, for any outdoor unit or new hole through an outside wall, and sometimes for internal work too. Conservation area rules apply on top. Many older Chelsea houses are listed, so we check the listing at the survey and design the job to leave the outside of the building looking as unchanged as possible.
Do you service air conditioning in Chelsea?
Yes. We service and repair wall, floor, cassette and ducted systems in Chelsea homes and businesses, including makes we did not install. A service covers filters, coils, the drain, refrigerant pressures and a test in both modes, with a written record. Where the outdoor unit is on a roof or in a lightwell, we arrange access with the porter or managing agent.
Still got a question?
Ask Olly directly about your Chelsea home or business.
Free survey and a fixed written quote for new systems. No obligation.