Air conditioning in Otford
Air conditioning in Otford for period homes and village businesses
We fit and service air conditioning in Otford, from old cottages in the village centre to family homes on the roads around it, and the pubs and shops in between. Otford is nine miles south of Dartford, down the Darent Valley. Every job starts with a free survey and a fixed quote in writing.
Fitting air con in older Otford walls
Many homes in the centre of Otford are old cottages and period houses. Their walls can be thick, soft or uneven, and that changes how we fit.
Before drilling, we check what the wall is made of and pick a bracket and fixings to suit it. The hole for the pipes is cut with a core drill, angled slightly down to the outside, then sleeved and sealed so no damp can track in.
Where a wall unit would spoil a period room, a floor console under the window often sits better, and it can go where an old radiator was. Low ceilings and beams in some cottages also affect where a wall unit can go, because it needs a little clear space above it to draw in air.
The outdoor unit goes at the back, out of view. See our air conditioning installation page for the full process.
Cellar cooling and air con for Otford pubs and shops
A village pub needs a cool, steady cellar for its beer and a bar that stays comfortable on a busy summer evening. We install, service and repair cellar coolers as well as front-of-house air conditioning.
Many older cellar coolers run on R404A, and under the F-gas rules a system holding more than about 1.3kg of it must be leak checked at least once a year. For the bar, a ceiling cassette or wall unit keeps customers comfortable, and its outdoor unit can often share the yard with the cellar cooler. See pub cellar cooling.
Shops in the centre usually take their outdoor unit in a rear yard, away from the street. Business premises usually need planning permission for an outdoor unit, and the conservation area adds to that, so we settle the position early in the job.
Olly can often tell from photos whether your Otford room needs a single or multi split.
Near Otford
A review from Otford
Thanks to olly and his team for fitting me a split air conditioning unit back in July, keeping us comfortable in the summer heatwave
Planning in the Otford conservation area and Kent Downs
The old village is a conservation area, and much of Otford, including the village centre, lies in the Kent Downs National Landscape. For a house, a heat-and-cool unit is usually permitted development, but not on the front wall or a wall facing the road.
Listed buildings in the centre need listed building consent for any outdoor unit or new opening. Sevenoaks District Council handles applications here. If your home is not listed and the unit goes at the back, there is usually nothing to apply for. More in our planning permission guide.
Kemsing, Shoreham and the Darent Valley
From Otford we also cover Kemsing, Shoreham, Dunton Green, Twitton and Sevenoaks. In Sevenoaks we fitted a Daikin three-unit multi system with Madoka smart controls, and customers near the town have been leaving us reviews since 2020.
Olly surveys Otford jobs himself and puts the price in writing.
Air conditioning services in Otford
Reviews
Reviews from Otford and across Kent
Word for word from Checkatrade and Google.
The best value quote I got, very friendly and professional. Would definitely recommend and wouldn't hesitate to use again
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.
Questions
Air conditioning in Otford: questions
Can you put air conditioning in an old cottage in Otford?
Yes, in most cases. We check the wall build before drilling, use fixings that suit soft or uneven masonry, and seal the pipe hole against damp. In a listed cottage, outdoor units and new openings need listed building consent first. A floor console or a carefully placed wall unit keeps the room's character, and the outdoor unit goes at the back.
Do you service pub cellar coolers near Otford?
Yes. We service and repair cellar cooling for pubs in Otford and the Darent Valley villages, and fit new coolers when an old one is past saving. A service checks the cellar temperature, cleans the coils, clears the drain and checks for refrigerant leaks. If the system is large enough to need a yearly F-gas leak check, we keep the record you must hold.
Is Otford in the Kent Downs, and does that affect air con?
Mostly, yes. The village centre and much of Otford lie in the Kent Downs National Landscape, and the old village is a conservation area. Neither stops you having air conditioning. What they change is the front of the house: a unit there, or on any wall that faces the road, will normally need a planning application. A unit on a back wall or in the garden, used for heating and cooling, is usually permitted development.
Do you cover Kemsing and Shoreham too?
Yes. From Otford we cover Kemsing, Shoreham, Dunton Green, Twitton and Sevenoaks. All of them sit along the A225 and the roads off it, on our route down from Dartford. WhatsApp us a picture of the room you want cooled, and Olly will book a time to come and look.
Still got a question?
Ask Olly directly about your Otford home or business.
Free survey and a fixed written quote for new systems. No obligation.