Air conditioning in Richmond
Air conditioning installation and servicing in Richmond, London
Apex installs, services and repairs air conditioning in Richmond, south-west London, for period houses, terraces, flats and businesses. We are an F-gas certified company, Olly quotes and fits each job himself, and every quote follows a free survey and comes fixed and in writing.
Air conditioning installation for Richmond homes
Richmond homes range from large period houses on the Hill to Georgian and Victorian terraces around the Green and the centre, later family streets, and a lot of flats. On a house, we normally place the outdoor unit on the back wall, in the back garden or on a flat roof behind a parapet.
Tall period rooms hold more air than their floor area suggests, so each room's output comes from a heat-gain calculation. In a flat, the freeholder's consent comes first, and we plan the pipe route around the building.
Most of central Richmond is in conservation areas, including Richmond Hill, Central Richmond, Richmond Green and Richmond Riverside. A unit facing the road there usually needs planning permission, so the back of the building is where we start looking.
What qualifications do you need to install air conditioning?
In the UK, anyone who installs, services or opens the refrigerant circuit of an air conditioning system must hold an F-gas certificate, and the business must be F-gas certified too. Apex is certified with REFCOM (REF1017376).
That is why a fixed split system is not a DIY job: the pipework has to be pressure tested and vacuumed, and the refrigerant released, by a qualified engineer. The electrical connection is a separate step and must meet the wiring regulations.
When you compare quotes in Richmond, ask each company for its F-gas certificate number. You can also read how we install air con, from the survey to commissioning.
Send a photo of the room and the outside wall in Richmond, and Olly will say what fits.
Near Richmond
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
Air con servicing and repair in Richmond
We service and repair split, multi-split, ducted and cassette systems in Richmond, including makes we did not fit. A yearly service cleans the filters, coils and drain, checks the pressures and confirms the heating and cooling both work, and most makers ask for it to keep the warranty.
If a unit has stopped cooling, is dripping water or shows an error code, we find the cause before replacing any parts. See air conditioning servicing and air conditioning repair.
Offices, shops and restaurants in Richmond
In the centre, business premises usually have a service yard or a rear flat roof for the outdoor unit. Commercial units have no permitted development route for air conditioning, so planning permission is normally needed, and in the conservation areas the council is careful about anything visible from the street.
Inside a busy restaurant or shop, cassettes or ducted units keep the walls free. Once the cooling output of a building passes 12kW, the law also requires a TM44 energy inspection at least every five years. Among our London jobs is a ducted system heating and cooling a commercial floor in the City. See commercial air conditioning.
Free survey and a fixed written quote in Richmond.
Air conditioning services in Richmond
Reviews
What our customers say
Word for word from Checkatrade and Google.
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.
First class service! Ollie is very knowledgeable, provided a thorough service and deep clean of all our units and fixed a leak.
Questions
Air conditioning in Richmond: questions
What qualifications do you need to install air conditioning?
An F-gas certificate. Under UK law, anyone who installs, services or repairs the refrigerant side of air conditioning must be F-gas qualified, and the business needs company certification as well. Apex is F-gas certified with REFCOM, number REF1017376. The electrical work must also meet the wiring regulations. Ask any installer in Richmond for their certificate number before you agree a quote.
Can I install air conditioning myself?
Not a fixed split system. You could put up brackets, but connecting the pipes, pressure testing, vacuuming and releasing the refrigerant must be done by an F-gas certified engineer. A plug-in portable unit is the only true DIY option, and it is noisier and far less efficient than a split. For a Richmond period room, a properly sized fitted system is the long-term answer.
Can you service and repair my air con in Richmond?
Yes. Servicing and repairs cover air conditioning and air-to-air heat pumps in Richmond homes, flats and businesses, as well as Kew, East Sheen, Petersham, Ham, Twickenham and St Margarets. Each service covers a filter and coil clean, a drain check, pressure checks and a run in heating and cooling, and you get a written service record to keep for the warranty.
Will I need planning permission for air con in a Richmond conservation area?
It depends where the unit goes. Put a heat-and-cool unit at the rear of a house and it normally counts as permitted development, provided it passes the noise test. In the Richmond Hill, Central Richmond, Richmond Green or Riverside conservation areas, road-facing units usually need consent. Flats, listed buildings and shops normally need permission too.
Still got a question?
Ask Olly directly about your Richmond home or business.
Free survey and a fixed written quote for new systems. No obligation.