Commercial air conditioning
Commercial air conditioning in Kent and London
Apex designs, installs, services and repairs commercial air conditioning for offices, shops, salons, surgeries, restaurants and warehouses across Kent and London. From one treatment room to a whole office floor on VRF, it is planned around your hours, with the F-gas records your business has to keep.
Who we work for
Air conditioning for offices, shops and restaurants
Every business has a different problem: sun through a shop window, a full meeting room, a hot salon in July, a cold treatment room in January. These are the kinds of commercial work we do most.
Office air conditioning
Cassettes, ducted and wall units for open-plan floors, meeting rooms and server cupboards. We have fitted ducted systems on a City of London office floor.
Salons, clinics and surgeries
Heating and cooling for salons, treatment rooms and dental surgeries, designed around the room, the equipment and the people in it.
Restaurants, cafés and pubs
Cassettes for dining rooms, wall units for bars and counters, and cellar cooling to keep stock at temperature.
Shops and showrooms
Even heating and cooling for customers and staff, with outdoor units kept out of sight and away from the shop front.
Warehouses and workshops
Twin and single split systems for offices, canteens and staff areas, such as a 10kW twin split and a 5kW split for a new warehouse in Dartford.
Larger buildings
Daikin VRV and mini VRV systems serving many indoor units from shared outdoor plant, with central, smart and BMS-ready controls.
Tell us the type of premises and the town.
Choosing a system
Types of commercial air conditioning system
The right system depends on the space, the ceiling, how many rooms need their own control, and where the outdoor plant can go. Almost all of them heat as well as cool.
We work the heat loads out room by room, allowing for people, computers, lighting and sun, then size the system to match. Oversized units cost more and cycle on and off; undersized ones never catch up on a hot afternoon.
- Split and multi-split systems. One or several indoor units on one outdoor unit. Ideal for small offices, salons, cafés and staff rooms. Wall-mounted units are the simplest fit.
- Ceiling cassettes. Set into a suspended ceiling, blowing air four ways across an open-plan floor or shop. See cassette air conditioning.
- Ducted systems. Hidden in the ceiling void with only grilles on show, for offices, showrooms and restaurants where looks matter. See ducted air conditioning.
- VRF and VRV systems. One set of outdoor plant serving many indoor units, each with its own control. Heat recovery versions can heat one room while cooling another, which suits buildings with sunny and shaded sides.
- Zoning and controls. App control, central controllers and systems that can work with a building management system, including Airzone zoning on ducted units.
Installation
How a commercial air conditioning installation runs
Site survey
Olly visits, measures up, looks at the ceiling, the electrics and where outdoor units can go, and asks how the space is used.
Design and fixed quote
Heat loads worked out, then the system, unit positions and pipe routes set out in a fixed written quote.
Consents
We supply the details your landlord or the council asks for: positions, spec sheets and noise figures.
Install and commission
Fitted around your hours, pressure tested, commissioned and set up, with staff shown the controls.
Records and aftercare
Commissioning and refrigerant records handed over, and a maintenance plan if you want one.
Maintenance contracts
Commercial air conditioning servicing and maintenance
A planned maintenance contract keeps systems efficient, keeps manufacturer warranties valid and gives you the paperwork the law asks for. Visits are booked once or twice a year, around opening hours, and each one includes:
- Filters, coils and fans cleaned on every indoor unit
- Condensate drains and pumps flushed and tested
- Outdoor plant cleaned, mountings and electrics checked
- Refrigerant pressures checked and F-gas leak checks where required
- A written report per visit, with any faults priced before work starts
Already have a fault? We repair most makes, from small splits to Daikin VRV systems, including a full VRV control board replacement after a rodent shorted the terminals. See air conditioning repairs and servicing.
The rules
What businesses need to know
- F-gas leak checks. Systems holding refrigerant equal to 5 tonnes of CO2 or more need a leak check at least every 12 months, more often on bigger systems. On R410A that is roughly 2.4kg, so many multi-split, ducted and VRF systems are in scope. The business, as operator, must keep records.
- TM44 inspections. Buildings with more than 12kW of air conditioning need an inspection by an accredited energy assessor at least every five years (GOV.UK). We keep the maintenance records the assessor asks for.
- Planning and landlords. Outdoor units on commercial premises usually need planning permission, and leased units usually need landlord consent.
- A certified company. Anyone installing or servicing your system must work for an F-gas certified company. Apex holds REFCOM certificate REF1017376.
Commercial jobs
From roof plant to ceiling voids
Photos from our own commercial work in Kent and London, including three Daikin VRV IV systems with 30 indoor units that we designed, installed and commissioned.
Reviews
“Ollie is very knowledgeable”
Word for word from Google and Checkatrade.
First class service! Ollie is very knowledgeable, provided a thorough service and deep clean of all our units and fixed a leak.
We had Apex in to install are air conditioning and heating in our salon. I could not recommend olly enough. They stayed late to get the job finished. No mess left behind fully cleaned the unit and made sure it was all running well. Very polite and accommodating and they designed the unit to the exact specifications we required. Would highly recommend them.
Excellent job couldn’t fault the apex team they was very pleasant they gave me a competitive quote and done a very high standard of work I would definitely use them again and highly recommend them 10/10
Run a pub or bar? See cellar cooling for pubs and the right beer cellar temperature. Most of our early work was commercial, and we cover businesses from Dartford across Kent, south-east London and central London. See areas we cover.
Questions
Commercial air conditioning FAQs
Do you offer air conditioning maintenance contracts?
Yes. We plan servicing to suit the site: once or twice a year, around your opening hours. Every visit is recorded, including the leak checks and refrigerant records the F-gas rules ask the operator to keep. Tell us how many indoor and outdoor units you have and we will put a plan together.
What is a TM44 inspection and do I need one?
If the air conditioning in a building adds up to more than 12kW of output, the law requires an inspection by an accredited energy assessor at least every five years, with fixed penalties for not having one. We don't carry out the TM44 inspection itself, but we keep the maintenance records the assessor will ask to see.
How often should office air conditioning be serviced?
At least once a year, and every six months for systems that run all day, kitchens, salons and dusty sites. Manufacturers tie their warranties to regular maintenance, and larger systems on older refrigerants may need a legal leak check every 12 months or more often. A planned contract covers both.
Is air conditioning a legal requirement at work?
No, but a reasonable temperature is. HSE guidance says workplaces should normally be at least 16°C, or 13°C where the work is physically demanding. There is no legal maximum, but employers must keep indoor temperatures reasonable, and air conditioning is often the simplest way to manage hot offices, shops and kitchens.
Do we need planning permission for commercial air conditioning?
Usually, yes. The permitted development rules that let many homes fit heat-and-cool units without planning don't apply to commercial premises. Leased buildings usually need the landlord's consent too. We help with the technical details the council or landlord asks for, such as unit positions and noise figures.
Can you work around our opening hours?
Yes. We plan installs, servicing and repairs to keep disruption down and work around your opening hours. One salon customer told us we "stayed late to get the job finished". We also install and service systems on behalf of other air conditioning companies.
Talk to us about your site
Tell us the type of premises, the town and roughly how many rooms.
Quickest way to a price: send on WhatsApp
- A photo of the room and the outside wall
- Your town and what you need
- For a repair, the unit's label and any error code
Free survey and a fixed written quote for new systems. No obligation.