Air con is a significant investment, and often people are met with surprise when they get a quote for air conditioning installation. Sometimes, they go away and try to source their own unit and come back to us for an install-only air conditioning job. Unfortunately, we will never agree to install a unit that a customer has bought themselves.
We’ll answer some of the most common questions we get about installation-only air conditioning jobs here.
Why won’t you install an air conditioning unit I’ve bought myself?
If you buy an air conditioning unit online, very often they are not made by a reputable manufacturer. They have been made for DIY purposes, making it very simple for someone to with no knowledge to install themselves. However, if you’re not a qualified air conditioning installer, you won’t have access to the tools you need to install the system safely, including a vacuum pump or OFN for pressure testing.
Air conditioners use refrigerants which are extremely harmful to the environment if they are released into the atmosphere. If an air conditioning unit is unbranded, it might not have had the right tests carried out to make it safe. It’s always best to buy branded units; some popular examples are Mitsubishi Electric and LG.
What if I have bought a unit from a reputable brand?
If you’ve been able to buy a unit from a reputable brand through a distributor, this is still an illegal sale. F-Gas regulations state that air conditioning units must not be sold to end-users – you must only sell to customers that have and/or employ people that hold the relevant certificates and qualifications.
When a supplier sells an air conditioning unit to a customer, they are required to get a letter of assurance from that customer. In the letter, the customer should confirm that:
- They are permitted to buy or collect F gas
- They won’t release F gas into the atmosphere intentionally, unless technically necessary for its use
- They will take all steps to prevent F gas leaks
If you’ve bought an air conditioning unit online then get quotes from installers to fit it for you, you won’t have gone through the correct processes to ensure that the system was bought legally.
What is D-Air doing to stop illegal sales of air conditioning units for install-only use?
We’ve recently signed up and been accepted for REFCOM Elite Supplier status. It means that we’ve signed up to and have been assessed against a voluntary code of conduct designed to level the playing field on the supply chain and better enforce the F-Gas regulations.
Our Elite Supplier status means that we’ve committed to only selling air conditioning units to end users where the correct rules have been applied and there’s evidence of who will be installing the equipment. In other words, we will only sell units to customers that have asked us to install the units for them.
We care about the environmental impact of air conditioning and we’re taking steps to become a zero-carbon, environmentally-sustainable business to help our customers reduce their environmental impact. Becoming a REFCOM Elite Supplier shows our dedication to ensuring that air conditioning units don’t get into the wrong hands and cause damage to the environment.
We supply safe, approved and regulated air conditioning units to suit all budgets, so cooling your home doesn’t need to break the bank. Use our price calculator to get a price and see roughly how much properly-installed air conditioning may cost you.
