Struggling to keep your flat a comfortable temperature? You’re not alone. Often high in the sky, apartment windows typically let in a lot of light. But traffic noise and pollution, particularly in city centres, can rule out opening windows. The result: a hot, stuffy, uncomfortable home.
Luckily, there’s a solution. Installing air conditioning in your flat can provide comfortable temperatures, clean air, reduced humidity and more. With heating and cooling functions, it can be the only efficient climate control solution your property needs.
However, a typical split air conditioning system doesn’t suit every property. Here are 5 things to consider before you install air conditioning in your flat. And if that all sounds good, we’ll go through the process of air conditioning installation when you live in a flat.
1. Do you own your flat?
Installing air conditioning in a flat can bring multiple benefits – from improving comfort to boosting property value. But it does need a certain amount of commitment. It includes fitting new electrics, piping and multiple units, and is tricky to remove.
If you own your property, you can decide for yourself whether to install air conditioning in your flat. But, if you rent, it’s vital to get your landlord’s permission before going ahead. If you don’t, they may force you to remove it, wasting your time and money.
Speak to your landlord about the benefits of installing air conditioning – you might convince them to pay for it. If they’re happy for air conditioning to be fitted but want you to pay for it, make sure you think carefully about whether you’re going to live there long enough to benefit from your investment.
2. Do you have permission from the freeholder to install air conditioning in your flat?
Even if you own your flat, you might still need to get permission to install air conditioning.
Different apartment building owners have different rules about the alterations you can make to your flat, even though it belongs to you. Check your lease agreement to find out what rules apply to you. Fitting a split air conditioning system involves fitting a unit to an outside wall of your property – there could be certain restrictions on this.
If your flat isn’t leasehold, then it might be part of a commonhold. This is when you own your apartment freehold, and share the responsibility of looking after the building with the other flat owners. Look at any written agreements you have to work out if you need to get the agreement of other residents before installing your air conditioning.
You can find out more about how leaseholds and commonholds work here.
3. Do you need air conditioning planning permission?
Another thing it’s important to consider is planning permission. You may need to apply for planning permission before you can install air conditioning in your flat, as it can affect how it looks from the outside.
Talk to your local authority to find out about the planning rules in your area – find out how to contact them here. Or get in touch with our friendly team – we ensure that all our installations comply with planning permission and all other air conditioning regulations.
4. Is it easy to access the outside of your flat?
The easier it is to get to the outside of your flat, the easier it is to install your air conditioning. This is because your air conditioning engineer will need to be able to install and service the external unit on the outside of your property.
This means that air conditioning is best installed in flats that either have a balcony or are on the ground floor. Although it’s possible to put up scaffolding to install a unit, it’s important to have a system that’s easy and affordable to service too.
If your flat isn’t on the ground floor and doesn’t have a balcony, or you’re unsure if your balcony is suitable, just get in touch. We’ll do our best to find an air conditioning solution that works for your property.
5. Where do you have the most space for air conditioning units in your flat?
If you have plenty of room in your flat, this might not be one of your top concerns. But if space is at a premium, you’ll want to choose the most space-efficient internal air conditioning units.
There are several different types of air conditioning unit available. If you have space above your ceilings or behind your walls, you might want to consider ceiling cassette or ducted split system units. These recess into your walls or ceiling, and take up hardly any of your living space.
If you don’t have this additional space, your main choice will probably be between wall mounted and floor mounted units. Wall mounted units fit in out of the way at the top of your walls, and are great at making the most of unused space. Alternatively, floor mounted units tuck down at the bottoms of your walls, and look similar to radiators.
The air conditioning installation process in a flat
The initial process of air conditioning installation in a flat is the same as an installation in a house. During their assessment of your property, the installers should recommend some units that would be suitable for your flat – you might find that a small air conditioning unit will suit your property best.
Once you’ve agreed on a unit and an installation date with the engineers, they will arrive on the day and get started. There are X steps to the air conditioning installation process:
1. Fit the indoor unit and prepare for the outdoor unit
The first thing that the installer or installers will do is carefully take your chosen air conditioning unit out of the box. They will fix it to the wall you have agreed on using the mounts included. Usually they will fix the brackets to the wall first then slide the unit onto the mount once it’s secure. Before attaching the unit to the wall, the engineer will drill a hole through the wall so they can feed the pipes outside.
2. Fit electric wiring and piping
Next, the installer will fit the electric wiring and piping. They may have to lift the unit away from the wall using brackets or clips depending on the model. Once they have wired the electrics and added piping, they will use electrical tape to secure them all together and run all the cables and piping through the hole in the wall. The pipe should fit snugly within the back of the indoor unit. Once that’s done, the installer will finish fitting it flush with your wall.
3. Install the outdoor condenser unit
The next step in the air conditioning installation process is to fit the outdoor unit. In a flat, the best place to fit the unit would be on the ground floor, but it can be placed on a balcony if you’re on the first floor. The installers will place the condenser unit on a stable, level surface and add rubber cushions or similar to prevent vibration. They’ll check the wiring in the unit before connecting the piping and cable from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit. Finally, the engineer will connect the power supply to an outlet.
4. Test
The installers will conduct a series of tests and checks on both the indoor and outdoor unit to check that everything is working properly.
5. Fix piping and holes
You don’t want the exterior piping to look unsightly in your flat, so the installers will fix it to the walls with clamps. There are lots of things we can do to make the piping less obvious, so please ask during your consultation. Finally, the installer will seal up the hole they made in the wall to feed the pipes through so that air or insects can’t get in.
6. Explain the controls
Your installer should then go through the controls on the remote for your indoor air conditioning unit. It’s usually quite simple, but they can answer any questions you have. They will also leave you with all the relevant paperwork and details of how to get in touch if you need any help.
If you want a quick explanation to give you a rough idea of how your air conditioning will be installed, watch this video from LG. We install lots of LG air conditioning units, and this video will help you understand what to expect:
Don’t miss out on an efficient climate control solution that can make your apartment more comfortable. To find out more about installing air conditioning in your flat and to get free quotes, give us a call on 0800 756 9601 on fill in our quick online form.
