As UK summers get warmer, more homeowners are looking for ways to keep their homes comfortable. Air conditioning used to be something you’d find mainly in offices and shops, but modern systems are now a common choice for bedrooms, loft conversions, home offices and extensions.
At Deakin’s, we install home air conditioning across Preston, Chorley and the wider North West. This guide explains what actually happens when a system is fitted, from the first survey to the handover, so you know what to expect before you ask for a quote. For details of our full service, see our home air conditioning page.
Why More Homeowners Are Choosing Air Conditioning
Many UK homes weren’t designed for long spells of hot weather. South-facing rooms, loft conversions, garden rooms and highly glazed extensions can all become uncomfortable in summer, and fans only move warm air around.
The most popular rooms for air conditioning are bedrooms, lofts, home offices and extensions. We cover this in more detail in Best Rooms to Install Air Conditioning in Your Home, and bedrooms specifically in Air Conditioning for Bedrooms.
What Happens During a Home Air Conditioning Installation?
Every home is different, but most installations follow the same steps.
1. A home survey
We visit to look at the room or rooms you want to cool: their size, how much sun they get, how well they’re insulated and how you use them. This lets us size the system correctly. A unit that’s too small will struggle on hot days, and one that’s too large wastes energy. We also work out where the indoor and outdoor units can go and how the pipework will run between them.
2. Choosing the right system
For a single room, the usual choice is a split system: one indoor unit on the wall, connected to one outdoor unit. If you want to cool several rooms, a multi-split system runs two or more indoor units from a single outdoor unit, so you only have one unit outside. We fit systems from manufacturers including Bosch and Midea.
3. Positioning the units
The indoor unit usually sits high on a wall, where it can circulate air across the room. The outdoor unit is mounted on a wall bracket or on the ground. It needs space for airflow, and its position has to take noise at your neighbours’ windows into account (see planning permission below). We also plan how condensation will drain away from the indoor unit.
4. Installation day
We drill a small hole through the wall between the two units. Refrigerant pipes, a control cable and the condensate drain run through it, usually in neat trunking on the outside wall. Once both units are mounted and connected, the pipework is pressure tested and vacuumed, and the refrigerant is released into the system before it’s commissioned and tested.
5. The electrical connection
Most systems need their own circuit from your consumer unit. Adding a new circuit is notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations, so it has to be done and certified by a registered electrician. Our NICEIC registered electricians carry out this part of the job themselves, so you don’t need to arrange a separate electrician.
6. Handover
Before we leave, we show you how to use the controls: switching between heating and cooling, setting timers and using the app if your system has one. We also explain how to clean the filters and when the system should be serviced.
How Long Does Installation Take?
Most single-room installations are completed in a day. Multi-room systems, or jobs with long pipe runs, can take longer. We’ll give you a clear timescale after the survey.
Who Can Install Air Conditioning?
Air conditioning systems contain refrigerant gases known as F-gases. By law, the engineers who install and work on them must hold F-gas certification. Deakin’s is certified through REFCOM, the F-gas certification body for the refrigeration and air conditioning industry. Whoever you choose, it’s worth asking to see their F-gas certification before they start.
Do You Need Planning Permission for Home Air Conditioning?
In England, most home air conditioning doesn’t need planning permission. Since May 2025, air-to-air systems that can heat as well as cool have been covered by permitted development rights, as long as the outdoor unit meets certain conditions. These include limits on its size and on noise levels at neighbouring homes. A semi-detached or terraced house can have one outdoor unit, and a detached house two. There are also restrictions on where it can be mounted: for example, it can’t go on a pitched roof, or on a wall above the ground floor that faces a road.
Planning permission may still be needed for listed buildings, in some conservation areas, and for cooling-only units. We’ll check your property against the conditions during the survey.
Can Air Conditioning Heat as Well as Cool?
Yes. Most modern home systems work as air-to-air heat pumps, so the same unit can cool a room in summer and heat it in winter. This is one of the main reasons homeowners now see air conditioning as a year-round system rather than a summer extra.
Air-to-air systems aren’t eligible for the government’s Boiler Upgrade Scheme, which only covers systems that heat water for radiators or underfloor heating. If you’re thinking about replacing your boiler with a heat pump, see our air source heat pumps page.
Are Modern Systems Energy Efficient?
Most modern systems use inverter technology, which adjusts the unit’s output to match the temperature needed instead of switching on and off at full power. Combined with timers and smart controls, this lets you heat or cool rooms only when they’re in use. Correct sizing at the survey stage matters here too.
Does Home Air Conditioning Need Servicing?
Yes. Regular servicing keeps the system efficient and reliable. It includes checking and cleaning filters, testing components and looking for refrigerant leaks. Booking a service in spring means it’s ready for summer.
We service home air conditioning systems across Preston, Chorley and the North West, and can set up a planned maintenance schedule so you don’t have to remember when it’s due.
Why Choose Deakin’s?
Deakin’s has been in business for over 30 years and has more than 800 Google reviews. We’re REFCOM certified for air conditioning, and our own NICEIC registered electricians handle the electrical side, so one team covers the whole installation. We’ll recommend a system based on your home and budget, and support it after it’s fitted.
Speak to Deakin’s About Home Air Conditioning
Thinking about air conditioning for your home? Call us on 01772 426 065, message us on WhatsApp on 07510 706 676, or send us an enquiry. We’re open Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. You can also find out more on our home air conditioning page.
Air conditioning for a business? See our commercial air conditioning service.
