HOW TO HIRE · PLUMBING & HEATING

How to hire an air conditioning installer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No trade register applies, but anyone installing air conditioning must hold F gas qualifications and company certification. How to check both.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring an air conditioning installer in five steps

  1. Ask for the F gas paperworkThe technician's F gas certificate and the company certification, before you accept a quote.
  2. Get a site surveyRoom sizes, where the indoor and outdoor units go and the pipe run between them.
  3. Plan the electricsWhether a dedicated circuit is needed, and who fits and certifies it.
  4. Check the outdoor positionNoise near neighbours' windows, and planning on a listed building or in a conservation area.
  5. Ask about VATHMRC treats most fixed air conditioning units as air source heat pumps; ask whether the zero rate applies.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No trade register applies to air conditioning installers in any UK nation. What the law does control is the refrigerant, under the F gas rules gov.uk sets out.

Ask for the F gas paperwork described below, and for the business's insurance.

F gas: the technician and the company

gov.uk says anyone installing, servicing, leak-checking or recovering gas from stationary air conditioning needs their own F gas qualification; a category 1 certificate covers all of it, category 2 covers smaller systems. Working without one is against the law and can bring a civil penalty. A business, including a sole trader, that installs or services air conditioning for others must hold an F gas company certificate from an approved certification body, renewed every 3 years.

Ask to see the engineer's F gas certificate and its category. Ask for the company certificate number and the certification body. gov.uk →

Building regulations approval (England)

gov.uk lists putting in a fixed air-conditioning system among the alterations that may need building regulations approval in England. Competent person schemes cover mechanical ventilation and air conditioning in homes, so a scheme installer can self-certify instead.

Ask whether the installer self-certifies the air conditioning through a scheme, or who applies to building control. gov.uk →

Electrical work and the Building Regulations

The price guide notes a system may need a dedicated circuit. In England and Wales all electrical work in a home must meet the Building Regulations, and notifiable work needs a registered electrician or building control.

Ask who does the electrical connection and which certificate you get. electricalcompetentperson.co.uk →

VAT

Fitting a fixed air conditioning unit in a home is zero-rated (0%) until 31 March 2027 where HMRC accepts it as an air source heat pump, which it says most fixed units are; a portable unit, a unit bought without fitting, or a system in a shop or office goes at the standard rate. A trader whose taxable turnover passes £90,000 must register, charge it and show it as a separate line; one below that threshold adds none.

Ask the installer which rate the quote uses for your system and why, and for the VAT number on the invoice. gov.uk →

“Do you and your engineers hold F gas qualifications for air conditioning?”

A good answer: Yes, with the category stated — category 1 or 2 for installing split systems — and a certificate you can see.

“Is your air conditioning business F gas certified?”

A good answer: Yes, with a certificate number and the body that issued it.

“How did you size the air conditioning for this room?”

A good answer: From the room size, glazing and use — not one size for every room.

“Where will the air conditioning outdoor unit go, and how loud is it?”

A good answer: A position agreed with you, with its sound level from the maker's data.

“Does the air conditioning need a new electrical circuit?”

A good answer: A plain answer, with who fits it and the certificate you will get.

“Does the air conditioning installation qualify for the zero VAT rate?”

A good answer: An answer that refers to HMRC's guidance on air source heat pumps, and what they will charge.

“What servicing will the system need?”

A good answer: A recommended interval, and who is qualified to do it.

Getting the quote right

  • Indoor and outdoor units named, with capacity for each room
  • Pipe run length, condensate drain and wall penetrations described
  • Electrical work included or excluded, and who certifies it
  • Commissioning, pressure and leak testing, and warranty terms
  • Who actually attends to fit and commission the units — employed or subcontracted — and their F gas certificate
  • The VAT number, with VAT on its own line: 0% if the fixed system counts as a heat pump in your home, the standard rate if not

Walk away if

  • Cannot show an F gas certificate
  • No company F gas certification
  • Offers to 'top up' or charge the system without any paperwork
  • No survey before quoting
  • The electrical connection left to 'a mate'
LOW
£1,500
TYPICAL
£3,000
HIGH
£7,000

What an air conditioning installer costs: £1,500–£7,000 per install

Air conditioning is quoted as an installed price per system after a survey; the number of rooms, the pipe run and any electrical work set it. Air Conditioning Installation price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Air conditioning installers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you.

  1. SurveyRooms assessed and the indoor and outdoor positions agreed.
  2. Mount the unitsIndoor heads fixed and the outdoor unit on a bracket or base.
  3. Pipework and drainRefrigerant pipes, cables and condensate drain run between the units.
  4. Vacuum, charge and testThe F gas engineer evacuates, charges and leak-tests the system.
  5. Commission and hand overThe system run, settings explained and paperwork left.

F gas
Fluorinated gas — the refrigerant in most air conditioning.
Category 1 certificate
The F gas qualification covering all work on stationary systems.
Split system
An indoor unit connected to an outdoor unit by refrigerant pipes.
Multi-split
Several indoor units served by one outdoor unit.
Condensate drain
The pipe carrying water from the indoor unit to outside or a drain.
Inverter
Motor control that varies the compressor speed; quieter and more efficient.

AFTER

When the job is done

Keep the commissioning recordRefrigerant type and charge, test results and the warranty.
Test each roomCooling and heating modes, airflow, the condensate draining outside.
Diarise servicingBy an F gas certified engineer, as the maker recommends.
Rate the jobTell the next person how the air conditioning installation went — time kept, mess left, price held. Under four stars, the air conditioning installer is offered the chance to fix it first through make-it-right.

STEP 1Go back to the air conditioning installerPut the problem with the air conditioning installation in a message or email, with photos and the date. The Consumer Rights Act 2015 reads reasonable care and skill into every contract like this one, so you can require the air conditioning installer to redo the faulty part within a reasonable time at no cost to you, or give a price reduction.
STEP 2Use the make-it-right stepGive the air conditioning installation fewer than four stars and you can send the issue to the air conditioning installer first; we stay on it until there is an answer, and then your review is posted.
STEP 3F gas breachesgov.uk asks people to report anyone working with F gas without the right qualification or certification to the Environment Agency's F gas support address on the guidance page. For a contract dispute, Citizens Advice (0808 223 1133), Advice Direct Scotland (0808 800 9060) or Consumerline (0300 123 6262).
STEP 4Small claims, if money is owedTo get money back for the air conditioning installation, the small claims limits are £10,000 in England and Wales, £5,000 in Scotland (simple procedure) and £5,000 in Northern Ireland; court fees start at £35 in England and Wales and £23 in Scotland.

Hiring an air conditioning installer: questions people ask

No trade licence applies, but every technician handling refrigerant needs an F gas qualification and the business needs F gas company certification, according to gov.uk.

The engineer's F gas certificate showing the category, and the company's F gas certificate from an approved certification body.

HMRC's Notice 708/6 treats most fixed air conditioning as a kind of air source heat pump — zero-rated when installed in a home until 31 March 2027, decided case by case. Ask the installer how they treat it.

£1,500–£7,000 per install, about £3,000 typical for a single-room split. See the air conditioning installation price guide for the breakdown, then put your town in the search above to compare installers.

Ask before you buy, especially for a listed building or in a conservation area; the outdoor unit is the part that matters.

About a day for a single-room system, two to three days for a multi-split.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in plumbing & heating

How to hire: Air Conditioning RepairHow to hire: Air Source Heat PumpHow to hire: Heat Pump InstallationHow to hire: Underfloor HeatingHow to hire: Central Heating InstallationHow to hire: Radiator InstallationHow to hire: Pipework InstallationHow to hire: PlumberAll 701 hiring guides →

Air conditioning installers near you

Air conditioning installers in LondonAir conditioning installers in ManchesterAir conditioning installers in BirminghamAir conditioning installers in GlasgowAir conditioning installers in BelfastAll air conditioning installers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. gov.uk — qualifications to work with F gas
  2. gov.uk — company certification to work with F gas
  3. gov.uk — VAT on energy-saving materials and heating equipment (Notice 708/6)
  4. gov.uk — building regulations approval (England)
  5. gov.uk — competent person schemes: current schemes and how they are authorised
  6. Registered Competent Person Electrical register
  7. gov.uk — Approved Document P: electrical safety in dwellings (England)
  8. gov.uk — planning permission (England and Wales)
  9. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  10. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue (England)
  11. Energy-saving materials and heating equipment (VAT Notice 708/6) — 2.15 Air source heat pumps
  12. GOV.UK — VAT rates
  13. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register