Air conditioning upgrades in London
Energy-Efficient Air Conditioning Upgrades in London
Before anyone quotes you for new equipment, our F-Gas certified engineers work out whether your running costs are actually caused by the hardware.
Covering Greater London and the Home Counties
Surveys are free and carry no obligation to proceed.
Call 020 3886 2326. TM44 and EPC qualified.
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F-Gas Certified Engineers
Every refrigerant job handled legally and safely.
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TM44 and EPC Qualified
Able to assess compliance, not just install kit.
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5-Year Installation Guarantee
Covering the systems we fit.
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Free Site Survey
Assessment first, quote second.
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An energy-efficient air conditioning upgrade replaces ageing cooling equipment, controls, or both, with modern inverter systems that use less electricity for the same output. RightAir Solutions carries out these upgrades across Greater London for homes and commercial buildings. Systems with a combined effective rated output above 12kW must also be inspected by an accredited energy assessor at intervals of no more than five years.
Diagnose before replacing
Is it the system, or the way it runs?
A rising electricity bill does not always mean the equipment is worn out. In survey work, three causes turn up far more often than age, and only one of them needs new hardware.
Controls come first. Plenty of commercial systems still run outside occupied hours because nobody has revisited the schedule since the day it was commissioned. In a multi-zone office, one unit heating while the unit next door cools is common, and that fight wastes more electricity than a low-rated compressor ever will.
Refrigerant charge comes second. A slow leak does not stop a system working. It keeps cooling, badly, drawing more power for less output, and the owner blames the unit's age. A charge check takes minutes and settles the question.
Sizing comes third. It is the one people find hardest to accept. An oversized unit reaches temperature fast, shuts down, then starts again. That short-cycling is exactly the pattern an inverter is built to avoid, so the efficiency you paid for never shows up on the meter. On several London jobs the right answer has been a smaller replacement unit, not a larger one.
The survey decides the next step. Where the survey points at controls or charge rather than kit, you get told that. Some jobs end with a service recommendation and no equipment quote at all. If the answer is to tune what you already have , that is what you will hear.
Find out what is actually costing you
A survey tells you whether new equipment is worth buying, or whether the system you own can be brought back into line.
Free, with no obligation to proceed.
What does an efficiency upgrade actually involve?
An efficiency upgrade changes some or all of six things: the indoor units, the outdoor unit, the pipework, the refrigerant, the controls and the zoning. Which of those move depends entirely on what the survey finds.
Pipework is where most quotes go wrong. Modern systems run on R32, which has a global warming potential of 675 against R410A's 2,088, and it works at different pressures. Pipe sizing and oil compatibility both change as a result. Any quote promising to hang a new indoor unit on existing pipes without inspecting them first is guessing.
What an upgrade can include
- Indoor units. Replaced where the existing ones are undersized, oversized or beyond economic repair.
- Outdoor unit. Usually replaced alongside, since matched pairs perform better than mixed ones.
- Pipework. Inspected, pressure tested, and resized or replaced where the new refrigerant requires it.
- Controls. Scheduling, zoning logic and, where useful, smart controls and scheduling you can reach from a phone.
- Zoning. Splitting a single overworked circuit into areas that can run independently, often using zoned VRF systems in larger buildings.
- Commissioning. Charge weighed in, airflow checked, performance recorded against the design figures.
Every installation and upgrade is backed by our written guarantee.
Commercial compliance
Are you legally required to upgrade?
There is no general rule forcing a domestic upgrade. For commercial buildings, the position is different, and three separate duties may apply at the same time.
TM44 inspection duty
When does a TM44 inspection apply?
A TM44 inspection is legally required where a building's air conditioning has a combined effective rated output above 12kW. Inspections must be no more than five years apart.
The threshold is cumulative. Four wall-mounted systems rated at 3.5kW each total 14kW, so the building may fall within scope even though no single unit is large. Further technical detail is available in the CIBSE TM44 guidance.
Minimum EPC standard
What EPC rating do commercial landlords need?
Since 1 April 2023, privately rented non-domestic property in England and Wales must normally hold an EPC rating of at least E, unless a valid exemption applies.
In June 2026, the government proposed EPC B from 2031 for privately rented non-domestic buildings over 1,000 square metres, where cost effective. Smaller buildings would remain at EPC E under that proposal. Cooling equipment and controls feed into the EPC calculation, so an upgrade may improve the rating.
F-Gas compliance
What happens if F-Gas rules are broken?
Refrigerant work must be carried out by appropriately certified engineers. The maximum civil penalty for some F-Gas breaches is £200,000.
Every RightAir engineer holds F-Gas certification, and refrigerant recovery is documented as part of the handover pack. This gives the building owner a clear record of who handled the refrigerant and what work was completed.
Refrigerant rules
Do I have to replace an R410A system?
No. R410A remains legal to service, top up and repair in equipment that is already installed.
The restriction people have heard about applies to placing new equipment on the market. Since 1 January 2025 it has been illegal to sell a new single split system in Great Britain containing under 3kg of F-gas where the refrigerant carries a global warming potential of 750 or above. R410A sits at 2,088, so those small splits have gone from the new market. An R410A system already on your wall is unaffected.
Supply is the real pressure, not legality. Under Regulation 2024/573 the European HFC quota drops again from 2027, and Great Britain buys from the same shrinking market even without adopting that rule. Expect the gas to become harder to source and more expensive to buy.
So the honest position is this. An R410A system in good order is not an emergency. One that leaks repeatedly, or one already due for replacing the unit outright, is a different conversation.
Side by side
- Legal to service, top up and repair
- No longer sold in new small splits
- Fitted as standard on most new systems
- Around a third the global warming potential
Global warming potential compares each gas against carbon dioxide. Lower is better. The bars show relative scale.
What shapes the quote
What affects the cost of an upgrade?
Cost is settled at survey, because five variables move the figure more than the equipment price does.
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Pipework condition
Reusable pipework keeps the job short. Replacement adds labour and building work.
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Condenser access and position
Roof, balcony and light-well installations take longer and sometimes need lifting equipment.
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Number of zones
Each additional indoor unit adds equipment, pipe runs and commissioning time.
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Controls integration
Linking to smart controls or a building management system is simple on some setups and involved on others.
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Working hours
Commercial sites often need evening or weekend working to avoid disrupting trade.
Condenser position can change the answer
Condenser position deserves particular attention in London. Units pushed into a light well, or set hard against a wall, can draw their own exhaust air back in. Head pressure climbs, output drops on the hottest days, and running costs rise for reasons that have little to do with the unit's rating. Moving a condenser two metres can sometimes achieve more than replacing it.
No fixed prices appear on this page because none would be honest. Pricing follows the survey, and the written quote sets out what is included before any work is booked.
Quotes follow the survey, not the other way round
Get a written quote that separates equipment, pipework, controls and commissioning into their own lines, so you can see exactly what you are paying for.
Pricing confirmed after assessment. No hidden charges.
From survey to handover
How does the upgrade work?
Four stages, from first visit to final handover.
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Existing system reviewSurvey and assessment
An engineer measures the existing system, checks charge and controls, and records what is working and what is not. This is where a no-upgrade recommendation gets made if that is the honest answer.
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Written system planDesign and quote
You receive a system design sized to the rooms, with a written quote covering equipment, pipework, controls and commissioning as separate items.
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Safe removal and installationChangeover
Old refrigerant is recovered and documented, redundant equipment removed, and the new system installed. Most single-zone domestic upgrades finish inside a working day.
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Performance checks and recordsCommissioning and handover
Charge is weighed in, and airflow and performance are checked against the design. You then receive a walkthrough of the controls and the paperwork needed for your records.
Systems we assess and upgrade
Which systems do we upgrade?
Different system types fail efficiency in different ways, so the upgrade route is rarely the same twice.
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Split systems
Single-room setups where an oversized or ageing unit short-cycles. Usually the fastest upgrade to complete.
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Multi-split systems
One outdoor unit serving several rooms. Efficiency gains often come from rebalancing zones rather than replacing everything.
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Ducted systems
Concealed ceiling systems in flats and offices. Duct condition and insulation matter as much as the unit itself.
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Ceiling cassettes
Common in shops, clinics and open-plan offices. Airflow pattern and filter condition drive a surprising share of running cost.
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VRV and VRF systems
Large zoned buildings. Control strategy is nearly always where the savings sit.
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Server room cooling
Precision systems where efficiency and resilience have to be balanced rather than traded.
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Smart controls
Scheduling, zoning and app control retrofitted to systems that are otherwise sound.
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Older and mixed systems
Buildings that have grown unit by unit over years, with no single design behind them.
London homes and commercial buildings
Who we work with
The reason for upgrading changes from one building to the next. Compliance, operating cost, comfort and appearance all shape the route an engineer recommends.
One survey, shaped around the building and the people responsible for it.
RightAir Solutions works with property owners, managing agents, facilities teams and homeowners who need a clear route from inefficiency to a practical upgrade plan.
Commercial landlords and managing agents make up a growing share of this work, usually after an EPC or a lease event puts a number on the problem. For them the question is rarely comfort. It is whether the building can legally be let and what the cheapest compliant route looks like.
Facilities managers come at it from the TM44 side. A report lands, it names inefficiencies in controls or maintenance, and someone has to decide what to act on. Reading those recommendations and pricing them is a large part of what our engineers do.
Homeowners in period properties tend to arrive with a different worry, which is that a modern system will look wrong or sound loud in a room they care about. Discreet unit placement and concealed pipework matter as much to them as the efficiency rating does.
Offices and retail units round out the mix. Out-of-hours waste is the most common finding, and it is usually fixed with schedules and a planned maintenance schedule rather than equipment.
Common upgrade questions
Questions about efficiency upgrades
Clear answers to the questions homeowners, landlords and facilities teams ask before deciding whether an existing system should be repaired, adjusted or replaced.
How do I know if my air conditioning is inefficient?
The clearest signals are a bill that has climbed without a change in use, rooms that take longer to reach temperature than they used to, and a unit that starts and stops frequently instead of running steadily. Age alone is a weak indicator. A well-maintained ten-year-old system often outperforms a badly commissioned three-year-old one.
Can I still get my R410A system serviced?
Yes. R410A can legally be recovered, topped up and repaired in equipment that is already installed. The 2025 restriction applies to selling new small split systems containing high-GWP refrigerant, not to servicing existing kit. Supply is tightening though, so the gas will get more expensive over time.
Can a new indoor unit use my existing pipework?
Sometimes, but it has to be checked first. R32 runs at different pressures from R410A, and pipe sizing and oil compatibility both change with it. Existing pipework also has to be pressure tested and confirmed clean. Any quote that assumes reuse without an inspection is making an expensive assumption on your behalf.
Does an air conditioning upgrade improve an EPC rating?
It can. Cooling equipment and its controls both feed the EPC calculation for non-domestic buildings, so replacing inefficient plant or adding proper zoning and scheduling may move the rating. How far it moves depends on the whole building, not just the cooling, which is why an assessment comes before any promise.
How long does an upgrade take?
Single-zone domestic upgrades usually finish inside one working day. Multi-zone homes typically run two to three days. Commercial projects depend on the number of zones and whether the building has to keep trading, and larger sites are often staged so no area loses cooling for long.
Do I need planning permission?
Usually not, where an existing outdoor unit is being replaced like for like on a house. Listed buildings, conservation areas, leasehold flats and any change to a front elevation are the exceptions, and freeholder consent is normally needed in a flat regardless. Site-specific restrictions get checked before work is booked.
Will a new system be quieter?
In most cases yes. Modern inverter compressors run at variable speed instead of switching hard on and off, and sound-insulated housings have improved considerably. Positioning matters just as much though, and a well-sited older unit can be quieter than a badly sited new one.
Independent customer feedback
What RightAir customers say
Read recent feedback from London homeowners and businesses after air conditioning installation, repair and servicing work carried out by the RightAir Solutions team.
- Google customer reviews
- Homes and commercial sites
- Installation, repair and servicing
Greater London coverage
Areas we cover across London
RightAir Solutions carries out air conditioning upgrades across key districts in central, west, north-west, north and south-west London. Send us the postcode and property type, and we will confirm coverage before arranging a survey.
Check Your Postcode
Central London
- Mayfair
- Marylebone
- Fitzrovia
- Soho
- Holborn
- Covent Garden
- Bloomsbury
- Westminster
- Paddington
- Edgware Road
West London
- Kensington
- Chelsea
- Notting Hill
- Ladbroke Grove
- Holland Park
- Hammersmith
- Shepherd's Bush
- Acton
- Park Royal
- Ealing
North West London
- St John's Wood
- Swiss Cottage
- Finchley Road
- West Hampstead
- Golders Green
- Hendon
- Kilburn
- Queens Park
- Cricklewood
North and South West London
- Highgate
- Camden
- Islington
- Clapham
- Wandsworth
- Battersea
Assessment before equipment
Book a free upgrade survey
The assumption worth correcting is that a newer unit automatically means a lower bill. It does not. A modern system fitted on tired pipework, sized for the wrong room, or left running on last year's schedule will disappoint you, and it will have cost several thousand pounds to do it. Equipment is the last decision in an efficiency upgrade, not the first.
- Existing system checked first
- Written scope and quote
- No obligation to proceed
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