Wall-mounted split systems for Cardiff homes and small commercial units. Cooling in summer, heating in the shoulder months, and a lot quieter than most people expect. We survey properly first: room size, glazing, where the outdoor unit can honestly go, and what your consumer unit will take. Then you get a fixed written price.
Survey, install & aftercare
Nigel surveys the property, sites the units, and handles the brackets, condensate, electrical supply and the job start to finish. The refrigerant work and commissioning are done by an F-Gas certified engineer. Nigel's own F-Gas course is booked for this year.
Every split system needs an outdoor condenser, and it needs airflow, a solid fixing and a sensible pipe run back to the indoor unit. In Cardiff terraces the honest answer is sometimes a rear elevation or a flat roof rather than the wall you had in mind. We work that out on the survey, not on install day.
An undersized unit runs flat out and never gets there. An oversized one short-cycles, costs more to run and dries the room out. Sizing comes from floor area, ceiling height, glazing, aspect and how the room is used, which is why we measure rather than quote off a photo.
A modern inverter unit runs in reverse and puts out heat efficiently down to low outdoor temperatures. For a home office or a converted loft that the central heating never quite reaches, that is often the real reason people fit one.
Outdoor units are much quieter than they used to be, but siting still matters, particularly near a boundary or a neighbour's window. We will tell you if a position is going to cause a problem rather than fit it and hope.
Most domestic installations in Wales fall under permitted development, but there are conditions on siting, size and proximity to boundaries, and they do not apply to listed buildings or some conservation areas. We flag anything that needs checking with the council before you commit.
A split system needs its own protected circuit and an isolator. That is ordinary domestic electrical work, done to Part P and certificated, and it is part of the quote rather than a surprise on the day.
Pick the room and how you use it. This gives you the unit size and a fitted price band in about two minutes, so you walk into the survey already knowing roughly where you stand. It is a starting point, not a quote.
Fitted prices including the unit, pipe run, dedicated circuit, commissioning and making good. Ranges rather than one figure, because pipe length and where the outdoor unit can go move the number more than the kit does.
Single wall-mounted split system
Multi-split, one outdoor unit
Whole-floor or whole-home
Three ways to do the same job. The right one depends on how many rooms you want covered, how much outside space you have, and whether the rooms get used at the same time.
One room that gets too hot, or a loft or home office the heating never reaches. Simplest install, cheapest per room, and each room stays independent.
Two to five rooms sharing one outdoor unit. Saves wall space and looks tidier outside, but the rooms are tied together, so a fault takes them all out.
Open-plan spaces and rooms with no sensible wall for a unit. Needs a void above the ceiling, so it usually means a loft space or a dropped section.
Air conditioning quotes are hard to compare because installers leave different things out. These are the lines to look for. If a quote is silent on any of them, ask before you sign, whoever you end up using.
A starting point, not a quote. Rooms with a lot of south-facing glass, a poorly insulated loft conversion or a lot of equipment in them need more than the table suggests, which is exactly what the survey is for.
| Typical room | Usual output | Indoor units |
|---|---|---|
| Small bedroom or home office, up to 15 m² | 2.0 – 2.5 kW | 1 indoor unit |
| Double bedroom, 15 – 25 m² | 2.5 – 3.5 kW | 1 indoor unit |
| Living room, 25 – 35 m² | 3.5 – 5.0 kW | 1 indoor unit |
| Open-plan kitchen diner, 35 – 50 m² | 5.0 – 7.0 kW | 1 – 2 indoor units |
| Loft conversion under a warm roof | 3.5 – 5.0 kW | 1 indoor unit |
| Two or more rooms off one outdoor unit | Multi-split | 2 – 5 indoor units |
Outputs are nominal cooling capacity. Heating output is usually a little higher on the same unit. Multi-split systems share one outdoor condenser between several indoor units, which saves wall space but ties the rooms together, so it is not always the right answer even when it looks tidier.
Survey, written price, install, commission, certificate. Nothing starts until you have the price in writing.
Free home visit. We measure each room, look at glazing and aspect, work out where the outdoor unit can honestly go, and check what your consumer unit will take. You get a written quote within 48 hours.
Units, indoor and outdoor positions, pipe route, the electrical circuit, making good and commissioning, all itemised. Nothing is ordered until you have said yes to the price.
Dust sheets down, core drilled, brackets fixed, pipework and condensate run, indoor and outdoor units mounted, and the dedicated circuit run back to the consumer unit.
The refrigerant circuit is evacuated, pressure tested and charged by an F-Gas certified engineer, then the system is run up on both heating and cooling and the controls are paired to your phone.
You get the electrical certificate, the F-Gas paperwork and the manufacturer warranty registration. Annual service reminder lands by email, because filters and condensate drains need it.
A sample of what we have fitted around Cardiff and the Vale.
Single 3.5 kW wall unit in a south-facing home office. Outdoor unit on the rear elevation, out of the neighbour's sightline.
Loft conversion that the central heating never reached. Runs as a heater eight months of the year.
Penarth open-plan kitchen diner, 5 kW unit, condensate teed into the existing waste.
Loft conversion was unusable in July and freezing in January. Nigel surveyed it properly, explained why the wall I wanted the outdoor unit on was the wrong one, and put the price in writing. It heats the room better than the radiator ever did.
Most domestic installations in Wales fall under permitted development, but there are conditions on where the outdoor unit sits, how big it is and how close it is to a boundary. Listed buildings and some conservation areas are excluded. We check the siting on the survey and tell you if anything needs confirming with the council before you commit.
Yes. A modern inverter split system runs in reverse and produces heat efficiently well below freezing. For a loft conversion, a garden room or a home office the central heating never quite reaches, heating is often the main reason people fit one, and the cooling is the bonus in July.
It depends on the number of rooms, the output needed, the pipe run to the outdoor unit and the electrical work. A single wall-mounted unit in one room is a different job to a multi-split covering three bedrooms. We survey, then put a fixed price in writing before anything is ordered.
Much quieter than most people expect, typically comparable to a fridge at a few metres. Siting still matters though, especially near a boundary or a neighbour's window. If a position is going to cause a problem we will say so at survey rather than fit it and hope.
A single indoor unit with a straightforward pipe run is usually one day. Multi-split systems, long pipe runs or anything needing a new circuit from the consumer unit take two. You get the timeline in the written quote.
Yes. A split system needs its own protected circuit and a local isolator. That is ordinary domestic electrical work, done to Part P and certificated, and it is priced into the quote rather than added on the day.
Any work that breaks into the sealed refrigerant circuit is done by an F-Gas certified engineer, which the law requires. Nigel handles the survey, siting, brackets, condensate, electrical supply and project management, and is booked onto his own F-Gas course this year.
Yes, annually. Filters get cleaned, the condensate drain gets checked, and refrigerant pressures get verified. A neglected system loses efficiency and eventually blocks its drain, which is how you end up with water marks on the wall below the indoor unit.
Book a survey and get a fixed written price. No pressure, and we will tell you if we think it is the wrong answer for your house.
