Air conditioning installation, priced online

In the right room, yes. In some houses, no. It earns its keep in a bedroom you can’t sleep in during a heatwave, a home office you sit in all day, a south-facing living room or a loft conversion that bakes. Because every unit we fit heats as well as cools, it is also the cheapest way to warm that one room in spring and autumn without running the whole house. Where it is harder to justify is a small, shaded room you use for an hour in the evening. If that is your house we will say so. We would rather you spent the money on something you will use.

Ten to fifteen years is typical for a good split system that is serviced. The outdoor unit does the hard work and usually goes first; the indoor unit often outlasts it. An annual clean and check is what gets you to the top of that range. We do them for £120.

Quieter than most people expect. The indoor units we fit run from about 18 to 21 dB(A) on their lowest setting, quieter than a whisper, up to the high 30s flat out, which is a quiet fan. The outdoor unit is louder, in the mid-40s to mid-50s dB(A) close up, about the level of a fridge or quiet conversation, and we position it so the noise at your neighbour’s nearest window stays within the 42 dB limit the MCS 020 planning standard sets. The noise figures for each unit are on your quote.

Once a year, the same as a boiler. The filters want a rinse every couple of months in summer, which you can do yourself in five minutes; the annual service is the coil clean, the condensate drain, a refrigerant pressure and leak check and an electrical check, and it is what keeps the manufacturer’s guarantee valid. An air con service with us is £120, booked online.