How to install home air conditioning units

The summer months can be unbearable depending on where you're located, meaning that more and more households are opting for a home air conditioning unit to create a more comfortable living environment. In fact, cooling your home isn't the only benefit installing air conditioning has; it's also perfect for filtering and cleaning the air that you breathe, alongside many other health and safety benefits.

Installing air conditioning in a house can be a tricky job if you're not a registered professional or an air conditioning engineer. You need to seek the help of an expert to install your home air conditioning units for you. At BOXT, we can help you to find your ideal air conditioning system and even install it as soon as the very next day. Use our ‘Find An AC' tool to find the perfect air conditioning system to suit you and your needs.

Air conditioning for home use could be your next step in home improvement. This guide will focus on the installation process of a home air conditioning unit from a professional engineer, how you can benefit from your very own, easy-to-control system and the cost of air conditioning in the home.

Which type of air conditioning system is right for you?

Depending on the space you have in your home as well as how much control you need, there are a number of different air conditioning types for you to choose from.

Domestic split air conditioning systems

The domestic or split-system air conditioner is the usual choice for households. It comprises an indoor unit, and an outdoor unit. There will also be pipes containing refrigerant and cables that need to run between the two units, these are usually concealed in a trunking that will have to run between the indoor and outdoor units.  

The indoor unit is mounted on a wall in the chosen room, the outdoor unit mounted either on the wall externally or on the ground, it must be on your land and not pointing too closely towards any of your neighbours near a boundary.

Single split units are for one room, so you have one outdoor unit or ‘compressor’ that feeds one indoor unit, you can also have Multi split systems which will service multiple rooms from one outdoor unit, these are more expensive and are obviously more time consuming and intrusive to install.

For more information, read our guide - what is a split system air conditioner?

Portable air conditioning systems

The portable air conditioning system is a less expensive way to heat up your home and is ideal for anyone with a lack of free space or a smaller room. These units are suitable for the occasional cooling of a room and have no need for a refrigerant.

The home air conditioning system installation process

AC units are still relatively new to us here in the uk, and are not yet commonplace in most homes, luckily here at BOXT we have developed a clever system of questions on our website designed to give you the correct size unit for the space you have and also provide you with a list of suitable units from you to choose from. 

This allows you to buy a unit and provide our technical team with photos so they can then complete a full survey of the installation and make sure everything will go smoothly on the day. 

We will try to run you through what might typically be entailed when installing an AC unit. 

Your indoor unit

To install the home air conditioner units of a split system, you must first have an idea of where your units will be mounted and installed. 

The indoor unit should be mounted with enough free air around it to allow warm air to be circulated into the unit for it to cool down. 

The installation is relatively simple with holes needing to be drilled to mount the unit and run the pipes either through the wall direct to outside, or up and across loft spaces to the outside, for example.

Your outdoor unit

The outdoor unit should be mounted with plenty of free air, and should always take into consideration clearances stipulated by the manufacturer - thankfully, our website should take care of all that for you. 

The unit can be quite flexible with the location as it can be mounted high level or low level and tucked away to hide it from view.It's important to know the outdoor unit is a large fan and will make noise, so it is always worth taking into consideration when thinking about its position.   

Each air conditioning system will have its own specific methods and instructions for wiring up the two units, so it's important your engineer follows these methods correctly.  

How much does it cost to install air conditioning in a house in the UK?

The cost to install an air conditioning system in your home can vary greatly depending on the system you choose and the engineer who installs it for you. As a company that works closely with a number of reputable air conditioning manufacturers, we can offer you a system that is of the highest quality at a great fixed price.

Answer these questions to find out more information and for more personalised pricing air conditioning options to suit your needs.

Or, take a look at our handy guide on how much it costs to install air conditioning.

Is a home air conditioning system for you?

Purchasing a home air conditioning system could be a worthy investment for you and the occupants of your property. If you're in need of some more information on how to install air conditioning or if you'd like to go through the next steps, we can help. We can assist you in finding your perfect air conditioning system for a fixed, fair price and install your units as soon as the very next day.

Home air conditioning installation FAQs

Can you install a home AC unit yourself?

Installing air conditioning into your home can be tricky if you’re not a registered professional. It involves lots of specific training and you have to be licensed to work with refrigerants, so it’s probably best to put it in the hands of somebody familiar with installing air conditioning, like the experts at BOXT.

How long does it take to install an outside AC unit?

Typically, replacing your current air conditioning system can take around 4-8 hours, so you can expect the installation to be complete within one day. However, if you have a new air conditioning system installed, you can expect this to take a couple of days. Installation time can also vary depending on the complexity of the job.