# Ducted Air Conditioning London | Cost and How It Works > Ducted air conditioning in London homes: the unit hidden in a void, only grilles showing. What it costs over a wall unit and when it is worth it. *Climate Shield London — https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/ducted-air-conditioning/. Verbatim from the page; this is the same content, not a summary.* --- ![Concealed ducted air conditioning unit with an insulated plenum and two flexible ducts, fitted by us in a London ceiling void before the ceiling went up](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/own/ac-ducted-unit-1200.webp) # Ducted Air Conditioning London Ducted air conditioning hidden from view With a ducted system the indoor unit sits out of sight in a ceiling void, a loft or a cupboard, and the air reaches the room through ducts and grilles. Nothing goes on the wall. It is the most discreet way to cool a home and the most involved to install. - Free survey and a fixed written price - We will tell you when the cheaper option is the right one - No obligation and nothing to sign Price it in 60 seconds [WhatsApp us](https://wa.me/447875564437?text=Hi%20Climate%20Shield%2C%20I%20would%20like%20a%20price%20for%20ducted%20air%20conditioning.) [Rated 5.0 on Google](https://maps.google.com/?cid=13450400776658321728) ## Book a free survey We come out, measure, and send a written price. No charge, no obligation, and no deposit before you have seen the number. Prefer to talk? 020 3393 1331 ## Accredited, and fitting the brands you know ![NICEIC approved contractor](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/accreditations/niceic-mark.webp) ![Gas Safe Register](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/accreditations/gas-safe-mark.webp) ![MCS certified](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/accreditations/mcs-mark.webp) ![RECC, Renewable Energy Consumer Code](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/accreditations/recc-mark.webp) ![TrustMark, Government Endorsed Quality](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/accreditations/trustmark-mark.webp) ![Vaillant](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/brands/vaillant.573f9864.webp) ![Clivet](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/brands/clivet.15efbad2.webp) ![Samsung](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/brands/samsung.3b6b3325.webp) ![Daikin](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/brands/daikin.ce47c11f.webp) ![Mitsubishi Electric](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/brands/mitsubishi-electric.2977d309.webp) ![Bosch](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/brands/bosch.7d80a7ce.webp) ## Air conditioning we have fitted Our own jobs, photographed on site. Real rooms, real outdoor positions, nothing from a catalogue. [All projects](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/) [![Outdoor unit on wall brackets, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-04-800.webp) Air conditioning **Outdoor unit on wall brackets** Above brick, isolator and cabling run tidy](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Condenser going up on straps, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-06-800.webp) Air conditioning **Condenser going up on straps** Lifted into a wall position, no scaffold](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Wall unit, commissioned, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-07-800.webp) Air conditioning **Wall unit, commissioned** Set to 24 degrees and handed over](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Black wall unit in a sitting room, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-08-800.webp) Air conditioning **Black wall unit in a sitting room** Chosen to sit with the room, not against it](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Ceiling cassette, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-09-800.webp) Air conditioning **Ceiling cassette** Recessed flush into the ceiling](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Samsung Wind-Free, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-11-800.webp) Air conditioning **Samsung Wind-Free** Cooling without a draught on the room](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Rooftop commissioning, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-12-800.webp) Air conditioning **Rooftop commissioning** Pressure tested and charged on gauges](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Outdoor unit at ground level, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-14-800.webp) Air conditioning **Outdoor unit at ground level** On paving beside the house, easy to service](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Black wall unit, running, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-15-800.webp) Air conditioning **Black wall unit, running** Quiet enough for a bedroom](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![One-way ceiling cassette, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-16-800.webp) Air conditioning **One-way ceiling cassette** Only the grille shows](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Outdoor unit on paving, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-17-800.webp) Air conditioning **Outdoor unit on paving** Against render, clear of the boundary](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/)[![Condenser high on a wall, a job we fitted in London](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/jobs/job-18-800.webp) Air conditioning **Condenser high on a wall** On brackets where the ground was not an option](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/projects/) Ducted air conditioning adds 900 to 1,500 pounds per indoor unit to the price of the same system with wall units, because the unit has to be housed in a void with ductwork, grilles and an access panel. It is easiest to fit during a renovation or a loft conversion, while the ceilings are open anyway. The photograph on this page is one of our own ducted installations at first fix, before the ceiling was boarded. ![An outdoor air conditioning unit we fitted on brackets on a London rear wall](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/assets/img/svc/ac-install-700.webp) Your estimate £2,400*to*£3,200 Supplied, fitted, commissioned and certificated. Includes VAT. Send this on WhatsApp ## Price the fitted option A fitted split system, priced. It is the option this page is comparing against, and this is what it actually costs. How many rooms? How big is the room? Last step: what number should we call with your fixed price? Every figure on this site is an estimate built from the quotations we issued in 2026 and our own installation experience. It is not a quotation. The price you are given after the free survey is the price you pay. ## From first call to cool rooms in three steps 1. Free survey We measure the rooms, find the outdoor position and check permission for your address. 2. A fixed written price Units, pipework and electrics itemised. The number does not move unless the job does. 3. Fitted in a day One room a day, tested in every mode, and shown to you before we leave. Book the free survey or call 020 3393 1331 ### Read the full guide: 5 sections, about 3 minutes ## Side by side | | Concealed ducted | Wall-mounted unit | | --- | --- | --- | | What you see in the room | Grilles only | The unit on the wall | | Where the unit goes | A ceiling void, a loft or a cupboard | High on a wall in the room | | Rooms per indoor unit | One, or two neighbouring rooms through separate ducts | One | | Price per indoor unit | +£900 to £1,500 over a wall unit | The baseline: £2,400 to £3,200 for one room | | Best time to fit | During a renovation, extension or loft conversion | Any time | | Servicing | Through an access panel to the unit and its filter | Filters slide out of the front | | Disruption | Ceilings opened, ducts run, then made good | One hole through the wall | Every figure on this site is an estimate built from the quotations we issued in 2026 and our own installation experience. It is not a quotation. The price you are given after the free survey is the price you pay. ## How a ducted system is put together The indoor unit is hung in the void and a plenum, an insulated box on its outlet, collects the air it delivers. Insulated flexible ducts run from the plenum to supply grilles in the ceiling of each room, and a return grille lets the room air back to the unit. The refrigerant pipework, the cables and the condensate pipe run from the unit to the outdoor unit and to a drain, exactly as they would for a wall unit, only out of sight. That is what the photograph above shows: the unit, its insulated plenum and two flexible ducts taking the air to separate outlets, fitted before the ceiling was boarded. ## When it is worth it When nothing may show. Some interiors are designed so carefully, or are old enough, that a white box on the wall is not acceptable. See [listed buildings](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/air-conditioning-listed-building/). When the building work is happening anyway. In a renovation, an extension or a loft conversion the ceilings are open, so the ducts go in at first fix for a fraction of the disruption later. See [loft conversions](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/loft-conversion-air-conditioning/). When two neighbouring rooms can share one unit. One concealed unit with two ducts can serve, for example, a bedroom and its dressing room, where two wall units would mean two indoor units and more pipework. ## When it is not In a finished room with no void. Lowering a ceiling to make room for a unit and ducts turns an air conditioning job into a building job. When the budget has to cover several rooms. For the price difference, a multi-split with quiet wall units often cools an extra room. See [whole house air conditioning](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/whole-house-air-conditioning/). When there is nowhere for an access panel. A ducted unit needs a filter cleaned and a service once a year, and that means a way to reach it. ## Other things people weigh up [Split vs portable air conditioning A portable unit costs 300 pounds and a fitted split costs 2,400. Compare](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/split-vs-portable-air-conditioning/) [Single split vs multi-split If you want more than one room cooled, this is the decision that shapes the whole installation: several small outdoor units, or one bigger one serving all of them. Compare](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/single-split-vs-multi-split/) [Air conditioning vs air source heat pump These are the same technology wearing two names, and the confusion costs people real money. Compare](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/air-conditioning-vs-air-source-heat-pump/) [Daikin vs Mitsubishi Electric We fit both, so we have no reason to talk you into either. Compare](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/daikin-vs-mitsubishi-air-conditioning/) [Ceiling cassette air conditioning A cassette sits flush in the ceiling and sends the air out across the room from above, so nothing goes on the wall. Compare](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/ceiling-cassette-air-conditioning/) [What happens on a survey An hour, nothing to sign, and a written fixed price afterwards. The fastest way to settle any of this properly. Free survey](https://climateshieldlondon.co.uk/free-air-conditioning-survey/) ### Or just ask This is the kind of question that takes three minutes on the phone. Call 020 3393 1331 ## Questions people ask ### How much does ducted air conditioning cost in London? One room with a wall unit is 2,400 to 3,200 pounds fitted, and a concealed ducted unit adds 900 to 1,500 pounds to that for each indoor unit. The survey sets the final figure, because the void, the duct runs and the access decide most of it. ### Can ducted air conditioning go in a loft? Yes. A loft is one of the commonest places for the indoor unit, with ducts down to the rooms below or across to a loft conversion. It needs boarding and an access route for servicing, and the condensate pipe needs a fall to a drain or a pump. ### Is ducted air conditioning noisy? In the room it is usually the quietest option of all, because the unit itself is not in the room. What you hear is air at the grilles, and that depends on the duct sizes and the fan speed, which is why the design matters. ### Does ducted air conditioning heat as well? Yes. Every system we fit is reversible, so the same concealed unit cools in summer and heats in winter, at roughly three to four units of heat for every unit of electricity. ## Not sure which way to go? Tell us the rooms and what you are trying to achieve. We will say which of these we would fit in your property and why, before anybody quotes anything. Call 020 3393 1331 [WhatsApp us](https://wa.me/447875564437?text=Hi%20Climate%20Shield%2C%20I%20would%20like%20a%20price%20for%20ducted%20air%20conditioning.) Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm, Saturday 10am to 3pm, Sunday closed Page updated 6 November 2026