Air conditioning is not banned in homes. A fixed installation can need planning permission and building-regulations approval, and a unit used solely for cooling cannot rely on the domestic air source heat-pump permitted-development right. Assess the proposed system and external works rather than relying on its marketing name. [1] [2]
Does the installation need planning permission?
MHCLG's clarification of 25 June 2026 explains that planning requirements depend on the effect of the installation, particularly on the building's external appearance. A very minor alteration may not amount to development, but that is not a blanket exemption for every wall-mounted condenser. [1] [3]
The Class G heat-pump permission allows a qualifying unit that heats and cools, provided it is not used solely for cooling and all the other conditions are met. A cooling-only system is outside that permission. It may therefore need a planning application even where a superficially similar heating system qualifies. [2]
Describe the outdoor unit, pipework and intended operating functions clearly. In a conservation area or at a listed building, assess the heritage position before installation; a claim that equipment is small does not resolve those constraints. [1] [4]
Check noise before deciding the location
The council can investigate equipment noise as a potential statutory nuisance, independently of its planning status. A planning approval or permitted-development assessment should not be interpreted as permission to cause a nuisance. [5]
Ask the designer or installer to assess the proposed unit in its actual setting, with particular attention to neighbouring rooms and its intended hours of operation. Keep the equipment specification and the agreed location together so a later product substitution can be checked against the original assessment. [5]
Building regulations and the installer
Fixed air-conditioning systems are building services that require a building-regulations assessment. Epping Forest District Council's guidance identifies air-conditioning installation among the works needing approval; the relevant notification and certification route should be agreed before work starts. [6]
For equipment containing F gas, the people carrying out installation, maintenance and other controlled refrigerant work need the relevant qualifications. Electrical competence alone does not establish refrigerant-handling competence, and not every refrigerant is an F gas. Ask which refrigerant the proposed system uses and which qualifications cover the work. [7]
Agree responsibility for the electrical work, refrigerant work and completion records rather than assuming one certificate covers every part. The qualification requirements concern the tasks actually undertaken, including future servicing and refrigerant recovery. [7]
Larger installations need periodic inspection
Where the effective rated cooling output exceeds 12kW, air-conditioning inspection requirements can apply. Government guidance requires inspection at least every five years and considers the combined capacity of relevant units controlled by the same operator in a building, not simply each indoor unit in isolation. A multi-unit installation should therefore be assessed as a system. [8]
What is changing?
The June 2026 government clarification referred to a review of overheating requirements; it did not announce a ban on domestic air conditioning. A review is not an enacted restriction on an existing home. [1]
Separately, Defra's 15 May 2026 HFC update said it would not legislate in 2026 to change phasedown steps from 1 January 2027. Further reform remains under consideration. Do not interpret that policy work as a confirmed replacement date or as a blanket prohibition on every cooling technology. [9]