Air Conditioning for Loft Conversions

Why lofts overheat

Heat rises through the house, the roof absorbs direct sun all day, and insulation between rafters is often thinner than a floor build-up would allow. Rooflights add solar gain directly overhead where shading is hardest.

The result is a room that sits several degrees above the rest of the house and stays hot long after sunset, because the roof structure has stored the day's heat.

What works up there

Wall-mounted units on the gable or dwarf wall are the usual answer and work well. Where sloping ceilings limit wall space, a low-wall or floor-standing unit under a window is a good alternative.

If the conversion is still on paper, a ducted unit in a bulkhead or eaves cupboard gives the cleanest result — but only if it is designed in early.

• Wall unit on the gable or dwarf wall — simplest
• Floor/low-wall unit where wall space is tight
• Ducted in a bulkhead — plan during the build
• Outdoor unit usually at ground level with a riser

Install during the conversion if you can

First fixing pipework and condensate before plasterboard means no visible trunking, no chasing later and a much tidier job. Even if you fit the units a year later, having the pipework in place saves money and disruption.

Tell your builder early. Retrofitting into a finished loft is entirely doable, but the routes are more constrained.

Condensate from a loft

Getting condensate away by gravity from the top of the house needs a route with continuous fall. Where that is not available, we fit a condensate pump — quiet, reliable, but it must be accessible for servicing.

We work this out at survey rather than discovering it on installation day.

Winter benefit

Loft rooms are often cold in winter for the same reasons they are hot in summer. A reversible unit heats the space quickly without extending the central heating circuit up another floor.

For a converted loft used as a bedroom or office, this is the strongest case for air conditioning in the entire house.