A thatched cottage needs consent and a fire-aware layout before any air conditioning is ordered. Listing and conservation areas are likely. The outdoor unit must not discharge into the eaves or at the thatch, and the roof is not a place to stand plant. Insurers often set their own thatch conditions. Sort listed building consent, planning, and the insurer before kit arrives. Then use an F-gas certified company. Start with the Planning Portal in England and the listing entry, not with a hole in the eaves.
Discharge aimed into the eaves
Thatch is a roof that burns. Hot discharge from an outdoor unit aimed into the eaves, a pipe route through the thatch, or a condenser sat on the coat are the outcomes to refuse. Keep plant on a wall or a ground stand well clear of the thatch, with the fan direction away from it, and only where consent allows that wall. Do not route pipes through the thatch. Find a consented wall route that stays out of the roof.
A condenser sat in the roof and called indoor
Do not lift a unit into the roof space and call it indoor. The outdoor unit has to reject heat outside. Lofts under thatch are also the wrong temperature and the wrong fire risk for a condenser. The outdoor unit should not sit under the eaves if its air blows into the thatch. Keep discharge and any heat well clear of the coat. Many eaves are the wrong place entirely.
Listing, lime render and the neighbour's unit
Thatched houses are often listed or in a conservation area. An outdoor unit, trunking on lime render, and a core through a historic wall can all need consent. The Planning Portal heat pump pages are the starting point in England, and listing is an extra consent when it applies. Assume you need to check, even if a neighbour has a unit already.
- No discharge into the thatch or the eaves.
- No plant standing on the thatch.
- Get consent before any equipment is ordered.
Boxing on the only intact plaster
Internal boxing on wattle and daub or on painted plaster is part of the same application. A short pipe run that scars the only intact wall is a poor trade. Check the insurer's thatch conditions. Consent and the insurer come first.
A thick shell, a sun room and the stove opening
Thick walls and small windows can mean modest loads, until a sun-facing extension or a large inglenook changes the room. Survey the room you will actually sit in. A wood burner in the same room must not have the throw blown across its opening, and the carbon monoxide alarm stays. The split does not become the stove's ventilation.
Policy conditions the air-to-air notes do not override
When the consents are in place, the refrigerant work is a normal F-gas install. Energy Saving Trust's air-to-air notes cover heating and cooling. They do not override a thatch condition on the policy. Do not assume permitted development. Listing and conservation status are common, and highway-facing walls add limits.
Frequently asked questions
Can pipes run through the thatch to save trunking?
No. Do not route pipes through the thatch. Find a consented wall route that stays out of the roof.
Core buying guides
Start with these high-intent guides, then dig into the rest of the library.
Related guides
Sources and further reading
How this guide was prepared
This guide was written by the Local AC Installers Editorial Team. We compare official guidance, legislation and established consumer information, separate general information from project-specific advice, and show publication dates and sources. We do not accept installer accreditation claims at face value.