A bridal boutique is delicate stock, a fitting room where someone stands still, and a rail that must stay dry. Cool the people under HSE workplace temperature guidance. Do not let condensate, a leaking pump or a supply grille sit over gowns. Humidity matters because fabrics and a clammy fitting room both suffer. This page does not set a fabric relative humidity. Ask your stock and alteration practice what the room must avoid, then ask the installer to keep water off the rail. One boutique is not a department store.
No drip and no blast on the rail
The indoor unit, the drain run and any pump must be routed so a failure cannot drip onto dresses. That means no cassette directly over the rail, a tested drain, and a cupboard or corridor for the vulnerable joints. A bucket on a mezzanine is not a plan. A cold supply blowing into a hanging area can also chill fabric and leave the room clammy if the unit is oversized and short-cycles. Size the sales floor and the fitting room as they are used. A huge unit does not protect stock. It wets the coil and hunts. Damage comes from drips, from air blasted at a fitting, or from a unit that short-cycles and leaves the room clammy. A dry, steady room is the aim.
This page does not set a fabric relative humidity. Ask whoever is responsible for the stock what the room must avoid, then ask the installer to avoid a cold, wet coil over the gowns and to size the room honestly. Keep drains and grilles off the rail. If a dry cleaner or steam press shares the room, say so. Steam is a moisture load.
The fitting room, the spots and the entrance
A person being pinned cannot step out of a draught. Aim air above head height or into the sales floor, and use a low fan in the fitting room if it has its own indoor unit. Often one well placed unit for the shop, with the fitting room door managed, is calmer than a blast in a two-metre cubicle. The fitting room can share the shop unit if the door and the throw are managed so nobody stands in a draught. A tiny cubicle with its own oversized head is worse. There is no legal maximum temperature. Staff on the floor all day are the HSE question. Comfort for a client is the same physical room, not a medical claim. A setpoint in the mid 20s with the door shut between appointments is a sane starting habit. 16C will not make a tulle fitting more precise.
Boutique lighting is hot and the window is large. Include both. If the door is shut except for arrivals, say so. A propped door on a high street undoes a small split. The outdoor unit should not sit where a bride's car must stand, and it should not drip onto the entrance. F-gas installation applies. A single shop system may sit below air conditioning inspection thresholds. Check GOV.UK if you add floors or more plant. The lease will mind the outdoor position more than the remote will. Ask for a kilowatt figure for the boutique rather than a department-store cassette.
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.