An estate agency office is a glazed high-street room with desks close to the window, a door that opens all day, and a small back office or meeting room with the door shut. Sun and street air dominate the front. The back room will not see a unit that lives in the window. Cool the desks you occupy, say whether Saturday is a full working day, and keep a cassette from trying to condition the pavement. An F-gas certified company should install it.
Glass, a propped door and the window desks
West or south glass, display lighting and a door on a busy viewing day outweigh the modest number of people. Tell the survey which way the glass faces and whether the door is propped. A closed-door calculation will not describe a Saturday. A propped high-street door will beat a small split. Cool the desk zone you can hold and set a livable temperature. Say honestly how the door is used.
The back office, server corner or meeting room is a different box. Computers and a closed door can make it the hottest room at 4pm even when the shopfront feels acceptable. It will not see a unit that lives in the window. Give it its own indoor unit if the door stays shut. Staff sit still on the phone. A draught on the neck at the window desk will be switched off. Aim above head height and use a setpoint in the mid 20s that can survive the door. HSE workplace temperature guidance asks for reasonable comfort and does not set a legal maximum. Customers stand at the desk for a short time. Design for the people who are there all day. A noisy indoor unit on a call-heavy desk is a failed install even if the temperature is right.
Rear yards, pavement drips and a busy board
Front elevations are a poor place for a condenser: planning appearance, pavement, and noise. Prefer a rear yard, a flat roof with a structure check, or a side passage. A condenser on the shopfront is often the option that fails on appearance, pavement and noise. Landlord consent comes before the core is drilled.
Condensate on a high street should go to a proper waste, not out of the fascia onto the pavement. Power in older shop units is often a single-phase board with little spare way. The electrician needs to see it. Filter access has to work with window vinyl and blinds in place. If both the front zone and the back room have doors that close, they are separate. Confirm whether the door-open condition was used in the load. An F-gas certified company should install the system. Saturday and late viewings are part of the working pattern when they are real.
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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.