Studio lights are heaters you switch on for a living. Even modern LED kits dump heat into a closed room, and older tungsten or HMI is worse. A surveyed split can hold a stills or video studio if it is quiet enough for sound, and if the airflow does not ruffle hair, dust a sweep, or cool only the ceiling. Survey the lighting plot, the set and the edit suite as different loads. Refrigerant work needs an F-gas certified company. A calm, serviceable install beats a fashionable indoor unit aimed at the cyc.
Lights, the set and the edit desk
Add up the lights you actually run together, plus people, computers and afternoon sun on a roof light. A continuous LED panel still warms the room. A day of pack shots with several heads can exceed a domestic living-room load in a space that looks modest on a plan. Editing suites and camera stores are smaller and steadier. A cyclorama bay with a high ceiling needs throw down to the set, not a wall unit stranded above a blackout curtain. Note blackout, roof lights and insulation. A tall daylit studio can stratify, so the survey may specify a cassette, a ducted slot above the set edge, or two indoors.
Quiet air off the sweep, and a drain above the grid
Indoor fan noise and outdoor compressor noise both land on a microphone. You want a low fan speed that can still pull the heat out between takes, and a condenser that is not bolted to the studio wall. Commission with a recorder running if video is part of the work. Air across a paper sweep lifts dust and moves fabric and hair. Point vanes along a wall, away from the set, and accept that the room should come down to temperature before the talent stands in a draught. A blast aimed at the subject is a failed studio, however large the kilowatt. Outdoor plant needs a position with airflow and a path for maintenance that does not cross a live set. Condensate above a lighting grid is a drip onto equipment. Use a reliable drain, not a hopeful puddle in a ceiling. F-gas certification covers the install. Hire people who will work around a shoot calendar and who rate sound honestly.
Frequently asked questions
Do LED lights still need air conditioning?
Often yes in a closed studio, because the remaining heat has nowhere to go and people and screens add more. LEDs are kinder than tungsten. They are not zero heat. Older tungsten or HMI is worse.
Will the unit spoil the sound on video?
It can. Choose a low indoor speed, isolate the outdoor unit from the studio wall, and test with a microphone before you sign off the job.
Can one unit cool the studio and the office?
Only if air can move between them and the survey agrees. A closed edit suite needs its own supply.
What if airflow hits the paper sweep?
It lifts dust and moves fabric and hair. Keep the vane along a wall, off the set, and bring the room to temperature before anyone stands in the jet.
Does a studio need an air conditioning inspection?
If cooling exceeds 12 kW of effective rated output, GOV.UK inspection duties can apply. A single modest room may sit under that line. Add the indoors up.
Should the condenser be bolted to the studio wall?
No if you record sound. Compressor noise travels through the structure. Give it airflow and a service path that does not cross a live set. Planning and noise still apply in mixed city buildings.
Core buying guides
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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.