Menu

Frequently Asked Questions About HVAC Systems

To save you some time, Air Options have compiled a list of the most frequently asked questions about HVAC systems.

We have collated answers for the most frequently asked questions about HVAC systems below. Simply click ‘answer’ to find out more.  Should you like to know more, or have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch where we will be happy to help.

Do you carry out domestic repairs and installation?

Air Options Ltd do not undertake residential or domestic style works, although our sister company Ideal Climate Ltd will be happy to help.

I would like a budget quotation over the phone, what do I do?

  • Size of area to be served (including ceiling height) eg 3m x 4m (2.5m ceiling). These only need to be approximate dimensions
  • Number of occupants within the area and brief description of the environment eg: seated at work at a workstation answering calls etc
  • type of ceiling (standard plastered or cellular ceiling grid)
  • Approximate distance between the area to be served and an external location (courtyard or outside wall)
  • You can then either call and speak to one of our technical sales staff who will be happy to discuss the project and your requirements, or can fill in the online enquiry form (don’t forget to add the details asked for above). Once received we will call you back with a competitive quote and offer Installations from £1,500 inclusive, per room.
  • Once we have given you a quote and you are comfortable with the figure we will happily arrange for a surveyor to visit your premises and produce a firm quotation which can then be accepted and installed in line with your time scale

What warranty do I get?

Systems are offered complete with a 12 month parts and labour warranty which is extendable for a further 48 months dependent upon the manufacturer selected. For example we are able to offer the majority of Japanese products a 12 month parts and labour warranty with an additional 48 month parts only warranty. Full details are available from our office.

All extended warranties are underwritten by the manufacturer and managed by Air Options Ltd. All extended warranties are offered in line with the manufacturers terms and conditions. Full details are available upon application .

All warranties are subject to a maintenance regime in line with the manufacturer and Air Options guidelines. This is much the same as buying a new car and having it serviced to validate the warranty. A simple analogy of this would be:

You are expected to have a new car serviced in line with the manufacturers mileage intervals to validate the warranty. In the event you exceed this interval and did not for example have the oil changed within the engine, which consequently blows up, the manufacturer or dealer will not be liable to pay for the replacement.  In this case you would be expected to pay for the engine replacement.

In the event the engine was replenished in line with the service intervals, the dealer would replace the engine and claim for the costs back from the manufacturer.  This works much the same for an air conditioning installer.

Maintenance costs start from as little as £199.00 per annum and upwardly increase dependent upon the size and complexity of the installation. Please contact the office in the event you require a quotation.

Can you service and repair our systems even though you have not installed them?

We can supply service and maintenance works for all systems whether they have been installed by Air Options or not. We can also in certain cases offer extended warranties to plant installed by our competition.

We offer contracts and works costed by the hour whichever suits your requirements.

What does your quotation normally exclude?

We pride ourselves that our costing include or exclude exactly what the client requests and have no hidden catches. We are happy to include all electrical and builders works and in general are contracted to offer a full working solution. Maintenance costs are to be considered as an additional sum and will be costed separately.

Do your systems comply with Health and Safety requirements?

All systems we offer comply with Health and Safety requirements. All documentation produced also complies with the same.

We produce all method statements and risk assessments for the proposed installation or service/repair works in line with our quoted costing. This document is released upon receipt of an official order or letter of intent.

Are projects fully managed?

All projects no matter how large or small are fully managed by our nominated supervisory and project management staff. Whether a project is £2,000 or £200,000 it will be managed to the same high level.

Is there any chance of catching Legionella from your systems?

In simple terms none of the systems we engineer and install can put you or your staff at risk. For more details of the systems we offer and how we eliminate the risk of legionella please call the office.

We cannot comment with regard to any existing services and equipment within your building but will happily undertake a survey of existing plant in the event you are concerned. Routine maintenance of existing systems can eliminate the risk of legionella. Service and maintenance is also an area we can help you with.

I have heard air conditioning are expensive to operate and run, is this true?

We hear this all the time and it is quite simply untrue. There are systems within the market place which are expensive to run due to being inefficient, although the systems we offer are extremely energy efficient.

It should be noted however, that your energy usage is now likely to increase during the summer months with your air conditioning system running, whereas prior to this, it was only a winter heating bill you needed to consider.

What other services can you offer once the installation is complete?

Air Options are able to offer extensive services ranging from simple telephone support to fully managed onsite maintenance contracts. We are happy to service and repair the equipment for years to come whether under warranty or not. On many occasions we are able to offer extended warranties to suit your budget.

How long does an installation take to complete?

An installation depending upon its complexity and speed level can be phased from a single day to many months. The timescales will be indicated once a budgetary cost has been provided and the quotation made firm.

How do I know the equipment you propose will last and be reliable?

Air Options has been trading since 1995 with staff having a wealth of experience. All of the products we sell are market leading brands and have an expected life of approximately 15 years dependent upon application. This life span is of course subject to routine maintenance.

There are cheaper products within in the industry which last only a few years before they become unreliable. At Air Options we steer well clear of these and only offer the market leading brands.

Can I have a system which Cools and Heats?

Yes! All systems heat and cool and the term air conditioning is broad and often confused. All systems we offer are in actual fact known as air to air heat pumps where the heating component is standard and not an additional cost item. We have many customers who use their heat pumps as the main source of heating.

If you are extending or adding to your property, why not allow us to quote for a heat pump system saving you money by eliminating the need to upgrade boilers and radiators as well as keeping running costs competitive.

I do not have a three-phase electrical power supply into my building; can I still have an efficient system?

Yes! Energy efficient systems are available in both three phase and single phase. We can even offer gas fired systems to heat and cool. Whatever your limitation on site we are sure we will be able to offer a solution.

Do we need planning permission for installation?

This varies dependent upon the type of installation you require and has no simple answer. There are two types of permission to consider which are local authority permissions and landlord permissions. Both of the aforementioned areas are something we can help with as we do on many occasions on the client’s behalf. We will produce all drawings and correspondence, whilst liaising with the landlord and planners on your behalf.

Should we act on your behalf in gaining planning permission we do expect to get the installation work however, and have no interest in acting as a planning consultant alone.

Are quotations carried out free of charge?

Yes! We are happy to visit site, meet with you, and then design and engineer a quotation. We take a commercial view on this and will produce adequate information to offer costs and reassure you we are committed and confident to producing a working and efficient solution. Once our quote is accepted we will produce a full breakdown of design and particulars should it be requested.

On the flip side of this, we do not offer free quotations or consultancy, should there be no intent from the offset to fairly use our time and information. We are happy to afford you as much time as you need subject to it being on a level and fair playing field.

We don’t expect to win them all, although we would like to, and fully appreciate however that on many occasions, approvals can take months, or even a year to get budgets approved and planning in place. see further down for budget quotes via phone and planning permissions. We also offer a price promise and confident we will be competitive.

Is there an uplift in cost for weekend or out of hours working?

Yes there is a uplift in cost if our works are to be completed during evenings, or over a weekend. Our in house engineers are paid additionally for ‘out of hours’ working, and therefore unable to absorb this increase and price the works accordingly. This applies to all diagnostic, repair, maintenance and installation works where our engineers ‘normal’ contracted working hours are Monday to Friday during normal office hours, with some levels of flexibility.

There are many issues to consider with nights or weekend working such as technical support and parts departments being closed, in addition to our own management and admin teams, giving the engineers limited support in the field.

If you would like us to cost out of hours working we will be happy to do so, and will include any uplift within your quotation.