Air conditioning, Anyone have it?

[Tombo46]

I'm looking at the possibility of an air conditioning unit for Summer next year but I was wondering if they are any good? I've been looking ones to fit in a suspended ceiling. I have heard varied opinions from different people (mostly who don't have air con) and many have said it's pointless as I keep my front door open whilst trading.

Can anyone give a good honest opinion on whether it would be worth it? Also, With all the doors closed, is there any that can bring temps down to below 10*C?

Cheers!

 

[Homer J Simpson]

If the door is open it's pointless.

With the door closed, you still wouldn't get it down to 10, that's more like a walk in fridge.

I have a portable one, where you just need to vent it out of a window. It's okay but very noisy (and it was an expensive good branded one too). Unfortunately, the plastic case rattles a lot when it's running which adds to the noise!

 

[Tombo46]

If the door is open it's pointless.

With the door closed, you still wouldn't get it down to 10, that's more like a walk in fridge.

I have a portable one, where you just need to vent it out of a window. It's okay but very noisy (and it was an expensive good branded one too). Unfortunately, the plastic case rattles a lot when it's running which adds to the noise!

Rubbish =( Scrap that then eh! I own a greengrocers and can easily get up to £400 in waste on a hot summers week. Probably the reason why other greengrocers don't have it. I'd get refrigerated units if they weren't so damn urgly!

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

At up to £400 a week I'd get the units no mater how ugly!

 

[Tombo46]

At up to £400 a week I'd get the units no mater how ugly!

That's only during very hot summer haha. We get on average £100 - £200 anyway so it's not a huge amount more percentage wise.

 

[Homer J Simpson]

Fair point, but what about the £100 - £200 anyway, could that not be brought down to maybe £50 by using the units?

Obviously the cost of the electric needs to be taken into account, but I'd have thought the savings would be possible.

 

[Tombo46]

Fair point, but what about the £100 - £200 anyway, could that not be brought down to maybe £50 by using the units?

Obviously the cost of the electric needs to be taken into account, but I'd have thought the savings would be possible.

It is possible aye. I have really high standards as that's the sort of produce we sell but I know a few people with refrigerated units and they don't even turn them on now. The ones I've seen are also really impractical for how I have my produce laid out. They can be made to look "alright" though with a bit of work and it's not something I've written off entirely. I'll grab a link for a friend of mines shop who has faced them up pretty well. He sells on something daft like 6 shelves and stuff flies out. We had a refit with 3 shelves and takings plummeted for some reason so we went back to 2!

Check out his shop though. It's the dogs danglies...

https://plus.google.com/104870371327463455415/about?gl=uk&hl=en

 

[Mayor]

I have installed proper aircon in all my shops. Well worth it. Lower heating bills in winter, bigger customer spend in hot summer. With the door open, you'll be heating/cooling the street, but an overdoor air curtain can help. We have used both cassette units on walls, and ceiling mounted. Installation costs vary depending on pipework, but I regard it as a sound business investment.

 

[Tombo46]

I have installed proper aircon in all my shops. Well worth it. Lower heating bills in winter, bigger customer spend in hot summer. With the door open, you'll be heating/cooling the street, but an overdoor air curtain can help. We have used both cassette units on walls, and ceiling mounted. Installation costs vary depending on pipework, but I regard it as a sound business investment.

Thanks for the reply. I experimented with closing the door for a couple of weeks during the winter but unfortunately it affected trade too much. We have a big pavement flash so trade outside as much as we do inside and we found people coming past thinking we were closed (despite the 10ft protrusion of fresh produce onto the pavement!).

 

[mhall]

Might be worth checking out how much extra your business rates are going to be once the air-con is installed. I was amazed how much the council added onto our bill, not to mention super angry.

 

[Mayor]

Might be worth checking out how much extra your business rates are going to be once the air-con is installed. I was amazed how much the council added onto our bill, not to mention super angry.

Now funnily enough, this wasn't an issue for us, as I didn't think I needed to inform the council how I heated (or cooled my premises), just as I didn't tell them whether I was going to use a kettle or a gas burner to boil water for me tea.....

So I said nothing.

Now you've gone and done it - I've started thinking about how the council have helped me with my business.. grrrr.

 

[mhall]

An extra £7 per square metre !

 

[Mayor]

I hope they spend it wisely. B*stds.

 

[Tombo46]

An extra £7 per square metre !

WHA!!!!??? Do they actually want businesses to thrive or not? Tax on improving your business...

 

[Hunnie]

WHA!!!!??? Do they actually want businesses to thrive or not? Tax on improving your business

It has always been thus with the council. Under the old domestic 'rates' any improvements lead to a reassessment and increase in the rates. eg central heating -how many radiators? - etc.

At least now with domestic council tax you can improve-even extend- with no increase to yourself, only to new occupiers on a sale I think.

It is most unfair that business owners still have to put up with this extra on their rates. Best not to tell them?

Regards
Hunnie

 

[Bluebird99]

Might be worth checking out how much extra your business rates are going to be once the air-con is installed. I was amazed how much the council added onto our bill, not to mention super angry.

I've never heard that before, our Council just charges from the rateable value. Over the last 10 years I've had 5 different shops all with air-con and have never been asked if I've got it or not :|

As for it being a waste of time if you keep the door open, that is absolute rubbish. Ok it will make a difference but our front door is always fully open, we would lose just too much trade if it was closed.

 

[mhall]

I've never heard that before, our Council just charges from the rateable value. Over the last 10 years I've had 5 different shops all with air-con and have never been asked if I've got it or not :|

As for it being a waste of time if you keep the door open, that is absolute rubbish. Ok it will make a difference but our front door is always fully open, we would lose just too much trade if it was closed.

Check the details of your rateable value at www.voa.gov.uk and you will probably find that your landlord (if you have one) has already told them - you will see a seperate rating for Air Con. If you haven't got one, keep your mouth shut and hope your landlord does the same - even though it's an offence not to disclose it to the Valuations Agency

 

[Bluebird99]

Thanks I will check, although every property I have owned, I have had the air con installed. None of the properties previously had it.

 

[Nord20]

My two cents: definitely worth looking into. We have units in the suspended ceiling that provide both heating and cooling and aren't expensive to run.