What's Included in an AC Service?

A proper air conditioning service is more than a quick look. A qualified engineer works through both the indoor and outdoor units, checking the parts that affect efficiency, reliability and safety. A typical visit includes:

• Cleaning or replacing the air filters, which directly affects airflow, efficiency and air quality.
• Checking refrigerant levels and operating pressures, and inspecting for leaks (handled only by an F-Gas certified engineer).
• Inspecting and tightening electrical connections and testing controls.
• Cleaning the coils and clearing the condensate drain to prevent water damage and odours.
• Testing heating and cooling performance and listening for unusual noises or vibration.

You can see the full scope on our servicing and maintenance page.

Air conditioning works hard, and a neglected system loses efficiency surprisingly quickly. Clogged filters and dirty coils make the unit work harder for the same result, pushing up your running costs and shortening its life.

Servicing also protects you in two important ways. First, most manufacturer warranties require evidence of annual servicing, so skipping it can leave you unable to claim. Second, a service catches small problems, a weeping drain or a dropping refrigerant charge, before they become an expensive breakdown in the middle of a heatwave. If something has already gone wrong, our repairs and emergency call-out services are there too.

For most homes and small offices, once a year is the right interval, ideally in spring before the cooling season begins so any issues are sorted before you rely on the system.

Busier or commercial systems often need servicing twice a year, particularly where the units run year-round or in demanding environments such as server rooms, kitchens or shops. Heavier-use systems and anything used continuously benefit from more frequent attention. Our commercial team can set a schedule that matches how hard your equipment works.

As a guide, a domestic service typically costs around £70 to £120 per indoor unit per year. A single split system sits at the lower end, while a multi-split home with several indoor units will cost more simply because there are more units to inspect.

Many customers prefer a service plan or maintenance contract, which spreads the cost, locks in regular visits and often includes priority response. For commercial sites this is usually the most sensible option. See our cost guide for the wider picture, and note that prices in Surrey and the South East tend to sit slightly above the UK average.

Because servicing involves checking and potentially handling refrigerant, the work must be carried out by an F-Gas certified engineer working for a properly registered company. This is a legal requirement, not just good practice, and you can read more in our compliance guide.

Tempest is F-Gas and REFCOM registered, so every service is done legally and to standard. If your system is due, or you cannot remember the last time it was looked at, our engineers cover Guildford, Woking, Farnham and the wider Surrey area.