A low headline price is meaningless if one proposal omits electrics, access, drainage or commissioning. Check what is actually written before you sign.
No price gate
Tick what the written proposal actually includes. The checker identifies missing scope that can turn the cheapest headline price into the most expensive job.
Instant result · no email requiredThis checker assesses written scope, not contractor competence or legal compliance. Verify credentials with the relevant official register and resolve every material assumption in writing.
One quote can include a premium model, dedicated electrical work, a condensate pump, access tower, full commissioning and seven-year warranty support. Another can show only “supply and fit air conditioning.” Those totals are not competing prices for the same job.
Start with the exact indoor and outdoor model numbers and the rooms each system serves. Ask what heat loads were calculated and whether simultaneous demand was considered for a multi-split. The quote should show pipe routes, included length, trunking, outdoor-unit position, condensate disposal and whether pumps are required.
Electrical circuits, fused spurs, isolators, consumer-unit work, scaffold or towers, roof protection, core drilling, decorating, planning applications and freeholder submissions can all sit outside a headline price. VAT must be clear. If an exclusion is likely, obtain a budget or separate contractor quote before comparing totals.
Commissioning is part of installation, not an optional flourish. The contractor should pressure-test, evacuate, charge or verify charge as required, test drainage, confirm operation, record commissioning data and hand over controls and maintenance instructions. The company carrying out refrigerant work must hold the appropriate F-Gas certification.
Pause where the proposal has no model numbers, describes capacity only as “suitable,” requests a large cash deposit without clear terms, or promises that planning and the freeholder “will be fine” without checking. A verbal promise to hide pipework, make good decoration or include scaffold is not part of the contract until it appears in writing.
Be equally cautious with artificial urgency: expiring today-only discounts, pressure to finance before seeing the cash scope, or a claim that the largest unit is safest. Good installers may have busy diaries and time-limited supplier pricing, but they can still document the design and let you read it.
Use the BTU and kW calculator to sense-check the proposed capacity, then compare the complete project with the UK installation cost estimator. A calculator cannot declare a quote fair, but it can expose the questions a vague proposal avoids.
Request the deposit, payment stages, proposed start, duration, cancellation terms, equipment warranty, workmanship warranty and who registers each warranty. Keep sales promises in the written proposal. If two contractors have priced different systems, ask both to re-price the same outcome before choosing.
A well-scoped proposal should be understandable by another competent installer. It should explain what happens if concealed conditions differ, how change orders are approved, who removes old equipment and packaging, and what evidence you receive at handover. This protects both homeowner and contractor by reducing assumptions before work begins.
These examples are scope comparisons, not price promises. They show why indoor-unit count alone cannot determine whether a quote is competitive.
| Example brief | Scope that should be visible | Question that decides the comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Bedroom and living room on one external wall | Two indoor units; one multi-split or two singles; short pipe runs; gravity drainage where possible; dedicated electrical scope | Has each contractor priced the same outdoor-unit arrangement, controls, warranty and making good? |
| Four bedrooms with routes through a loft | Room-by-room loads; total and individual pipe lengths; insulated and supported loft routes; condensate falls or accessible pumps; loft access; fire stopping; commissioning | Is the cheaper layout still serviceable, within manufacturer limits and capable when several rooms run together? |
| Five rooms using one large condenser or two smaller condensers | Exact permitted indoor combinations; simultaneous capacity; outdoor sound; planning route; electrical demand; resilience; scaffold and long-run allowances | Are the proposals delivering the same comfort and permissions outcome, or merely the same number of indoor units? |
For each scenario, mark every item as included, excluded, provisional or supplied by another trade. A figure described only as “all installed” is not detailed enough to compare when pipe routes, electrics or access are likely to change the work.
Do not assume it will. Installer workload, survey availability, equipment stock and supplier pricing can change through the year, but reversible systems are also sold for heating and good firms may carry a winter order book. A busy summer can lengthen response and installation times without proving that a particular quote contains a “heatwave premium”.
Ask how long the price remains valid, whether equipment is allocated, the realistic installation window, what happens if a model becomes unavailable and whether the deposit is refundable if the promised date cannot be met. Compare at least two surveyed proposals obtained close enough together that availability and supplier prices are reasonably comparable.
Ask the installer what planning route the design relies on and who supplies any MCS 020a noise assessment, application or lawful-development evidence. Leasehold and freeholder consent is separate. Use the planning checker to identify obvious issues, then obtain formal confirmation where required.
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Use a cooling or heating estimate to prepare for a properly surveyed installer quote.