Impact of installing Air Conditioning in Flat on Energy Rating

QrizB

Ultrasonic said:

I've had good effect myself from curtains that were a dark purple on both sides in front of patio doors on my lounge. I replaced these with 'thermal' curtains a few months ago which are white on the outside but I've yet to see how they perform in summer.
As mentioned above, shutters on the outside will be better but I've always been quite impressed how much benefit comes from closing curtains on the inside. If you're doing this and still finding it often too hot then clearly it's not enough though.

An office building I once worked in had louvres over the south-facing windows; they gave shade but still allowed light to enter.

This sort of thing:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brise_soleil

ispookie666

You only need property to be above EPC E to be able to let the property out.  
It is likely that you would need planning permission for this, may be get in touch with your planning department for the council. 
 FYI the sound pressure level from the compressor should be < 5 dB compared to the ambient sound, if not you will need noise insulation box for the outdoor unit.  

wittynamegoeshere

saskay said:

Thanks, no I'm the leaseholder of the flat. So if I were to rent the place out then hopefully my tenants will also appreciate the air con.

I see, so you have the permission of the freeholder.  You may want to check whether you need planning permission and/or building regulation approval.  Not usually required on a house, but worth checking whether it's different for a flat due to potential issues of noise, nuisance or generally making the place look weird.
Also if it's high up then installation may be an issue, some companies may just not want to deal with it due to height and/or communal issues.

danrv

pochase said:

The AC in the thread mentioned by @QrizB is a 10KW. 

It’s a 7.5kw inverter with 3 x 2.5kw indoor air handlers.

saveallmymoney

I have multi split air conditioning in my house. Once it's down to temperature each unit trickles along at a few hundred watts on average, its very efficient.

In particular because our UK night temperatures are rarely above 20c anyway if you have kept your home cool during the day it barely has to do a thing overnight.