Commercial maintenance cost depends mainly on three things: unit count, refrigerant charge, and what the contract covers. The law sets how often F-Gas leak checks happen, based on that refrigerant charge. Because sites differ so much, only a written, site-specific quote gives a reliable figure.
Why “per year” cost varies so much between sites
A small shop, a commercial kitchen and an office block rarely share the same maintenance bill. Each one carries a different unit count, a different refrigerant charge and a different pattern of use. That spread is real. It is not a pricing trick.
A single small office with one or two units sits at one end of the scale. A large kitchen or a multi-floor office block sits at the other. It often runs several systems, with far more refrigerant between them. Whichever end your site sits at, the commercial air conditioning page explains how a single enquiry works.
Since the variables multiply rather than add, a flat “per year” figure would mislead more sites than it helped. The next two sections cover the biggest drivers.
Unit count and refrigerant charge: the two biggest drivers
Unit count is the most obvious driver. More units mean more filters to clean and more coils to check. Each one also adds time on site, so a contract naturally scales with the number of units.
Refrigerant charge matters just as much, although it is less visible. F-Gas rules express a system’s charge in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. That reflects both the amount of gas and its warming effect. That figure decides whether the system carries a legal leak-check duty at all, and if so, how often. As a result, two sites with the same unit count can still need very different visit schedules.
Building type shapes both figures further. A commercial kitchen adds grease and steam, which build up on filters and coils faster than in an office. Similarly, a multi-site business adds its own layer of cost. Each branch needs its own access arrangement, agreed around its own trading hours.
F-Gas leak-check duties and how they add cost
Under GOV.UK’s F-Gas guidance, most systems holding 5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or more need regular leak checks. From 5 to under 50 tonnes, that means at least once every 12 months. From 50 to under 500 tonnes, it means at least once every six months. At 500 tonnes or more, automatic leak detection must be fitted as well.
Those checks are a legal duty, not an optional add-on. Consequently, a contract covering a system in that range has to build them in. Air conditioning maintenance contracts for businesses sets out how a planned contract keeps those deadlines on track.
A separate duty turns on output rather than refrigerant. It comes from the Energy Performance of Buildings Regulations. A system with an effective rated output above 12kW needs an energy assessor’s inspection at least every five years.
That inspection is a cost of its own, separate from routine servicing. In England and Wales, having no inspection report can also lead to a fixed penalty under the same regulations. So it is worth asking whether a contract arranges that inspection or leaves it to you.
Record-keeping adds its own, quieter cost too. A site at or above the 5-tonne threshold must keep details of the gas type and quantity held. It must also log the dates and results of every mandatory leak check. Those records must be kept for five years, and the Environment Agency may ask to see them during an inspection.
Reactive vs planned contracts
A reactive arrangement means calling an engineer only once something goes wrong. It can suit a single unit with a light load. However, it leaves leak-check deadlines to chance on a bigger system.
A planned contract instead fixes visit dates in advance. That way, servicing and any legal checks happen on schedule, not whenever there is time. It also tends to suit sites with awkward access, since a shop or kitchen can agree access windows in advance.
That single agreement then covers every visit, instead of a fresh negotiation for each call-out. Commercial versus domestic air conditioning explains why commercial systems need this closer attention in the first place.
A fault between planned visits is still a reactive job, even under a contract. So ask whether a fault call sits inside the contract or counts as extra work. That way, scope as well as cost is clear from the start.
What to ask for in a written quote
Ask how many visits a quote assumes. Ask, too, what each one actually covers. Find out whether the figure already includes any legal leak checks your systems need. Or check whether those sit outside the contract as extra work.
A fair quote should also explain how it reached the visit count for your specific site. That is different from a standard package quoted regardless of unit count or use. The pages on commercial air conditioning in Bath and commercial cooling in Taunton explain how an enquiry from either city works.
Ask who keeps the F-Gas records if your systems fall under that duty, and how you get a copy. It is also worth asking what happens if a unit needs a part mid-contract. That is a different job from routine servicing, so the two should not get confused in the small print.
What this means for your enquiry
Tell us how many units your site runs, and roughly how you use it. We will pass those details to one pre-qualified installer, who can give you a written price once they have seen the site. Enquiries about commercial air conditioning maintenance in Salisbury follow the same route.
One enquiry puts you in touch with one pre-qualified installer for this job. It is free, with no obligation.
Send the details through the contact page, including roughly how many units you run and how you use the site. The installer we put you in touch with can then give you a written price — get in touch.
