Asked often.
Answered plainly.
Answers to the questions owners, captains and property managers ask before working with us. If yours isn't here, get in touch.
Before
we begin.
Is an estimate free?
Yes. Quotes are free. For larger projects, we usually begin with a paid audit, with the fee agreed in advance. Its findings form the basis of the quote.
How quickly will you get back to me?
We reply within 24 hours on weekdays. Quotes are usually sent within three working days of our first conversation, or a little later if a site visit is needed.
What are your opening hours?
Offices are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm. On-site work is scheduled across the week, and emergency interventions can be arranged any day with your account contact.
How fast can you respond to an emergency?
Maintenance clients are taken first. For most call-outs we aim to be on site within 24 to 48 hours, depending on materials, logistics and the nature of the fault.
Do you work in English?
Yes. The team is bilingual French and English, including site teams and the after-sales contact.
What it
costs.
What are your prices?
Our call-out and labour rates are published. For an installation, we prepare an individual quote after assessing the building and the project.
Can I benefit from reduced VAT?
Renovation work on housing more than two years old can qualify for a reduced VAT rate (5.5% or 10%) rather than the standard 20%. Eligibility turns on the age of the dwelling and the work specified; your account contact confirms what applies before anything is committed, and says so plainly when nothing does.
What protects
your project.
What guarantees and insurance cover the work?
Our installations and repairs are guaranteed for two years, including parts, labour and travel for return visits. Manufacturer warranties also apply, subject to their terms. Our decennial insurance covers construction, installation and renovation within our declared activities, for damage affecting the building's structural integrity or rendering it unfit for its intended use. Routine repairs fall under our professional liability insurance, subject to the policy terms.
Will you install equipment I supply myself?
Generally no, we don't install equipment we haven't sourced ourselves, for warranty and accountability reasons. Exceptions are possible; please ask.
Audit & Engineering
questions answered.
Is the audit really necessary before a quote?
Yes, for anything beyond replacing a single item of equipment. Without a survey and measurements, a quote can only be approximate. The audit lets us size the system for the building and how it is used. Its cost is agreed in advance.
How long does the audit take?
Allow half a day on site for a typical residence, followed by two to three weeks of analysis and writing. Larger properties and jointly owned buildings take longer. We agree the schedule before we begin.
Can our architect use the document directly?
That is what it is written for. Plant-room dimensions, routing constraints, electrical loads and acoustic targets are laid out so the design team can build from it without a translation meeting.
What if the audit concludes we shouldn't do the work?
Then the report says so. Roughly one audit in ten recommends retaining some or all of the existing systems. You keep the document either way.
Bespoke Installation
questions answered.
When should you join the project?
At the design stage, before walls close. Conduits, plant rooms and duct routes cost little to move on a drawing and a great deal to move afterwards. We join the first coordination meeting, not the last.
Do you work with our architect and interior designer?
Always. We work from their drawings, attend their site meetings, and treat the finishes as the point of the exercise. The best installation is the one nobody can find.
How disruptive is the work?
Phased and sequenced with the other trades: plant rooms first, distribution second, terminals last. Floors and finished rooms are protected before a single tool comes out.
What happens at handover?
Documentation, a guided walk-through, and a short video explaining the day-to-day controls. Commissioning continues through the first season, with sound levels measured against the spec.
Priority Maintenance
questions answered.
What does an Ekwipt Care contract include?
At least two scheduled visits a year — spring for cooling, autumn for heating — a written report after every visit, year-round priority response, and discounted call-out and labour rates.
How fast do you respond when something fails?
Care clients are taken first, with a target of 24 to 48 hours on site. In season, for a primary system, it is usually faster.
Can you look after a property while we're away?
Yes. Where the equipment allows it, we monitor systems remotely, track consumption, detect anomalies and coordinate with your property manager or caretaker.
Do you maintain systems you didn't install?
Yes, after an onboarding visit to inventory what is there and confirm it can be maintained to our standard. Occasionally we decline; we explain why in writing.
Repairs & Troubleshooting
questions answered.
How quickly can you come out?
Most call-outs are scheduled within 24 to 48 hours, and phone triage often shortens the visit or resolves it entirely. Care-contract clients take priority in the queue.
What does a call-out cost?
Call-out and labour rates are fixed and published — no surprises on the invoice. Any parts are quoted before work begins, on the same visit whenever the van carries them.
Is the repair guaranteed?
Ekwipt repairs are guaranteed for two years, including parts, labour and travel for return visits. Manufacturer warranties also apply, subject to their terms.
Will you tell us if the system isn't worth repairing?
Yes, and in writing. If a system is past sensible repair we say so, with the numbers, rather than billing a fix that won't hold.
Your questions about
private estates.
How do you protect a house that is empty for months at a time?
We plan for this. Seasonal preparation, remote monitoring where the equipment allows it, and coordination with your property manager or caretaker mean the systems are ready before you arrive.
How discreet are your site teams?
Always. Our teams are identifiable, discreet and bound by strict confidentiality. Work is coordinated with the finishes and daily life of the house to minimise disruption.
Do you coordinate with our architect and property manager?
Yes, as early as possible. We join the first coordination meetings so conduits, grilles and outlets are planned before walls close. We also keep the person managing the property informed.
Questions
about commercial properties.
Can you work without disrupting the business?
Yes. Visits and maintenance are scheduled around occupancy to keep the business running and minimise disruption to occupants and staff.
Do you handle several sites under one contract?
We run maintenance contracts at site or portfolio scale — multi-floor, multi-zone, multi-stakeholder — with scheduled inspections and written reporting across the whole estate.
Do you install solar on commercial buildings?
Yes. We install rooftop and ground-mounted solar, battery storage and grid connections. At a site near Cannes, this combination reduced the electricity bill by 41% in the first full year.
Questions
about work on board.
Which systems do you work on aboard?
HVAC and refrigeration refit, freshwater and treatment systems, electrical and energy management, and solar and shore-power integration — the dense plant-room systems that run hardest at sea.
Can you fit the work into a refit window between charters?
That's the discipline of the sector. We plan with captains and management companies on the vessel's schedule; a recent 42-metre HVAC refit took six days with no spillover into the next booking.
Is the work class-compliant?
Yes. Work is carried out to class requirements and documented properly, with the certifications the work requires.