Cellar cooling finance
Cellar cooling is invisible until it fails, and then it costs you a weekend of trade and several kegs before anyone has poured a pint.
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Yes. Cellar cooling systems, remote coolers and dispense equipment are funded as equipment, usually on hire purchase. Used systems are rarely worth funding because the installation dominates the cost. The thing to think about before signing anything is the alternative offer. Breweries will often supply and maintain cooling as part of a supply agreement, which looks free but ties your buying for years, and the price you pay per barrel usually costs far more over that period than funding the plant yourself. Compare the two properly rather than taking the free option by default.
Who finances this
Free houses and independent bars who want to buy wherever they like, pub operators taking on a site where the previous cooling has been stripped out or left in poor condition, and venues adding a second cellar or an outside bar with its own dispense. The trigger is usually a breakdown in summer, a cellar running warm enough to spoil stock, or the end of a brewery agreement that leaves the licensee needing to own the kit.
How lenders see it
Cellar cooling sits awkwardly for underwriters. The condensing unit and cooler from J&E Hall, Marstair or Hubbard are branded and serial numbered, but the insulation, pipe runs, python and trunking are fixed into the cellar and worth nothing once cut out, so the installation is the larger part of the invoice and is soft. That pushes the decision onto the covenant, and licensed trade is underwritten conservatively, with close attention to filed accounts, whether the site is tenanted or free of tie, and how long the licensee has been there. New licensees taking a first pub find this hard. Where cooling is funded alongside a wider refit including glasswash and cellar equipment, the mix places more easily.
Buying used
Rarely. Second-hand cellar cooling is uncommon because removing a system damages it and the labour to refit outweighs the saving, so funders expect new plant from an installing contractor.
Also in catering and hospitality finance
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Funding a seasonal trade
Flowzo funds restaurants, pubs and cafes against card takings rather than filed accounts, useful when the kit is bought and the quiet months still have to be covered.
Machines we have funded
Typically £1,910–£3,127 + VAT to buy. Complete J&E Hall split cellar cooling systems, 2.5kW to 6.0kW, indoor and outdoor units supplied together.Checked 2026-10-18.
| J&E Hall Cellarstream | Packaged cellar cooling unit |
|---|---|
| Marstair CCU cellar cooler | Split cellar cooling system |
| Hubbard Products cellar coolers | Monoblock and split cellar units |
| Bitzer compressors | Refrigeration compressors for cellar plant |
| IMI Cornelius beer coolers | Under-bar and remote beer coolers |
| Lindr KONTAKT beer coolers | Portable dry beer coolers |
| Autonumis cellar and dispense equipment | Python, fonts and dispense coolers |
| Angram beer dispense equipment | Hand pulls and cask dispense kit |
| Vent-Axia cellar ventilation | Ventilation fans for cellar plant rooms |
Should I take the brewery’s free cellar cooling instead of funding it?
Look at the whole cost, not the headline. Free equipment normally comes with a supply agreement fixing where you buy and often what you pay per barrel for several years. Over that period the difference in wholesale price frequently exceeds the cost of owning the plant outright, and you lose the freedom to buy from whoever is doing the best deal.
Can I fund cellar cooling for a leased pub?
Yes, and most licensees are tenants, so it is entirely normal. The funder will look at how long is left on the lease or tenancy against the agreement and may raise questions if the term is short. If the pub company owns the cellar plant already, check what you are actually allowed to replace before ordering.
Is the beer python and dispense equipment fundable too?
It can go on the same facility, though it is soft. Python, fonts, couplers and gas equipment are largely installation and are worthless once removed, so a funder is lending on your figures rather than on the kit. The chillers and condensing units are the part that carries any genuine security value.
What happens if the cellar cooling breaks during the agreement?
The payments continue, because finance and maintenance are separate things. This is why a proper service contract with the installing contractor matters, and why it is worth asking whether a fixed-term maintenance element can be included on the same invoice so it is covered by the facility rather than turning up as an unbudgeted repair bill.
Can I finance cooling for a temporary or outdoor bar?
Yes, though funders treat mobile and seasonal dispense differently from a fixed cellar. Portable coolers and trailer-mounted dispense are recoverable assets and fund reasonably well. Purpose-built outdoor bar structures are closer to fit-out, so expect the cooling equipment to be funded and the structure to be assessed on your trading strength.
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