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.
Whole-of-market — 60+ lenders searched, including
Can you finance a cellar cooling?
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.
Used kit: 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.
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What would a cellar cooling cost per month?
Asset finance is quoted on a flat rate, so that is what the buttons show, with the equivalent APR beside it. Your exact rate depends on the asset, the term, the deposit and the lender.
Prime is an established, profitable business with clean credit. Specialist covers newer businesses and credit that needs explaining — the asset itself carries part of the risk, which is why finance is often available where an unsecured loan is not.
Representative example: on Hire Purchase, borrowing £25,000 over 48 months at a 5.15% flat rate (equivalent to 9.9% APR representative), you would repay around £628 a month; total amount repayable approximately £30,150, of which £5,150 is the cost of finance. This calculator is for illustration only — it is not a quote or an offer of finance, and the rate and repayments you are offered will depend on the asset, term, deposit and your circumstances. CW Asset Finance is a credit broker, not a lender, and may receive a commission from the lender that funds your agreement. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
Rates shown are indicative flat rates with the equivalent APR alongside — the two are not the same number. Indicative only and does not constitute a quote or an offer of finance. Subject to status and lender approval.
How lenders treat 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.
Makes and models we fund
Examples of the machines we are asked to fund. This is not an exhaustive list — if what you are buying is not here, it does not mean we cannot fund it. Your supplier quote is what the agreement is written against.
| Machine | What it is |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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Who buys one
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.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
How it is treated for tax
Bought on hire purchase, business plant and machinery normally qualifies for capital allowances on the full cost even though you pay for it monthly, which is a large part of why hire purchase is the common structure. On a finance lease you generally set the rentals against profit instead. The rules change between budgets and your position depends on how you trade, so treat this as the direction of travel and get your accountant to confirm the detail before you commit.
Cellar cooling finance questions
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.
Get a quoteor call 0333 772 4864
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Not an offer of finance. All finance is subject to status, affordability and lender approval.
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