Olimpia Splendid air conditioning
The Italian family firm behind the Unico, the through-wall air conditioner that needs no outdoor unit. Here is where it wins, what it costs to run, and what to check before you buy.
The specialist to know when you cannot have an outdoor unit
Olimpia Splendid is a family-owned Italian manufacturer, founded in 1956, that has specialised in climate control since the 1980s. Its defining product is the Unico, launched in 1998 as the original fixed air conditioner with no outdoor unit: the whole system sits in one indoor chassis and vents through two core-drilled holes in an external wall. If your lease, listed-building consent or conservation-area rules rule out a condenser box, this is the brand to know. Our guide to air conditioning without an outdoor unit covers the options in full, and it is the reason most UK buyers arrive at this brand.
The UK Unico range runs from the budget Easy S2 HP (2.0 kW, around £897 unit-only) through the current EVO models (2.3 to 3.1 kW, roughly £1,489 to £1,849) to the PRO at 3.5 kW (around £2,059). Most variants heat as well as cool, and the quietest run from around 26 dB(A), close to a premium split's indoor unit. Because every unit arrives sealed and pre-charged, no F-Gas refrigeration engineer is needed: installation is core-drilling and a plug socket, which suits flats and apartments and keeps fitting costs down. UK retailers typically state a 3-year warranty, though terms vary by model and seller.
The trade-off is physics. A monobloc squeezes everything into one box, so efficiency (around EER 3.1, energy class A to A+) sits well below a modern split, and the range tops out at 3.5 kW, enough for one room. At the current 26.11p/kWh electricity price cap rate, a 2.5 kW Unico EVO costs roughly 21p an hour at full cooling output; a split would deliver the same cooling for less. There is also no UK subsidiary or official UK website: the brand sells here through a small circle of specialist retailers, so support and spares are thinner than with the big split names. Buy it for the niche it owns, not as a general recommendation. One caution: do not confuse Olimpia Splendid's Unico with "The Unico System", an unrelated American ducted-air company.
Prices and rates correct as of August 2026. The energy price cap changes quarterly, so check current rates before budgeting.
Dolceclima portables and Nexya splits
Olimpia Splendid also makes the Dolceclima portable range, but UK availability has shrunk sharply in 2026: the main specialist retailers list their Dolceclima models as sold out, some circulating stock is prior-generation or graded, and the only consistent channel is Amazon. If you want a portable that is in stock this summer, start with our best portable air conditioners guide or browse the portable air conditioners we rate, then come back to the Dolceclima only if you find a current model at a sensible price.
The Nexya wall-mounted splits (roughly £439 to £531 unit-only) are a minor line here, installed like any split by an F-Gas registered engineer, and the Aquaria dehumidifiers (£119 to £128) round out the UK range. Neither is the reason to choose this brand: the Unico is.
Strengths and watch-outs
Strengths
- ✓The Unico is the best-known air conditioner with no outdoor unit, the answer for flats and listed homes
- ✓Quiet for a monobloc, from around 26 dB(A) on the slimmest models
- ✓Sealed, pre-charged units are F-Gas-exempt, so fitting is core-drilling and a plug, not a refrigeration engineer
- ✓Italian design pedigree and low-GWP R290 refrigerant on the newer Unico and Dolceclima models
Watch-outs
- !Monobloc efficiency is inherently lower than a split, with a 3.5 kW one-room ceiling
- !No UK subsidiary or official UK site; support and spares run through a handful of specialists
- !Warranty is retailer-stated, typically 3 years, with no single official UK policy
- !Dolceclima portables are largely sold out or prior-generation at UK retail; check the exact model code
Olimpia Splendid models to consider
The through-wall Unico is the model UK buyers ask about most.
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