Who to hire for a split system to install

Short answer

A heating and cooling installer holding a refrigerant handling licence, working with a licensed electrician for the circuit — usually the same business. Get the sizing done from the room rather than from a rule of thumb, because an oversized unit short-cycles and dehumidifies badly, and an undersized one runs flat out and never gets there.

Plan itThere is time to get more than one quote, which is where the money is.

When it is someone else

Calling the wrong trade costs an attendance fee to be told so. These are the cases where this problem belongs to someone other than a heating and cooling business.

  • an electrician

    the switchboard has no spare capacity. Splitting this out is often why one quote is lower than another.

  • your strata or body corporate

    you are in an apartment or townhouse. The outdoor unit sits on common property in most cases and the approval is not optional.

What to do before anyone arrives

  1. Measure the room, note the ceiling height, the window area and which way it faces. That is what sizing is actually calculated from.
  2. Decide where the indoor head goes and where the outdoor unit can sit — including how far apart they are, because pipe run length matters to both price and performance.
  3. Check what is on the other side of the wall you want to penetrate.
  4. In an apartment, start the strata approval before you book anyone.
  5. Check whether your state or retailer has a rebate for efficient units, and what it requires.

What to ask when you book

  • How did you size it — did you calculate, or is that the standard unit for a room this size?
  • What is the pipe run length and is it within the manufacturer's limit without extra refrigerant?
  • Is the electrical work included, and is a new circuit needed?
  • Will you leave the compliance paperwork, the electrical certificate and the warranty registration?
  • How is the outdoor unit mounted and will it be accessible for servicing?

What changes the price

No dollar figures here: this directory holds no price data and an invented range is worse than none. What follows is what makes one of these jobs cost more than the same job next door, which is the part you can actually use when comparing quotes.

  • Capacity of the unit.
  • Pipe run length and whether it goes through a ceiling, a cavity or around the outside.
  • Whether a dedicated electrical circuit has to be added.
  • Height and access for the outdoor unit — a ground-level pad is cheapest, a bracket at first-floor level is not.
  • Brick, cladding or rendered walls to core through.

Is this licensed work?

Refrigerant handling requires the national licence; the electrical connection requires an electrical licence. Installations that penetrate external walls of an apartment usually also need owners corporation or body corporate approval.

There is no national register. Search the licence number with the regulator for the state the work is happening in.

Licensing thresholds and certificate requirements differ by state and change with amending regulation, so this page describes the mechanism rather than quoting a figure. The regulator’s own page is the current answer.

Common questions

Who should I hire for a split system to install
A heating and cooling installer holding a refrigerant handling licence, working with a licensed electrician for the circuit — usually the same business. Get the sizing done from the room rather than from a rule of thumb, because an oversized unit short-cycles and dehumidifies badly, and an undersized one runs flat out and never gets there.
How do I know what size air conditioner I need?
By calculation from the room's volume, orientation, glazing, insulation and use — not by floor area alone. An installer who asks about which way the windows face and whether the ceiling is insulated is doing the job; one who quotes a capacity from a floor plan on the phone is guessing, and both mistakes cost you every summer afterwards.
Can I buy the unit myself and have someone install it?
You can, and many installers will do it. Two things to weigh: some manufacturers' warranties require installation by an accredited installer, and a supply-and-install quote makes one party responsible if the unit turns out to be faulty. Splitting them saves money and splits accountability.

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Who to hire for

General information about who does what, not advice about your specific job. Licensing, consumer law and council rules differ by state and change; the regulator for your state is the current source. More guides to hiring a tradesperson.