Ducted prices start at a known floor and climb with the house. Here is where that floor sits, and what pushes a quote above it.
Figures checked
Short answer
CHOICE says ducted reverse cycle, installed, starts from about $5,000↗ for a small home such as an
apartment. A typical freestanding house can easily reach $10,000 or more↗, and a large or
multi-storey home $15,000 or more↗. None of those is a ceiling: the house itself sets the rest.
One indoor unit, several outlets. Zones let the system serve part of the house at a time.
What does ducted air conditioning cost for your home?
The fade marks the missing ceiling: these are starting prices. Source: CHOICE installation cost guide (2023).Show the numbers
Where ducted air conditioning prices start, installed
Apartment or small home
from about $5,000
Typical freestanding house
$10,000 or more
Large or multi-storey home
$15,000 or more
Every figure there is a starting point. No honest installer will name a ceiling without seeing the roof space, the
layout and how many zones you want.
How much capacity does a whole house need?
Take a single-storey house where the system will serve 150 m² of bedrooms and living space. Canstar Blue's rule of
thumb, 0.12 to 0.15 kW per m²↗, gives 18.0 to 22.5 kW.
Use that as a sense check only. A per-square-metre rule is written for rooms, and a ducted system rarely cools every
zone at full tilt at once. Ask each installer how they sized the system. A quote that simply multiplies floor area is a
reason to ask more questions.
Size also decides who may do the work. The restricted split system licence covers
single-head split systems under 18 kW↗. The house above sits right at that line, so check the technician holds a full
licence, which covers any system, any capacity↗.
Why do quotes for the same house differ so much?
Because each installer is quoting a slightly different system. Before comparing totals, line up the answers to these:
What capacity, and how did you size it?
How many zones, and which rooms are in each?
Which brand and model, and what controller comes with it?
Does the price include removing the old system and making good the ceiling?
What does the rule of thumb miss here: ceiling height, orientation and glazing↗?
Is ducted better value than a few split systems?
On price alone, compare like with like. Two split systems at CHOICE's supply-and-install range would cost roughly
$2,400 to $12,600. A ducted system in a typical house starts at $10,000 or more↗.
If you only need to cool two rooms, splits usually make more sense. If you want every bedroom conditioned and no units
on the walls, ducted earns its price. There is no answer that suits every house.
Is there a discount for ducted reverse cycle?
In Victoria, yes, when it replaces ducted gas heating: Victorian Energy Upgrades takes up to $5,530↗
off the quote and estimates bill savings of up to $1,140 a year↗. The
Victorian guide covers who qualifies.
The NSW incentive is published for 6 kW systems, so ask an installer whether a ducted job qualifies before you count
on it. In Queensland the state appliance rebate is closed↗.
Prices come from CHOICE's 2023 guide, the most recent published breakdown we could verify. Use them to judge whether a
2026 quote is in the right territory.