Queensland buyers pay the market price in 2026. Here is what that price is, and why the rebates you may have read about no longer apply.
Figures checked
Short answer
No Queensland rebate is open. The Climate Smart Energy Savers rebate is closed↗, and Energex
says PeakSmart cashback has closed↗. You pay the market rate: a split system unit at
$600 to $5,500↗ plus an installer's fee of $600 to $800 or more↗, or ducted
from about $5,000↗.
Schematic, not to scale. Check your own address on the ABCB climate map.
What does installation cost in Queensland?
We looked for published price lists for Brisbane, Townsville and Cairns and found nothing we would stake a figure on.
So rather than invent local numbers, here is the national baseline from CHOICE:
With no rebate in the picture, the gap between your cheapest and dearest quote is the saving that matters. Get three,
and make sure they price the same capacity.
Is there a Queensland rebate or cashback?
No, and this is where a lot of online advice has gone stale. The Climate Smart Energy Savers rebate put
9,002↗ air conditioners into Queensland homes before it closed↗.
PeakSmart is the more confusing one. A Queensland Government home energy page still describes PeakSmart cash back of
up to $400↗. Energex, which runs PeakSmart in South East Queensland, says the offers have
closed↗. When two official pages disagree, trust the one that runs the program.
Source: Energex.Show the dates
PeakSmart cashback: the closing dates
Last day to install an eligible unit
Last day to submit a cashback claim
We checked again: still closed
Which climate zone is your home in?
Queensland spans two of the building code's humid zones. Zone 1, high humidity summer, warm winter↗, takes in
Darwin, Cairns and Townsville↗. Zone 2, warm humid summer, mild winter↗, covers Brisbane and coastal Queensland↗.
Both are humid, and humidity is the enemy of evaporative cooling: energy.gov.au says evaporative coolers become
less effective as humidity rises↗. On the coast, that makes refrigerated air conditioning the realistic choice. The
evaporative versus reverse cycle guide covers the inland zones too.
Who runs the power network where you live?
Energex in South East Queensland, Ergon Energy in regional Queensland↗. PeakSmart cashback came from these networks, so if you see a cashback offer
advertised, check your distributor's own site before counting on it.
Who can install it?
Queensland follows the national rule: anyone who installs, services or repairs an air conditioner needs
a Refrigerant Handling Licence↗. The ARCtick licence guide
explains the two licence types and which jobs each one covers.