Air conditioning installation near you

Compare quotes from licensed air conditioning installers near you, without the phone pile-on

Most lead marketplaces sell your number to four or five companies and let them race to call you. We don't. We are not an installer and we don't run a lead auction. When you ask for quotes, your details go to up to three licensed local installers, so you can compare. Nobody else.

• Licensed only. We check the installer's current ARCtick licence before we send the first job.
• Three, not a crowd. Your job goes to up to three installers. We never resell, re-run or re-auction it.
• They already have the brief: your postcode, the system you want, what you have now, your timeline and the rebate estimate you saw. You don't repeat it all on the phone.
• Three quotes, laid out the same way. You asked for them, so there's no chorus of strangers ringing.
• We stop sending jobs to installers who sit on leads or spray quotes.

The homeowner side of the deal is simple: up to three licensed locals quote the job, only after you ask, and you compare them line by line. Compare 3 local quotes. You can check your rebate and stop there if you like.

How air conditioning installation works, step by step

Every decent install follows the same order. The details change between a bedroom split and a whole-home ducted job, but if a quote skips a step, ask why.

• Site visit or photo assessment. The installer checks the rooms, the wall or roof, the switchboard and where the outdoor unit can go, then sizes the system. A quote given without asking about windows, insulation and room size is a guess.
• Written quote. Model numbers, capacity, what the price includes and excludes, electrical work, warranty and who turns up. Our quote checklist lists the lines to look for. Installers we match get your brief upfront, so the first call is about your house, not twenty questions. Ask for the quote itemised, whoever you use.
• Old unit out. If there is one, the refrigerant is recovered by a licensed technician before the unit is removed.
• Indoor unit in. A split head goes on a mounting plate on the wall. A ducted fan coil goes into the roof space with ducts, vents and a return air grille.
• Outdoor unit in, on a slab, pad or wall brackets with clear airflow.
• Pipes, drain and cable run between the two. On a back-to-back split that is one hole through the wall.
• Electrical connection. A dedicated circuit and isolator where needed, done by a licensed electrician.
• Pressure test, vacuum, commissioning. The system is tested for leaks and pulled into a vacuum before the refrigerant is released or added. Then it's run in both heating and cooling.
• Handover. You get shown the remote or controller, the filter clean, and the paperwork: warranty, compliance certificates and the invoice with any rebate applied.

How long does it take to install an air conditioner?

The install itself is fast. Waiting for a good crew in December is the slow part, so book in autumn or early spring if you can. When to book.

What licences does an air conditioning installer need?

Two, at minimum. Anyone who handles refrigerant must hold a Refrigerant Handling Licence from the Australian Refrigeration Council, the ARCtick licence. And the electrical connection must be done by someone licensed for electrical work in your state.

The ARCtick licence comes in types. A full refrigeration and air conditioning licence covers any system, including multi-head splits, ducted and all servicing. A restricted split system licence only covers installing and decommissioning single-head splits under 18 kW, and doesn't allow multi-head installs or any repair that means opening the refrigerant circuit. So a restricted licence is fine for a bedroom split and not enough for a multi-head job.

State rules sit on top. In Victoria, Energy Safe Victoria says installing a reverse cycle air conditioner needs a VBA plumbing registration and a refrigerant handling licence, with electrical work done by a registered electrical contractor, and you should be given an electrical safety certificate and a plumbing compliance certificate at the end. Other states have their own electrical licensing. Ask for the licence numbers and check them. ARCtick has a public licence check on its site. Or skip the homework: every installer we match has had a current ARCtick licence checked before their first job, so you can get a local quote knowing that part is done.

More on what the licence does and doesn't tell you: ARCtick explained.

What a fair air conditioning installation quote includes

• Indoor and outdoor model numbers and the kilowatt rating, and how they sized it.
• Pipe run length included in the price, and the rate per metre beyond that.
• Electrical work: new circuit, isolator or switchboard upgrade, or a clear note that it's extra. A dedicated circuit typically adds $300 to $900, and a switchboard upgrade $1,000 to $3,500.
• Wall type and mounting: brackets, a ground pad or a slab for the outdoor unit.
• Condensate drain route.
• Removal and disposal of the old unit, with refrigerant recovered.
• For ducted: number of outlets, zones, controller, sensors and return air.
• Warranty on the unit and, separately, on the workmanship.
• Any rebate or discount, shown on the invoice.

Retailer install packages usually cover a standard back-to-back install only. Anything outside that is an extra on the day, so read the exclusions before comparing. Full detail in what a good quote includes.

Split system installation requirements

Most homes can take a split. These are the things an installer checks before saying yes.

• Clearances. Each maker's installation manual sets minimum gaps around the indoor head and the outdoor unit. Squeezed installs lose efficiency and get noisy.
• Wall strength. The indoor head mounts on a plate fixed to studs or masonry, not to bare plasterboard.
• Back-to-back where possible. The outdoor unit directly behind the indoor head is the cheapest and neatest install. Every extra metre of pipe, and every corner, costs more.
• Outdoor unit placement. It needs airflow, a level base and service access, and shouldn't blow hot air onto a neighbour's window. NSW, for example, restricts when an air conditioner can be heard inside a neighbour's home.
• Drain fall. Condensate needs a path to a proper outlet, not down the wall.
• Council and strata. A standard split on a house rarely needs a permit, but heritage areas and units visible from the street can. In apartments, get owners corporation approval before booking.
• Switchboard capacity. Older boards may need work before a bigger system goes on.

The same logic scales up for ducted (roof space and access), multi-split (pipe routes to every room) and ceiling cassettes (ceiling void depth).

Air conditioning installation near you

We match households with licensed installers across Australia. Each city page has local prices, the rebate that applies and the questions locals ask. Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong, Hobart.

Outside those cities, the quote page works from any Australian postcode.