Find a trusted air-con installer in Brisbane

Sizing for heat and humidity

An air conditioner in Brisbane runs for hours at a time through long, muggy summers, and it has to pull moisture out of the air as well as cool it. A unit that’s too small runs flat out and never quite gets there. One that’s too big cools the room fast, switches off before it has dried the air, and leaves everything feeling clammy. Ask the installer to work out the heat load room by room, and try dry mode on muggy days when you don’t need much cooling.

Queenslanders are a special case. High ceilings and the fretwork panels above many internal doors were designed to move air through the house, which also lets cooled air escape into the next room. A good installer allows for that when sizing. West-facing rooms and roofs without insulation add to the load too.

Where the units go

Many Queenslanders have single-skin VJ walls with no cavity, so pipework can’t be hidden inside the wall the way it can in a brick home. Expect neat pipe covers on the outside, or a run under the floor in a highset house. Outdoor units often sit under the house or on wall brackets, and every unit needs a proper condensate drain, or it will drip down the wall or onto the deck.

Neighbours matter as well. Queensland’s noise rules limit how loud air-con equipment can be at a neighbour’s place, with tighter limits overnight, so on a small lot or a townhouse the outdoor unit’s position counts. In a unit block, external changes usually need body corporate approval first.

Licences for air-con work in Queensland

Installing or servicing air-con in Queensland needs a QBCC Mechanical services licence covering air-conditioning and refrigeration, whatever the job is worth. Whoever handles the refrigerant also needs an ARCtick licence, which you can check on Look for the Tick, and any new wiring has to be done by a licensed electrician. Check the QBCC licence on the QBCC licensee register, and see our Queensland licence guide for the rest.

What air con installation costs in Brisbane

A single split system typically costs about $1,300 to $3,500 supplied and installed in Brisbane, depending on size and access. If you’ve bought the unit already, a standard install is usually $600 to $1,500. Cooling several rooms off one outdoor unit with a multi-head system costs about $4,500 to $11,000, and whole-house ducted reverse-cycle usually $8,000 to $18,000. A yearly service is around $120 to $300 per split. The air-con price guide explains the extras.

Matched with one Brisbane installer

Tell us the rooms, the type of home and your suburb, and we’ll match you with one local installer whose QBCC and ARCtick licences, insurance and reviews we’ve checked. Compare air-con installers nationally, see other Brisbane trades, or get a free quote and have the install sorted before summer.