Price of air conditioning duct installation

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What does it cost to install a ducted air conditioner?

Previous considerations

This is the question we are going to try to help you answer with this article. Duct air conditioning units and their installations are much more complex to install and to calculate a ‘base’ or ‘standard’ price since many more factors come into play than in a split air conditioning installation, since in the latter case and for its installation only copper pipes, insulation, electrical cable, some brackets, trough and little else are required.

In the case we are dealing with today and without having what is necessary for a split type unit, we will also need some ducts to circulate the supply air of the interior unit so that it is distributed uniformly throughout the dwelling; a return duct that does the same process to collect the air from the dwelling – return ducts are not always used -, some grilles or diffusers so that this air is collected and driven, etc.

It should also be noted that a ducted air conditioning unit usually requires a much larger amount of copper tubing than a split, since many times the whole house has to be crossed to make the interconnection or even climb to the roof. This pipe is also always larger than in a split unit since much more gas will circulate through it due to its greater power.

Housing ‘type’ for the example of the price of ducted air conditioning installation

Another very important factor for this calculation will be the size of the house or place which must be air-conditioned, since a 50 m2 dwelling does not require the same amount of ducts or diffusion elements as a 200 m2 dwelling. For this calculation we will take into account the most common type of housing, a house of about 90 m2 consisting of a large dining room of about 30 m2, 3 rooms of between 10 and 15 m2, a kitchen of about 12 m2 and a small hallway, in total about 80 m2 to air-condition -not counting the 2 bathrooms.

For the calculation of the necessary air conditioning power would also be important thermal data of the area in question where this housing or premises is located, as well as the type of insulation of the same and other technical data, something that we will obviate since we will not enter prices of duct air conditioning units or their powers and this for the installation does not usually affect too much. For this example, we will use a unit of 8,000 frigories as a reference.

Air conditioning installation with pre-installation

A pre-installation is an installation that is carried out before the installation of the air conditioning itself, usually at the same time as the house is being built. This type of pre-installation has been very common in new housing for approximately 10 or 15 years. Previously, they were not very common and only some homes had a pre-installation ” built-in “, normally a luxury home or at the express request of the buyer or owner of the home.

The pre-installation of an air conditioning system by ducts usually includes the installation of the supply and return air ducts, the grilles or diffusers for air distribution, the electrical connection from the general panel to the indoor or outdoor unit, the refrigeration and electrical interconnection between the indoor and outdoor unit, the installation of the thermostat wiring and in some cases some type of special base or anchorage for the location of the outdoor unit which is usually installed on the roof of the dwelling or property.

As we can see the vast majority of the necessary elements of an installation are already included in the pre-installation, this will help and lighten the installation of our duct air conditioning while making it much more economical.

So how much does a pre-installed installation cost?

The basic price of our installation in this case will be approximately 500€ which will include the installation of the indoor unit, the outdoor unit, the thermostat, the start-up and the functional check. However, to this price we will have to add some ‘extras’ depending on the quality of our pre-installation.

These extras can be as follows:

• Mouth to indoor unit: When we refer to the mouth of the indoor unit, we mean ‘connecting’ the outlet of the indoor unit – where it supplies air – to the included pre-installation duct.This is sometimes very simple to do and the technician who installs the unit will be able to do it without any problems, but we must remember for those who do not know, that it is not the same to be an air conditioning technician as an air conditioning ductler, the first one is in charge of installing, maintaining and repairing air conditioning equipment, the second one is in charge of “creating” or making the ducts of fiber, sheet metal or other materials. So if this mouth is very complicated, it is usually called to a ductler to make it. This work usually costs between 50 and 80 euros, if your pre-installation has the return conducted will have to multiply x2, since you would need 2 mouths.
• Electrical connection, magnetothermic, switch differential: Although this is usually included in any pre-installation, it would not be uncommon to find us instead with an empty macaroni and no wires. It is also easy to miss the separate safety elements for the air conditioning in the switchboard, which is quite recommendable. The total price of this installation can be around 150 euros.
• Copper pipe and interconnection:  The copper installation and electrical interconnection between the indoor and outdoor unit is sure to be included in any pre-installation, however it may be short and may need to be added or ‘extended’ in order to install the air conditioning. This is easier to do in the outdoor unit and is usually charged per metre of added pipe, the price can be around 30-35 per metre added.
• Pipe cleaning: The quality of the pre-installations often leaves much to be desired as well. The most common failure is not to solder the copper pipes and leave them loaded with nitrogen, which means that water, humidity and dirt can enter these pipes and damage our air conditioning system as soon as it is turned on. To avoid and solve this problem it is recommended to clean the pipes with nitrogen, install some filter driers and make an excellent vacuum in the installation. This work is not usually included in the price of an installation and can be around 150 to 200 euros. I personally recommend to ALWAYS do this cleaning. I understand that the price is very important and more so nowadays, but performing this process can save us from many problems and annoyances.

If you are interested, you can see the right way to make a gap in this article:

How to make a vacuum correctly and triple evacuation

Duct air conditioning installation WITHOUT pre-installation

This type of situation in a house that does not have pre-installation increases the price of the final installation quite a bit, since not only is the installation complete, but apart from the cost of this, the price of the plasterer, bricklayer, electrician, plumber, etc., must also be assessed.

What is the price of such an installation?

• Installing the machines,indoor and outdoor unit will be around 500 This installation usually includes a few meters of copper pipe, usually about 5 meters, from there we must add about 30 or 35 euros for each additional meter.
• The ducts, as we said, they are usually only for impulsion and the return usually goes to plenum, this means that the plaster ceiling itself of our house or premises will act as a return duct, it will always be better to make a driven return, but the normal thing is that due to lack of space it cannot be made in a house, these ducts -only impulsion- can cost between 600 and 900 euros. If you can and want a return pipe, you will have to multiply by approximately 2.
• Diffusion material, this diffusion material includes grilles and diffusers that have to be installed throughout the house for air distribution, without entering into special, modern or exclusive zoning systems, diffusers or grilles. Normal grilles and diffusers lacquered in white can cost a total of 300-350€.
• Mouths to grids and diffusers, These mouths -one per grille or diffuser-, are much simpler than those of the machines and are usually charged separately. They can cost a total of between 120 and 170 euros.
• Mouth to indoor unit, as explained above, an embouchure to the indoor unit usually costs between 50 and 80 euros, twice as much if the return is conducted.

Remember that this is just an example of price and a guide so that you can get an idea of the approximate price that an air conditioning installation by ducts can cost, we always have to take into account that each home or place is different and the price can vary based on your distribution, how the pre-installation is done, etc.