Split system or ducted: which suits your home

What a split system is

A split system, often called a highwall, has two parts. An indoor unit is mounted on the wall of the room it serves, and an outdoor unit sits outside. The two are joined by electrical cables and two small pipes that carry refrigerant.

The outdoor unit is the condenser. It holds the compressor and everything needed to produce the refrigeration effect for cooling, and for heating in winter. The indoor unit is the fan coil. It distributes the cool or warm air through the room it is fitted in.

If you want a broader look at the options, start with Types of air conditioners.

What a ducted system is

A ducted system has its indoor unit, the fan coil, installed in the roof space of the home. A series of ducts run from the unit to each room in the house.

Each room or group of rooms can be cooled or heated using its own controls. This is called zoning. You can condition the whole house at once, or only the zones you are using.

For help picking a ducted system, see How to choose the right ducted air conditioner.

Benefits of a split system

The main benefits of a split system are:

• Lower upfront cost. Purchase and installation cost less than a ducted or multi-head installation.
• Efficient for one room. It only heats or cools the room it is in, so you are not paying to condition space you are not using.
• Fits almost anywhere. A split system can be installed in almost any room in the home.

This makes it a cost-effective way to condition a single room, such as a bedroom, a nursery or a study, without spending extra to condition the rest of the house.

Benefits of a ducted system

A ducted system offers several benefits:

• Whole-house comfort. It can cool or heat the entire house, which can be more efficient than running two or more highwall units.
• Zoning. The control system lets you set conditioned zones and control the temperature in each one.
• Switch off what you do not need. You can turn the system off in rooms that are not in use, which keeps running costs down.

If you have several key rooms that need cooling through the warmer months, a ducted system gives you the option of conditioning the whole house or just the rooms or zones you choose. The control system is versatile and gives you the control you need to stay comfortable and keep energy costs down.

Which one suits your home

Split systems are designed for one room at a time. Running several of them across the house means more units to buy, more to install and more to run, and it is harder to manage.

So the choice comes down to how much of the house you want to condition, now and later.

• If one or two split systems in select rooms will meet all your cooling and heating needs, that is a sound way to go.
• If you want to condition every room, or you want long-term flexibility, a ducted system is the better fit.

Think ahead. Heating and cooling your home is part of keeping it comfortable for your whole family, so plan for what you will need over the long term, not just this summer.

Not sure how much capacity you need? See How big a system do I need.

Before you decide

• Count the rooms you actually need to heat and cool.
• Decide whether one or two rooms are enough, or whether you want the whole house.
• Think about how the household will use the home over the long term.
• If you are leaning ducted, ask how the zones would be set up.
• Ask an accredited dealer to look at the home before you settle on either.
• Get a written quote for each option you are weighing.

Whichever way you lean, an accredited ACDA dealer can look at your home and help you weigh the options. Find one near you with the dealer locator.