What you'll actually pay — by system type and by city — and the five factors that move a quote up or down. Figures are editorial market ranges; a surveyed quote sets the property price.
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Build a realistic budget from the system, rooms, region and the site details that installers actually price. Your result is shown immediately and remains an editorial estimate—not a quote.
Instant result · no email requiredRanges include typical equipment, installation labour, pipework and commissioning. VAT treatment, brands, surveys, planning, freeholder requirements and unusual building work can change the final price.
Installed prices cover the unit, labour, pipework, electrical connection and commissioning by an F-Gas certified engineer. Equipment brand moves each band by roughly £300–£600.
| System type | Best for | Typical installed cost (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Single split (wall-mounted) | One bedroom, living room or home office | £1,400 – £3,200 |
| Multi-split (2–5 indoor units) | Several rooms from one outdoor unit | £3,000 – £8,500+ |
| Ducted system | Discreet grilles, renovations and whole homes | £6,000 – £15,000+ |
| Ceiling cassette | Offices, shops, restaurants | £2,500 – £5,000 per unit |
| Fixed monoblock, no outdoor box | Flats and constrained façades | £2,000 – £4,000 |
| Water-cooled internal system | Flats and properties with no external route | £3,000 – £6,000+ per room |
| Conservatory split | High solar-gain glazed rooms | £1,800 – £3,500+ |
| Portable unit (no install) | Stopgap cooling, renters | £300 – £700 to buy |
| Commercial systems | Splits, cassettes and VRF/VRV | £2,000 – £70,000+ by scope |
Labour rates, property types and access conditions move prices around the country. London and the South East run 10–20% above the national average; northern cities and Scotland sit at the lower end. Compare popular markets below or browse all 95 UK location guides.
| City | Single split, installed | Multi-split (3–4 rooms) |
|---|---|---|
| London | £1,800 – £3,200 | £4,500 – £8,500 |
| Birmingham | £1,500 – £2,600 | £3,800 – £7,000 |
| Manchester | £1,500 – £2,600 | £3,800 – £7,000 |
| Leeds | £1,400 – £2,500 | £3,600 – £6,800 |
| Glasgow | £1,400 – £2,500 | £3,600 – £6,800 |
| Liverpool | £1,400 – £2,400 | £3,500 – £6,500 |
| Bristol | £1,600 – £2,800 | £4,000 – £7,400 |
| Sheffield | £1,400 – £2,400 | £3,500 – £6,500 |
| Edinburgh | £1,500 – £2,700 | £3,800 – £7,000 |
| Leicester | £1,400 – £2,500 | £3,600 – £6,600 |
| Nottingham | £1,400 – £2,500 | £3,600 – £6,600 |
| Southampton | £1,500 – £2,700 | £3,800 – £7,000 |
1. Pipe run length. The distance between indoor unit and outdoor condenser is the single biggest labour variable. A back-to-back install (unit directly behind the wall) is the cheapest configuration; long runs through lofts or across flat roofs add hours and materials.
2. Equipment tier. Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Fujitsu carry a £300–£600 premium over budget brands — usually worth it for quieter running, better warranties (5–7 years) and higher efficiency.
3. Access. First-floor and higher external walls may need towers or scaffolding. Tight urban plots, conservation-area constraints and flat-roof mounting all add cost.
4. Electrics. Most splits run off a dedicated fused spur. If your consumer unit has no spare way, budget £150–£400 for the electrical work.
5. Where you live. The same job priced in London and in Sheffield can differ by 20%. The city table above shows the realistic local bands.
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A single-room wall-mounted split system costs £1,400–£3,200 fully installed in 2026, depending on your city, the unit brand and how far the indoor unit sits from the outdoor condenser. A multi-split covering three to four rooms typically lands between £3,500 and £8,500. These figures include the unit, installation labour, pipework and commissioning by an F-Gas certified engineer.
Three reasons: equipment tier (a premium Daikin or Mitsubishi unit costs £300–£600 more than a budget brand), pipe run length and complexity (longer runs and awkward access add labour hours), and how busy the installer is. Getting two or three surveyed quotes typically saves 10–20% versus accepting the first price.
Usually yes. Demand peaks hard in June and July — UK searches for installation quadruple in hot months — and installer diaries fill for weeks. Booking between October and March gets faster surveys, better scheduling and often meaningful discounts, with the system ready before the first heatwave.
A modern single split cooling one room costs roughly 20–35p per hour to run at 2026 electricity prices. Used as a heat pump in winter, the same unit delivers 3–4kW of heat per 1kW of electricity, making it cheaper per unit of heat than electric radiators and competitive with gas heating.
Watch for four extras that a proper survey should surface up front: scaffolding or access equipment for high walls, electrical upgrades if your consumer unit lacks spare capacity, condensate pumps where gravity drainage isn't possible, and planning fees for conservation areas or listed buildings. A surveyed, itemised quote should list all of these.
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