Ducted vs Split System AC: Which Is Better for Your Home Layout?

Ducted vs Split System AC: Which Is Better for Your Home Layout?

Welcome to the complete guide to ducted vs split system air conditioning in 2025.

We are air conditioning specialists who’ve been helping Australian homeowners stay comfortable since 2003. We’ve been in the air conditioning business for over 20 years, so we know what works in Aussie homes.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to choose the right air conditioner system, avoid costly mistakes, and get the best heating and cooling solution for your home layout.

Throughout this, we’re going to cover:

• Understanding your cooling system options
• How home size affects your air conditioner choice
• Real installation and running costs
• Energy efficiency and ongoing performance
• Aesthetic impact on your home
• Temperature control for different needs
• Maintenance requirements
• Making the smart choice

Ready? Let’s get to it.

Two Systems, Two Approaches: Which Makes More Sense?

Split system air conditioners and ducted systems take completely different approaches to cooling your home. Each method has distinct advantages depending on your situation.

To determine which approach suits you better, let’s examine how each system operates:

Split System Air Conditioners: Room-by-Room Cooling

You get individual indoor units mounted on walls in different rooms. These units connect to an outdoor unit through refrigerant pipes, creating a network throughout your home. This setup works like having separate mini air conditioner units that you control independently.

In addition, quality brands offer reverse cycle air conditioners that provide both heating and cooling while delivering reliable performance.

Ducted Air Conditioners: Whole-House Comfort

Ducted systems handle this completely differently. They use one outdoor unit that pushes cool air through ducts hidden in your roof or under the floor. With this air conditioning system, you control everything from a single thermostat. The only visible parts are discrete vents in your ceiling.

That’s how the system distributes air evenly throughout your entire home, creating consistent temperature and comfort everywhere.

Best AC for Home Australia: Sizing Up Your Space

The size of your home plays a huge role in determining the best air conditioner for your specific situation. Different layouts call for different cooling approaches.

For example, compact homes under 150 square metres, for example, suit split system air conditioners perfectly. You can target the rooms you use without paying for whole-house coverage. Plus, you have the flexibility to install units gradually as your budget allows.

Flip that around for larger homes over 200 square metres, ducted systems usually prove more practical. This is because multiple split system units mean multiple outdoor units taking up yard space and higher installation complexity. Rather than that, a single ducted air conditioning system covers your entire home from one outdoor unit.

Additionally, open-plan living areas present unique challenges. These larger spaces need consistent air distribution, which ducted systems handle more effectively than individual split system air units spread throughout these open-plan areas.

Based on our experience, assessing your actual living patterns rather than just square meterage gives you better results when choosing any air conditioning system for Australian conditions.

What You’ll Actually Pay: Installation and Upfront Costs

Budget planning starts with knowing real numbers, not sales estimates. The truth is, both air conditioning systems require significant upfront investment, but the costs differ substantially based on your choice and home size.

You can expect to invest these amounts in each system:

• Split System Investment: Split system air conditioners start around $800-1,200 per unit for quality reverse cycle models, plus installation costs on top. Now, a typical home might need $4,000-6,000 total for multiple indoor units. The good news is you can install one air conditioner at a time if the budget’s tight, which gives you some breathing room to spread the expense.
  
  
• Ducted System Investment: But if you’re after whole-home coverage, ducted systems come into play. Whole-house comfort doesn’t come cheap, but it does come all at once. Ducted air conditioning systems usually cost between $8,000 and $15,000 installed, depending on the size of your home and the complexity of the ductwork. While it’s a bigger upfront investment, the benefit is full coverage from the start without the need to add units later.
  
  
• Installation Complexity Factors: Of course, installation complexity affects costs too, and this is where things get interesting. Split systems are generally much quicker to install, often wrapped up in a day. Ducted systems work differently, though. They need roof access and way more extensive work connecting the outdoor unit and all that ductwork throughout your home.

What we’ve found through our practical knowledge is something quite telling. Most families planning to cool 4 rooms discover that ducted systems offer better long-term value, even with those higher initial costs.

Running Costs That Actually Matter

For most households, the real measure of running costs is what appears on the power bill each quarter. And while you might save money upfront with one system, high quarterly bills will quickly eat those savings.

What families actually pay each quarter looks like this:

Usage Pattern	Split System Air	Ducted Air Conditioning
Light use (evenings)	$120-200	$280-400
Heavy use (all day)	$300-450	$400-600

These numbers are based on good-quality, energy-rated units. That said, your actual costs depend heavily on how you use the system. For instance, split systems make the most sense if you mainly cool one or two rooms, such as bedrooms. On the flip side, ducted systems are the smarter choice if you want the entire house cooled at once.

But here’s the kicker: the Energy Star rating on the unit has a bigger impact than the system type. Upgrading from a 2-star to a 5-star model can almost cut your bills in half. Sure, the upfront cost is higher, but you get that money back in lower bills over time.

So in many cases, a high-performance split system will run cheaper than a basic ducted setup. And there’s one more thing about performance that might surprise you!

How Your Home Will Look (and What Guests Will Notice)

Think about what your guests notice when they walk into your home. Split systems are visible as part of your room, while ducted systems keep things more subtle.

Split system air conditioners put indoor units directly on your walls in every cooled room. While modern units look reasonably stylish, they’re definitely noticeable and become part of your room’s design. Because of this, some homeowners embrace this contemporary tech look, but others find the wall-mounted units too prominent, particularly in smaller spaces.

However, ducted systems take the opposite approach. They hide everything except small, discrete ceiling vents that most people barely notice, since the outdoor unit takes care of the heavy lifting outside and keeps your interiors clean and uncluttered. This invisible heating and cooling approach appeals to families who prioritize interior design.

The choice comes down to your personal style preferences. Do you want individual room control that’s visible, or do you prefer seamless whole-house air conditioning that disappears into your décor?

Temperature Control That Works for Everyone

Every family has that one person who’s always too hot and another who’s always freezing. Your air conditioning system can either solve this problem or make it worse, depending on how much control it gives you.

Each system handles family comfort battles differently:

Individual Room Control with Split Systems

Split system air conditioners give you complete independence in each room. This means Dad can blast the cold air in his home office while Mum keeps the bedroom at a comfortable temperature for sleeping. Each indoor unit has its own remote, so everyone controls their own space. This works brilliantly for families with very different heating and cooling preferences.

Whole-House Zoning with Ducted Systems

Modern ducted air conditioning systems offer zoning features that let you control different areas separately. This means you can keep living areas cooler during the day and make bedrooms warmer at night, depending on when they’re used.

Also, if you add advanced models, it takes a step further by learning your family’s patterns and adjusting settings automatically. Behind the scenes, the outdoor unit manages all the heavy work while you control everything from a central panel.

Maintenance Requirements and Longevity

Nobody wants to deal with constant air conditioner repairs, so let’s talk about what you’re signing up for with each system. The maintenance reality differs quite a bit between these options.

Your maintenance routine will look quite different depending on your choice:

• Split System Maintenance: When it comes to split systems, each indoor unit needs individual care. For example, you’ll want to clean the filters on a monthly basis and check refrigerant levels annually. In other words, each unit gets serviced separately, so the more units you have, the more maintenance tasks you’ll need to handle. Now, let’s smoothly transition to the costs: typically, professional servicing runs about $150-250 per unit each year.
  
  
• Ducted System Maintenance: Unlike split systems, ducted systems rely on centralized maintenance. Everything revolves around one outdoor unit and the ducts throughout your home. Filters are replaced at a single return air grille, ducts need cleaning every three to five years, and annual servicing costs $300 to $500 but covers the whole system.

Both systems typically last 15-20 years with proper care, though split systems let you replace individual units as they age rather than the whole system.

Making the Smart Choice for Your Home

The ducted vs split system decision impacts your family’s comfort and budget for years ahead. Every Australian home has unique cooling requirements, but with proper guidance, you’ll find the ideal air conditioning system that matches your specific needs perfectly.

This guide explored upfront costs, energy efficiency, aesthetics, zoning capabilities, and maintenance demands. Split system air conditioners and ducted systems each offer distinct advantages depending on your home size, layout, and how your family uses different spaces daily.

Don’t guess about something this important. Get your free site visit today and let our experts recommend the perfect heating and cooling solution.