A split system air conditioner in Canberra has two jobs: keep a bedroom or living room warm on a minus 5 morning and cool on a 38-degree afternoon. Climate Master supplies and installs inverter split systems from Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, and Rinnai across Canberra and Queanbeyan, sizes them to the room rather than the brochure, and covers workmanship for 12 months.
A split system is two parts: an indoor unit on the wall and an outdoor unit on a bracket or slab, joined by refrigerant pipes and a cable. It conditions one room or one open area. You heat the room you are in, not the hallway.
We are Climate Master, a locally owned heating, cooling and hot water business at 116 Wollongong St, Fyshwick. Since 1998, we have looked after more than 35,000 Canberra customers, and split systems make up a big share of that work, from a single unit in a Gungahlin nursery to three across a Kingston townhouse. Installation and replacement are all done by our own licensed technicians.
As a rule of thumb, a Canberra living area needs roughly 125 to 150 watts of capacity per square metre. A 16 square metre bedroom suits a 2.5 kW unit. A 40 square metre living room needs around 6 kW. Ceiling height, insulation, west-facing glass and how cold the house gets overnight push those numbers up, which is why we measure rather than quote off the phone.
Bigger is not safer. An oversized unit hits temperature fast, switches off, and never runs long enough to dry the air or spread heat evenly. Undersized units run flat out and wear out early.
Canberra gets frosts most winter mornings, and a split system’s heating capacity drops as the outdoor temperature falls. Look at the H2 figure on the Zoned Energy Rating Label, which is heating capacity at 2 degrees, not the headline number. Cold-climate models from Daikin and Mitsubishi Electric hold their output well below zero and run a short defrost cycle when the outdoor coil ices up.
Call (02) 6228 1126, email admin@climatemaster.com.au or use the online form. Send a photo of the room and the outside wall where the outdoor unit would sit. For a standard back-to-back install, we can often price from that.
For anything less straightforward, a technician visits, measures the room, checks the switchboard for a spare circuit and confirms the outdoor unit position for airflow, noise and drainage.
Two or three models at different price points, with what the efficiency gap means on the bill. If you already run a Daikin or Mitsubishi Electric unit elsewhere in the house, we usually suggest matching brands so you have one app.
Each install takes roughly 3 hours to complete. Longer pipe runs, a second storey or a switchboard upgrade add time. We remove and dispose of the old unit upon replacement.
We run the system in heating and cooling, check the refrigerant charge, and show you the remote, the filter and the timer. You keep the manufacturer warranty plus our 12-month installation warranty.
From 2 kW bedroom units to 9 kW units for open-plan living, wall-mounted, in Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, and Rinnai.
Older non-inverter units are noisy, cost more to run and often use R22 refrigerant, which is being phased out. We swap them for inverter models, reuse the pipework where it passes inspection, and take the old unit away. We also fit split systems in offices, shopfronts and strata common areas, scheduled around trading hours.
Want the whole house done from one unit? That is a different job. Compare every option in our Canberra air conditioning services.
A supplied and installed split system in Canberra typically costs Start $2500 for a 2.5 kW back-to-back install for a small bedroom unit and Start $3700 for a 7 to 8 kW living area unit for a large living area. Multi-head systems start around $5500 for a multi-head.
What pushes the price up: long pipe runs, an outdoor unit on a second-storey bracket, a switchboard that needs a new circuit, and heritage or double-brick walls. What keeps it down: back-to-back placement and a spare circuit.
Reverse cycle split systems are an eligible product under the ACT Sustainable Household Scheme, with finance from $2,000 to $15,000 for eligible homeowners. Concession card holders may qualify for a Home Energy Support rebate. We check eligibility when we quote.
Yes. A reverse cycle inverter split system is a heat pump, and a well-chosen model keeps its output well below zero. Check the H2 heating capacity (at 2 degrees) rather than the headline figure, and expect a short defrost pause on frosty mornings. We size for July, when a Canberra room is hardest to condition.
The indoor unit sits on an external wall, and the outdoor unit goes directly behind it, so the pipe run is short. It is the simplest and cheapest install and usually takes 2-3 hours. Longer runs, second-storey brackets, or a unit tucked around a corner add pipe, labour and cost.
Typically two to five indoor units from one outdoor unit, each with its own remote and temperature. It suits townhouses and homes with a body corporate limit on outdoor units. The trade-off: if the outdoor unit fails, every room is out. For four or more rooms, we also price a small zoned ducted system so you can compare.
Not necessarily. A split system needs its own circuit on the switchboard, so if there is a spare one available, it can simply be used. If the board is full, we will quote to add a new circuit. If the board does not have a main switch, we will quote to install one as well, because that is a legal requirement. We check all of this at the site visit, so it is covered in the quote before any work starts.
Usually, but the body corporate needs to approve the outdoor unit location and often its appearance. Balcony placement, condensate drainage and noise are the common sticking points. We can prepare what a strata committee typically asks for: unit model, outdoor unit dimensions, noise rating and drainage plan.
If the unit is over 12 years old, uses R22 refrigerant, or the repair quote is more than about a third of a new unit, replace it. Modern inverter units use far less power and are much quieter. For a repair on any brand, call our sister company Climate Plus. For a replacement quote, call Climate Master on (02) 6228 1126.
