Split AC installation: €200 at big chains, €500 for two units

Installing a split AC costs €200 at a big chain and €500 for two units with an installer

Buying the air conditioner online and arranging the installation yourself has become the go-to calculation before the heat sets in. The starting point: large retailers charge a €200 surcharge for what they call basic installation, a package that, according to one user, in practice covers little more than a metre of trunking to hide the pipes. Anything beyond that is paid separately. And that's when the quotes start flying.

The range that anyone who has been through this deals with runs from around five hundred euros for two units fitted by a friend to the €2,800 some companies asked for the full package. The saving, when you handle the purchase of the unit yourself and find the installer, can be around €1,000 according to the figures circulating. The catch is that a botched installation can eat up that saving.

The pipe hole and other botched jobs that end up costing dearly

The most repeated consensus isn't about price, but about risk. A poorly sealed installation at the point where the pipe enters the home can let in damp when it rains hard, and the problem shows up months later, when nobody answers for it anymore. Some have lived it first-hand and tell it plainly: the cheap installer left the hole half-finished and the bill for the damp arrived from another direction.

On top of that comes the maze of responsibilities. If the unit fails, the seller blames the installation and the installer blames the unit. Buying the equipment and installation from a refrigeration company that takes responsibility for everything costs more, but avoids that ping-pong. The warning is repeated: the big chains don't install, they subcontract to poorly paid people in a rush.

How long does it really take to fit a split AC?

The figure that sparks the most debate is time. Against the idea that a standard unit is fitted in three hours, some argue that a properly done installation, with vacuuming, measurements and attention to the finish, goes well beyond that. The figure cited at the opposite extreme: at least 15 hours and at least €300. The problem is that the customer never checks the result: they don't measure consumption or put a thermometer at the air outlet.

Hence the uncomfortable conclusion this leaves: paying more doesn't guarantee the job is well done, because the user has no way of knowing. Only the guarantee that someone will answer when something goes wrong justifies the premium.

Buying the unit separately: when it pays off

The calculation defended by those in favour of handling everything: two 3,000 BTU inverter units with heat pump for €980 delivered, plus €500 for installation, in the middle of July. Total: €1,480 versus the €2,800 the full package wouldn't drop below. The key, they say, is cutting out middlemen: every link you skip is a commission you don't pay.

Timing matters. Installers get better purchase prices for units out of season, and those who bought in December found conditions that didn't exist in summer. Pre-installation in a new build lowers the cost of the work, though it doesn't turn it into a DIY job: handling the refrigerant gas requires a licence, and pulling a vacuum on the pipes before opening the valves is not optional.

With these numbers, buying online plus hiring your own installer should always win out. It doesn't. Convenience, antiestéticar of a botched job and the guarantee that someone will pick up the phone still weigh more than the saving.