Ducted aircon quotes for the same house are eight grand apart

fridge-magnet-88

Geelong single storey, about 22 squares, slab done, frame next month. Builder package includes a basic ducted reverse cycle with a short list of brands. We got three installer quotes on the same floor plan and they came back 11.8k, 15.1k and 19.9k installed, all claiming similar capacity.

Cheapest one barely looked at the plan and quoted from the lounge size. Mid one walked every room and talked about zoning and return air. Dear one wants a bigger outdoor unit, acoustic wrap, and a fancy controller that feels like paying for an app we will ignore.

Builder says their included package is closer to the cheap end and any upgrade is a variation. Solar bloke (different company) says undersizing ducted is how you cook the living room and freeze the bedrooms.

If you have been through this: what actually moved the price - more outlets, better zoning, brand, labour, or someone padding for warranty risk? And did anyone ditch whole-of-home ducted for multi-split and regret it, or love it?

Also keen on real 2026 numbers for VIC / SA / NSW on bog standard single storey ducted, not display-suite fantasy figures. We are trying to decide before the electrician rough-in so we are not chasing ceilings later.

gumleaf_88

Newcastle build, similar size. Our spread was about 6k between quotes. The cheap one skipped a return in the hallway and under-counted outlets in the kids rooms. Mid quote matched what the mechanical bloke drew and that is what we paid, around 14.2k all in for a boring brand.

Multi-split would have been tidier for our weird rumpus, but the ceiling was already set up for ducted and changing mid-stream was more headache than money. Get the load calc on paper before you argue brands. Brands were the least interesting part of the gap.

davefrom-2009

QLD numbers sit softer than VIC a lot of the time, but the same pattern shows up. Cheap quote that ignores zoning looks clever until summer. We paid extra for two zones and a proper return and it was the only upgrade that changed how the house feels day to day.

Builder included package on ours was basically the cheap end. Variation paperwork was annoying but clearer than pretending the brochure unit would cope with west glass. Do the rough-in decision before plaster or you will pay twice.

BecW-Brissy

Brisbane mate went multi-split because the rumpus and main house run on different schedules. Winter bills looked fine. Summer they still run the living heads hard when everyone is home, so it is not automatically cheaper to live with.

If your plan is a simple rectangle with a sensible hallway, ducted with two zones is usually less drama. If you have a separate pavilion or granny corner, splits can win. Price the install path, not just the box price on a flyer.

KelpieMum

We cheaped out on zoning on our first new build and regretted it every January. Living and bedrooms on one zone meant someone was always complaining. Second house we paid for the second zone and a quieter outdoor unit location away from the neighbour fence.

Eight grand gaps usually mean different scopes pretending to be the same job. Ask each quote to list outlet count, return locations, zones, refrigerant pipe run assumptions, and whether scaffolding or ceiling access is included. Then compare apples.

fridge-magnet-88

OP update: we lined the three quotes up by outlet count and zones like KelpieMum said. Cheap one was missing two bedrooms and a return. Dear one was mostly controller and acoustic extras we can skip.

Going with the mid quote plus a second zone as a written variation before rough-in. Builder package stays as the base credit. Feels less like gambling than picking a brand from a brochure.

KelpieMum

Adelaide summer hasnt properly started and I already know the single-zone mistake on our first place was real. Second zone is the upgrade Id still pay for. Outlet count mattered more than the badge on the outdoor unit.