How much does air conditioner installation cost in a flat: split, multi-split, portable

How much air conditioner installation costs

On the price list, installing a split air conditioner currently costs 1200–3000 zł/szt. A portable unit is set up for 250–500 zł, because all it needs is the hose out of the window. The ranges in the table below are the ones that count, because they change with the price list. The exact amount comes in the tradesperson’s offer, based on photos of the room and the spot for the outdoor unit.

What changes the price of a split most is the length of the pipe run between the units, the hole through the wall and where the outdoor unit goes: a balcony, a bracket on the wall or the roof. Coring through a load-bearing wall is a separate item on the price list. You buy the unit yourself or ask the tradesperson to buy it.

Rather hand the job over? More here: furniture assembly prices in Warsaw.

Split, multi-split or portable

• Split. One unit in the room and one outdoor unit. The usual choice for a bedroom or living room.
• Multi-split. One outdoor unit serves several indoor units in different rooms. The price list counts per indoor unit, so the cost grows with the number of rooms, but only one unit hangs on the facade.
• Portable. Stands on the floor and pushes hot air out through a hose in the window. No drilling and no permission needed, but it is louder than a split and struggles with a large room.
• Cassette. Sits in a suspended ceiling. Rare in flats and the most expensive to install on this list.

If you are still choosing a unit, there is a comparison in the article which air conditioner for an apartment.

Air conditioning in a block of flats: what to ask before you buy

An outdoor unit on the facade changes how the building looks, so the owners’ association (wspólnota) or housing cooperative (spółdzielnia) usually wants to know about it and often has to give consent. Ask the building management before you buy. A unit on the balcony can be simpler, but it needs airflow and somewhere for the condensate to drain.

Installing a split or multi-split means working with refrigerant. In Poland this is done by someone with an F-gas certificate, so ask about it before you pick an offer. An air conditioner often needs its own circuit in the fuse box too, and the electrical connection is made by someone qualified for electrical work.

How a split installation goes

1. The tradesperson agrees with you where the indoor and outdoor units go, the route of the pipes and the condensate drain.
2. Fits the mounting plate for the indoor unit and cores through the wall with a fall to the outside.
3. Mounts the outdoor unit on brackets or feet and runs the pipes, cable and drain in trunking or a chase.
4. Connects the units, tests for leaks and pulls a vacuum.
5. Starts the system and checks cooling, heating and the condensate drain.
6. Shows you how to clean the filters and use the remote.

Pipes hidden in the wall look tidier than trunking, but they need a chase, then filling and painting. That is why air conditioning is best planned before you paint.

Common mistakes

• Unit bought before asking the building. Then it turns out the outdoor unit cannot go where you planned.
• Capacity picked by eye. A unit that is too weak will not cool the room, and one that is too strong keeps switching on and off.
• Indoor unit above the bed or desk. Cold air blows straight at people.
• Condensate drain with no fall. Water backs up and drips from the unit down the wall.
• Installation without an F-gas certificate. Working with refrigerant without one is against the law.

What to prepare before the visit

• Photos of the wall for the indoor unit, the window and the balcony or facade.
• The room size, and whether it is on the top floor or faces south.
• The unit model, if you have already bought it.
• Consent from the association or cooperative, if the outdoor unit goes on the facade.
• Where the fuse box is and whether it has a free slot.

A typical job: a top-floor bedroom

The most common order is one bedroom under the roof of a block of flats, too hot to sleep in during summer. The owner first asks the building management about the outdoor unit, then picks a split sized to the room. With the tradesperson they agree that the outdoor unit goes on the balcony and the pipes take a short route through the outside wall. A short run and a single hole through the wall is the cheapest way to install a split.

Common questions

Who does the work

HandyMan24 is a platform: you post the job in the app, and tradespeople from your area send offers with their own price and date. You pick one, agree the details with them and pay them for the work. Before you choose an offer, ask the tradesperson about their F-gas certificate. The tradesperson who did the installation is responsible for their own work.

Installing air conditioning is your trade? Create a tradesperson profile and reply to jobs in your city with your own price.