Cost of a central air conditioning system in new construction

No air ducts are installed for air conditioning systems. The energy exchange takes place via the refrigerant, which is carried in copper pipes. Multisplit is significantly more expensive than singlesplit. Whether it makes sense to cool 5 rooms with only one outdoor unit is questionable. Often it makes sense, for example, to set up one outdoor unit on two sides of the house each and from there achieve a clear pipe routing to the respective rooms. Otherwise, you get very long pipes and may also need (loud) condensate pumps. The quoted price is massively overpriced. Purchase prices for (very good) outdoor units (multisplit with 2 indoor units) are around €1000 - €1500, indoor units around €500 - €700. If you order the units directly from Italy, you can save massively (> 30%). Added to this is the installation and commissioning effort. This is no small matter, but for 2 professionals it is also done in one day. It should normally not cost more than €15k for 5 indoor units and 1-2 outdoor units.

I believe there are some misunderstandings here, as obviously has no idea about the mentioned air conditioning units and completely confuses "central" and the split variants.

Is a central air conditioning system meant in the sense of a central cooling generator and distribution of the cooling via air (ventilation ducts) or a multisplit (one outdoor unit, several indoor units)? Usually, you don’t have multiple outdoor units unless you are forced to do so by retrofitting. With split systems, you always need a condensate drain at each indoor unit, but not with air ducts. What are they good for in the case of the split system?

And where and how many outdoor units do you have?

Multisplit means that there is (usually) ONE outdoor unit!

I believe there are some misunderstandings here, as obviously has no idea about the mentioned air conditioning units or completely confuses "central" and the split variants.

Is a central air conditioning system meant in the sense of a central cooling unit and distribution of the cooling through air (ventilation shafts) or a multisplit (one outdoor unit, several indoor units)? Multiple outdoor units are usually not used unless forced by retrofitting. For split systems, you always need a condensate drain at each indoor unit, but ventilation shafts are not necessary. What would they be good for in the case of the split system?


Multisplit means that there is (usually) ONE outdoor unit!

Indeed, I don't have much knowledge, otherwise I wouldn't have ended up here.

Regarding the confusion between split and central systems – I always mean a central system. That's where the ventilation shafts and the pipes for condensate drainage come from. Allegedly, this makes the project significantly more expensive than if the air conditioning is solved via a multisplit.

The question is whether the proposed price (30-35K) is reasonable, as I have not succeeded in finding reliable experience figures on central air conditioning systems. It seems that in Germany air conditioning is mostly realized via multisplit.

No air ducts are installed in air conditioning systems.

Yes, you are on the wrong track. This only applies to single- or multi-split systems, also called ductless in English-speaking countries. This is the common variant in residential construction here.

However, not with central systems, which is obviously the case here. These, of course, have air ducts.

Allegedly, this makes the project significantly more expensive than if the air conditioning were solved with a multi-split.

Not only allegedly but actually and also considerably more expensive.

Regarding the confusion between split and central systems – I am always referring to a central system.

What is actually against Multisplit for you?

Not only allegedly but actually and significantly more expensive.

That probably depends on when you start planning. In our case, a real central air conditioning would have only meant a very small extra cost, because all necessary openings etc. would have been made directly during shell construction. In the end, however, I wasn't really convinced by that for the single-family house, which is why we agreed on multisplit (with two outdoor units). In Florida, I had a central air conditioning system back then, but that's a different situation since the air conditioning runs 24/7 all year round.