Ducted Air Conditioning Cost Calculator
Ducted work is far cheaper when the void and routes are already open. This prices both cases honestly, because the difference is the whole decision.
Open the calculator →Price your ducted system in 30 seconds
4 steps. Coverage, outlets, retrofit or renovation, and region.
How this calculator works
The timing question matters more than anything else on this page. The same ducted system costs 20–40% more retrofitted into a finished house than fitted during a renovation, because the work is no longer running duct through open voids — it is lifting floors, dropping ceilings and making good afterwards.
Outlets are priced beyond a standard five because each grille adds ducting, a diffuser and balancing time. A system with twelve outlets is not the same job as one with four. It is worth pinning down the outlet count and rough duct routes before comparing quotes, because a low headline price built around four outlets and a short run will not cover the twelve-outlet whole-floor system you actually want, and that mismatch is the most common reason two ducted quotes look thousands apart for no obvious reason.
On F-Gas: refrigerant work is legally restricted to F-Gas registered engineers. Ask to see the registration and check it yourself. Ducted is not always the right answer, either: if you only need to cool a room or two, a wall-mounted split does the same job for a fraction of the disruption and cost, and our air conditioning cost calculator prices the two side by side. Whichever route you take, budget for the running cost as well as the install — a ducted system needs an annual service and filter clean to hold its efficiency and its warranty, which the air conditioning servicing calculator prices.
Ducted and whole-house cost (2026)
| System | Typical 2026 cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ducted / concealed system | £6,000–£15,000 | Whole floor, 3–7 days on site |
| VRF / VRV, whole house | £8,000–£20,000 | Independent room-by-room control, 5–10 days |
| Retrofit into a finished house | +20–40% | Lifting floors and making good afterwards |
| Each outlet beyond five | +£400–£500 | Ducting, diffuser and balancing |
| Electrical — dedicated circuit | +£150–£500 | Often needed on larger systems |
Figures match our ducted air conditioning cost guide.
Ducted AC calculator FAQs
Yes, but it is the expensive route — 20–40% more than the same system fitted during a renovation, because ducts have to be run through a finished house and the damage made good.
Typically 300–400mm of clear void plus access for servicing. Where the loft is a room or the void is shallow, a multi-split is usually the better and cheaper answer. Have the installer confirm the usable void depth and a clear duct route on a site visit rather than from a plan, because a system designed around a void that turns out to be too shallow is the classic way a ducted quote balloons once the work starts.
At the room, yes — both fan and compressor are away from the living space and only air movement at the grille is audible. The plant itself is no quieter, it is just further away. Grille placement is the lever people miss: keep the return-air grille away from bedrooms and the noise you actually notice at night drops sharply, even though the plant itself is running exactly the same.
Larger ducted and VRF systems usually need a dedicated circuit and sometimes a consumer-unit way. Budget £150–£500 on top.
Related cost guides
- Ducted cost guide — coverage, outlets and the retrofit premium
- Multi-split costs — usually the cheaper alternative
- All AC costs — every system type side by side
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