ᐅ Costs for a Central Air Conditioning System in New Construction
Created on: 27 Jul 2021 15:56
S
silentser
Hello everyone,
Has anyone had experience with installing a central air conditioning system?
I am planning to install a central air conditioning system for 5 rooms in a new build: 4 units on the upper floor (one per room – 72 m² (775 sq ft)) and one on the ground floor (living room with an open-plan kitchen – also 72 m² (775 sq ft)). The construction company estimated the costs at 30,000 to 35,000 EUR.
My question is whether this amount is reasonable. The construction company I am working with is not the cheapest, but 35,000 EUR still sounds quite expensive.
Has anyone had experience with installing a central air conditioning system?
I am planning to install a central air conditioning system for 5 rooms in a new build: 4 units on the upper floor (one per room – 72 m² (775 sq ft)) and one on the ground floor (living room with an open-plan kitchen – also 72 m² (775 sq ft)). The construction company estimated the costs at 30,000 to 35,000 EUR.
My question is whether this amount is reasonable. The construction company I am working with is not the cheapest, but 35,000 EUR still sounds quite expensive.
Air conditioning systems do not require air ducts.
The energy exchange takes place through the refrigerant, which is carried in copper pipes.
Multisplit systems are significantly more expensive than single-split systems.
I doubt whether it makes sense to cool 5 rooms with just one outdoor unit.
Often, it makes sense to install an outdoor unit on each of two sides of the house and then have a clear piping layout to the respective rooms. Otherwise, you will have very long pipes and may also need (noisy) condensate pumps.
The quoted price is excessively overpriced. Purchase prices for (very good) outdoor units (multisplit with 2 indoor units) are around 1000 - 1500€ (about $1100 - $1650), indoor units around 500 - 700€ (about $550 - $770). Ordering the units directly from Italy can save you significantly (> 30%).
Additionally, there is the installation and commissioning effort. This is not a minor task, but for two professionals, it can be completed in one day. Normally, it should not cost more than 15,000€ (about $16,500) for 5 indoor units and 1-2 outdoor units.
The energy exchange takes place through the refrigerant, which is carried in copper pipes.
Multisplit systems are significantly more expensive than single-split systems.
I doubt whether it makes sense to cool 5 rooms with just one outdoor unit.
Often, it makes sense to install an outdoor unit on each of two sides of the house and then have a clear piping layout to the respective rooms. Otherwise, you will have very long pipes and may also need (noisy) condensate pumps.
The quoted price is excessively overpriced. Purchase prices for (very good) outdoor units (multisplit with 2 indoor units) are around 1000 - 1500€ (about $1100 - $1650), indoor units around 500 - 700€ (about $550 - $770). Ordering the units directly from Italy can save you significantly (> 30%).
Additionally, there is the installation and commissioning effort. This is not a minor task, but for two professionals, it can be completed in one day. Normally, it should not cost more than 15,000€ (about $16,500) for 5 indoor units and 1-2 outdoor units.
untergasse4328 Jul 2021 12:22I believe there are some misunderstandings here, as @silentser clearly has no knowledge of the air conditioning systems mentioned and is completely confusing "central" and the split variants.
Is a central air conditioning system meant in the sense of a central cooling unit with distribution of the cooled air through air ducts, or a multi-split system (one outdoor unit, several indoor units)? Multiple outdoor units are generally not installed unless forced by retrofitting. For split systems, each indoor unit always requires a condensate drain, but ductwork is not necessary. What purpose would ducts serve in the case of a split system?
Is a central air conditioning system meant in the sense of a central cooling unit with distribution of the cooled air through air ducts, or a multi-split system (one outdoor unit, several indoor units)? Multiple outdoor units are generally not installed unless forced by retrofitting. For split systems, each indoor unit always requires a condensate drain, but ductwork is not necessary. What purpose would ducts serve in the case of a split system?
silentser schrieb:Multi-split usually means there is ONE outdoor unit!
And where and how many outdoor units do you have?
S
silentser28 Jul 2021 15:50untergasse43 schrieb:
I believe there are some misunderstandings here, since @silentser clearly has no knowledge of the mentioned air conditioning systems and is confusing "central" units with split systems completely.
Is a central air conditioning system meant in terms of a central cooling unit distributing cooled air through ventilation ducts, or a multi-split system (one outdoor unit, multiple indoor units)? Usually, multiple outdoor units are not used unless retrofitting forces it. With split systems, each indoor unit always requires a condensate drain, but ventilation ducts do not. What would these be used for in the case of a split system?
Multi-split means there is (usually) ONE outdoor unit!Indeed, I don’t have much expertise; otherwise, I wouldn’t have ended up here.
Regarding the confusion between split and central systems – I am always referring to a central system. That’s where the ventilation ducts and pipes for condensate drainage come from. Allegedly, this makes the project significantly more expensive than if the air conditioning is done with a multi-split system.
The question is whether the proposed price (30,000–35,000 euros) is reasonable, as I have not been able to find reliable experience-based data on central air conditioning systems. It seems that in Germany, air conditioning is mostly implemented using multi-split systems.
apokolok schrieb:
No air ducts are installed with air conditioning systems. You are mistaken. This only applies to single-split or multi-split systems, which are also called ductless in English-speaking countries. These are the common types used in residential construction here.
However, this is not the case with central HVAC systems, which is clearly what is being referred to here. These, of course, have air ducts.
silentser schrieb:
Allegedly, this makes the project significantly more expensive than if the air conditioning is done with a multi-split system. Not just allegedly, but actually and considerably more expensive.
untergasse4328 Jul 2021 17:54silentser schrieb:
Regarding the confusion between split systems and centralized systems – I am always referring to a centralized system.What are your reasons against multisplit systems?
Mycraft schrieb:
Not just supposedly, but actually and significantly more expensive. I guess it largely depends on when you start the planning process. In our case, a true central air conditioning system would have only added a small extra cost because all the necessary openings and so on could have been made during the shell construction. Ultimately, though, I wasn’t really convinced it made sense for a single-family home, so we agreed on a multi-split system with two outdoor units.
When I lived in Florida, I had central air conditioning, but it’s a different situation there since the system runs 24/7 year-round.