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Split System Aircon South Africa is the standard pairing: an indoor unit on the wall, an outdoor unit outside and insulated copper between them. It is the cheapest, quietest and easiest type to service, which is why most homes and small offices end up with one.
Tell us the room and get split system quotes.
Get the Best QuoteWhy Mid-Wall Splits Dominate
- Cost. The least expensive type to buy and to fit, by a clear margin.
- Quiet indoors. The noisy half, the compressor, is outside.
- Simple installation. Two units, one pipe run, no ceiling work.
- Easy servicing. Filters and coil are reachable without opening a ceiling.
- Choice. Every brand sells them, at every capacity, with parts available.
- Reverse cycle. Almost all of them heat as well as cool.
Capacities and What They Suit
- 9000 BTU. A bedroom or a small study, up to roughly 16 square metres.
- 12000 BTU. A main bedroom or a small lounge, to roughly 25 square metres.
- 18000 BTU. A lounge or a medium office, to roughly 35 square metres.
- 24000 BTU. Open plan living, to roughly 45 square metres.
- Larger. Past that, consider two units or a different system type.
- Sizing matters. Too big short cycles and leaves the room cold and damp.
Inverter or Fixed Speed
- Fixed speed. Compressor on or off; cheaper to buy, dearer to run.
- Inverter. Varies its speed, holds temperature and uses far less power.
- Noise. An inverter at low speed is noticeably quieter.
- Load shedding. An inverter restarts more gracefully after an outage.
- Payback. On a unit used daily, the difference pays back in a few seasons.
- Light use. A guest room used twice a year is the case for fixed speed.
Split System Aircon Prices
Ballpark split system figures so you can check a quotation.
| Item | Ballpark price |
|---|---|
| 9000 BTU non-inverter, supplied and installed | R7,500 - R11,000 |
| 9000 BTU inverter, supplied and installed | R9,000 - R13,500 |
| 12000 BTU inverter, supplied and installed | R10,500 - R16,500 |
| 18000 BTU inverter, supplied and installed | R14,500 - R23,000 |
| 24000 BTU inverter, supplied and installed | R18,500 - R30,000 |
| Installation only, back to back | R3,000 - R6,500 |
| Extra pipe run, per metre | R350 - R750 |
| Removal of an old unit | R600 - R1,800 |
Prices JUST UPDATED. Ballpark figures, rounded, excluding VAT. They reflect typical South African aircon and refrigeration rates. They are not our prices or quotations, and no provider is bound by them. Confirm what each quotation includes, such as the unit capacity, the standard pipe run, the electrical work, making good and callout fees.
Get an installed price for your own room rather than a range.
Get the Best QuoteWhat Affects the Price
- Capacity. The BTU rating is the biggest single line.
- Inverter or fixed speed. An inverter adds to the price and takes it off the bill.
- Brand tier. Entry, mid and premium brands differ widely at the same capacity.
- Pipe run. Standard allowance, then priced per metre.
- Mounting. Brackets, a plinth, a roof position or scaffolding.
- Electrical. An existing point or a new circuit from the board.
What to Include in Your Request
- Room size. Length, width and ceiling height, roughly.
- Orientation and glass. West-facing and lots of windows change the capacity.
- The wall. Brick, drywall or a double-volume space.
- Distance to the outdoor position. In metres, roughly.
- Whether you want an inverter. Or want both priced.
- Any old unit to remove. And whether it must be disposed of.
Before the Installer Quotes
- Ask for the capacity in BTU. Not just a price and a brand.
- Ask for inverter and non-inverter. Then compare the running cost, not just the price.
- Check the warranty length. Compressor and parts are often different periods.
- Ask about parts availability. A cheap unit with no local spares is expensive later.
- Ask about the noise rating. For a bedroom it is worth the question.
- Confirm the pipe allowance. And the rate beyond it, in writing.
Split System Aircon FAQs
What is a split system aircon?
It is an air conditioner in two halves: an indoor unit on the wall that blows the cooled air, and an outdoor unit containing the compressor and condenser, joined by insulated copper refrigerant pipes and a drain. Splitting it that way puts all the noise and heat outside, which is why it has become the default type in South African homes and offices.
Is an inverter worth the extra?
On a unit that runs most days, yes. An inverter varies its compressor speed instead of switching on and off, so it holds the temperature steadily and draws much less power once the room is cool. On a guest room used a few times a year the saving never catches up with the extra cost, and a fixed-speed unit is the sensible buy.
How long does a split unit last?
Ten to fifteen years is normal for a well-installed unit that gets serviced. Near the coast, salt attacks the outdoor coil and shortens that, sometimes considerably, unless a coated coil is specified. Units that are never serviced tend to fail at the compressor somewhere around year seven or eight.
Can one outdoor unit run two rooms?
Not a standard split, no - it is one indoor to one outdoor. What you want for that is a multi-split, which is built for several indoor units on one outdoor unit. It costs more than a single split and less than two, and it means one unit outside instead of two.
How far apart can the two units be?
Most domestic units allow somewhere around fifteen metres of pipe and a height difference of several metres, with the exact limits in the manufacturer's manual. Longer runs need more refrigerant and sometimes a larger pipe size, and performance drops off as the run grows, so shorter is genuinely better.
Split systems are one of the types providers listed on Aircon Hub quote for, alongside multi-split, cassette and ducted units.
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