The quote, already started
⚠️ These are starting numbers, not market rates. Put your own in.
What the job actually is
- Size the unit for the room, the aspect, the glazing and the climate.
- Open the switchboard. Spare ways, main rating, RCD, and the general state of it.
- Agree the indoor head position and, with the customer, where the outdoor unit goes.
- Plan the pipe run — back-to-back, along a wall, or through the roof space.
- Mount the indoor bracket, level, and core drill through the wall.
- Set the outdoor unit on brackets, a stand or a base.
- Run and insulate the refrigerant pipe, the drain and the interconnecting cable.
- Connect the electrical to the dedicated circuit.
- Pressure test, evacuate, and release the charge.
- Commission, check the drain runs, make good the wall, and show the customer how it works.
Materials
- The unit — brand, model, capacity in kW, inverter or fixed, and whose warranty it carries.
- Wall bracket or outdoor stand, and anti-vibration mounts.
- Refrigerant pipe pair in the sizes the unit calls for, plus insulation and tape.
- Condensate drain, and a pump if it cannot fall to somewhere sensible.
- Interconnecting cable and the electrical to the board — the maximum demand calculator is worth running before you promise a dedicated circuit.
- Isolator, where required.
- Core drill, wall sleeve, sealant and trunking if the run is external.
Size the unit before you price it, and say what the size is based on. The air conditioner sizing calculator gives a kW starting point from room size and climate — and it says on its own face that it is a rule of thumb rather than a heat-load calculation, because no Australian Standard sits behind a kW-per-square-metre figure. Quoting a unit that turns out to be undersized in the first heatwave is the one mistake in this trade that comes back with an audience.
What the price assumes
- A dedicated circuit exists at the board, or a new one is priced as its own line.
- The switchboard has a spare way and is in serviceable condition.
- The pipe run is the length stated, with a rate for each extra metre.
- The outdoor unit goes where the quote says, at ground or wall-bracket height.
- The wall is a standard construction that can be core drilled.
- The condensate can fall to a suitable discharge point without a pump.
- Making good is patching only, not painting.
- No asbestos, and no strata or body-corporate approval outstanding.
Extras that come up
- A new dedicated circuit, and the switchboard work that may come with it.
- Extra pipe run beyond the metres quoted — which is why the rate belongs on the quote.
- A condensate pump, where gravity will not do it.
- A roof or high wall position for the outdoor unit, needing access equipment.
- Removing and disposing of an old unit, which has to be degassed lawfully.
- Painting the trunking or the patch, if the customer expects it invisible.
- Strata or body-corporate approval, which is the customer's to obtain and can hold the job for weeks.
- A second head or a multi-split, which is a different install entirely.
Things nobody charges for, and should
- Walking the pipe run with the customer, which is also the conversation that settles the outdoor unit location.
- Core drilling and cleaning up the dust, which goes everywhere.
- Evacuation time, which is not instant and cannot be rushed.
- Commissioning and the handover — actually showing someone how the remote works.
- Disposing of the packaging, which for a split system is a car boot full.
- Travel and the return visit if the electrical is a separate trip.
A worked example
A 7.1 kW inverter split system in a living room, indoor head on an external wall with the outdoor unit directly behind on brackets, short back-to-back run, existing dedicated circuit available at the board, standard brick veneer wall, patching only. Installer registered for GST.
| Line | Qty | Rate | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supply 7.1kW inverter split system, incl. warranty | 1 ea | $2,180.00 | $2,180.00 |
| Install indoor head — bracket, core drill and level | 1 ea | $460.00 | $460.00 |
| Install outdoor unit on wall brackets | 1 ea | $380.00 | $380.00 |
| Refrigerant pipe, drain and insulation | 3 lm | $78.00 | $234.00 |
| Electrical — connect to existing dedicated circuit | 1 job | $340.00 | $340.00 |
| Pressure test, evacuate, commission and hand over | 1 job | $290.00 | $290.00 |
| Make good, remove packaging and site tidy | 1 job | $150.00 | $150.00 |
| Subtotal | $4,034.00 | ||
| GST (10%) | $403.40 | ||
| Total inc GST | $4,437.40 | ||
| Deposit (25%) | $1,109.35 | ||
| Balance on completion | $3,328.05 |
These are starting numbers, not market rates. Put your own in. Every figure above comes from the line items in the builder at the top of this page.
Start this quote in Yamate — the lines, not the prices →The app fills in the same line descriptions and leaves every amount blank for you. Your prices, not ours.
Yamate keeps your rates and your standard lines, so the next one of these is a few taps rather than a blank page — then turns the accepted quote into the invoice without retyping it.
FAQ
What size split system does a room need?
It depends on the room size, the climate, the insulation, the glazing and which way it faces. The air conditioner sizing calculator gives a kW starting point from room size and climate — and it says on its own face that it is a rule of thumb, not a heat-load calculation, because no Australian Standard sits behind a kW-per-square-metre figure.
Why do two split system quotes differ so much?
Almost always the pipe run, the electrical, or where the outdoor unit goes — none of which a customer can see from a brochure. Stating all three is what makes a higher quote explicable rather than just higher.
Does a split system need its own circuit?
Usually, and whether the switchboard can provide one is the single biggest variable in the price. Look at the board before quoting; the maximum demand calculator helps with the rest.
Should I take a deposit for a split system install?
Usually yes, because you pay the wholesaler for the unit before it goes on the wall and a cancelled job leaves you holding it. Put it on the quote as a percentage and check your state's rules on deposit limits.
Work out the materials first
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General information for licensed Australian installers, not legal, technical or financial advice, and not instructions for doing refrigeration or electrical work. The rates on this page are starting points rather than market prices, and every figure is an estimate based on what you type in. Refrigerant handling and electrical licensing are set nationally and by each state — check what applies to you before relying on this page.