For homeowners who want their whole house comfortable, without visible units mounted on every wall, ducted air conditioning is the system of choice. A single central unit, concealed ductwork running through the ceiling, and discreet outlets in each room deliver whole-home climate control while keeping the aesthetic of your home clean and uncluttered.
It’s a bigger job than installing a split system, and it needs to be designed properly around your home’s actual layout — which is exactly what we focus on with every ducted installation we carry out across Perth.
A ducted system consists of a central air handling unit — usually installed in the roof space — connected to a network of insulated ducting that runs to outlets in each room, typically in the ceiling. Air is drawn in, cooled or heated, and distributed through the ductwork to every zoned area of the home. Unlike split systems, there’s no visible indoor unit in each room; instead, you see a discreet ceiling grille, and control is handled through a central wall-mounted panel or app.
Most ducted systems installed today are reverse cycle and zoned, meaning different areas of the home can be set to run — or not run — independently, so you’re not paying to cool or heat rooms that aren’t in use.
A single, properly designed ducted system can service an entire house, rather than requiring a separate unit in every room.
With no indoor units mounted on walls, ducted systems keep your interior looking uncluttered — just discreet ceiling outlets and a central control panel.
A well-designed ducted system is split into zones, letting you run air conditioning only in the areas of the house currently in use, rather than conditioning the whole home at once.
Properly designed ductwork distributes air evenly throughout the home, avoiding the hot and cold spots that can occur with multiple standalone units.
Ducted systems are often seen as a premium feature by buyers and renters, and can be a genuine selling point for the property.
Because ductwork needs roof space and is far easier to install before ceilings are closed up, ducted systems are a natural fit for new construction or substantial renovation projects.
We inspect your property, including roof space, floor plan, existing insulation, and window placement, to understand what the system needs to deliver.
This is the most critical stage of a ducted installation. We calculate the total heating and cooling load for the home, design zones based on how the house is actually used, and plan duct runs to deliver even airflow to every outlet without excessive pressure loss or noise. Poorly designed ductwork is one of the most common causes of underperforming ducted systems — even an excellent unit will disappoint if the ducting and zoning around it are done poorly.
You receive an itemised quote covering the central unit, ductwork, outlets, zoning controls, and any additional electrical work required.
Ducted installations take longer than a single split system, so we work with you to schedule the job with minimal disruption, particularly if the home is currently occupied.
Our licensed technicians install the central unit, run and insulate all ductwork, fit ceiling outlets, wire the zoning and control system, and complete all necessary electrical work.
We test the system across every zone, balance airflow to each outlet, and confirm the zoning controls are working correctly before walking you through operation. You'll receive warranty and compliance documentation covering the unit and our workmanship.
One of the biggest advantages of a modern ducted system is zoning — the ability to divide the home into separate areas that can be run independently rather than heating or cooling the entire house at once.
A well-zoned system might separate bedrooms from living areas, or upstairs from downstairs, allowing you to run just the zone you’re using rather than the whole home. This has a direct impact on running costs, since conditioning an entire house when you’re only using two rooms is one of the most common sources of unnecessary energy use in ducted systems that haven’t been zoned properly.
We design zoning around how you actually live in the home, not just a generic room-by-room split.
This depends on the size of your home, your budget, and how you use the space.
Ducted air conditioning tends to suit larger homes where most or all rooms need climate control, new builds and major renovations where ductwork can be planned in from the start, and homeowners who want a clean interior aesthetic with no visible indoor units.
Split or multi-split systems tend to suit smaller homes, properties without existing roof space suitable for ductwork, situations where only specific rooms need coverage, and budgets where the higher upfront cost of a full ducted system isn’t justified by the coverage needed.
We’ll walk you through an honest comparison during your site assessment, including realistic cost differences, rather than assuming ducted is automatically the “better” option for every property.
We account for all of these factors in your free, itemised quote following the site assessment.
If you’re building a new home or undertaking a major renovation, the ideal time to plan ducted air conditioning is before the ceiling goes up. We work with builders, project managers, and homeowners directly to design the ductwork and zoning around the approved floor plan, coordinating installation timing with the broader construction schedule so ducting goes in at the right stage of the build.
We install ducted air conditioning systems across the greater Perth metro area, covering homes in the northern suburbs, southern suburbs, eastern corridor, and inner-city precincts, as well as new estates and established homes throughout the region. Get in touch to confirm coverage for your property.
Costs vary significantly based on home size, number of zones, and whether it's a new build or retrofit into an existing ceiling. Ducted systems have a higher upfront cost than split systems but cover the whole home from a single system. We provide a free, itemised quote after assessing your specific property.
A typical residential ducted installation takes anywhere from two to five days depending on home size, number of zones, and roof access, though new-build installations coordinated with construction can sometimes be more efficient.
Yes, though it depends on available roof space and ceiling access. Some homes, particularly those with limited roof cavity or complex rooflines, are more straightforward to retrofit than others. We assess this during the site visit.
Zoning divides the ducted system into separate areas that can run independently, so you're not conditioning the whole house when only part of it is in use. We strongly recommend zoning for any home with more than a couple of rooms, since it has a direct and significant impact on running costs.
Not necessarily — a well-zoned ducted system, used correctly, can be efficient to run since you're only conditioning zones in use. An unzoned system, or one used without zoning discipline (running the whole house when only one room is occupied), will generally cost more to run than an equivalent split system.
Most standard residential ducted installations don't require council approval, though this can vary depending on your property type, heritage overlays, or strata requirements. We can advise on this during the site assessment.
Properly designed ductwork with correctly sized outlets and adequate duct diameter should run quietly. Excessive noise is usually a sign of undersized ducting or poor design, which is why the design stage of installation matters as much as the unit itself.
This depends on the original system's design and central unit capacity. Some systems have room for additional zoning to be added later; others would require more significant modification. We can assess your existing system and advise.
If you’re building, renovating, or simply ready to upgrade to whole-home climate control, get in touch for a free site assessment and quote. We’ll design a ducted system and zoning layout around how you actually use your home, not a generic template.
Contact us today for a free quote on ducted air conditioning installation across Perth.
