Air Conditioning Replacement Costs VIC 2026 - Get Free Quotes

Air Conditioning Replacement Costs in Victoria

Changing over an existing system in Victoria costs $1,400 to $3,600 for a split system, $6,500 to $12,000 for a multi split, and $6,000 to $22,000 for a ducted system depending on whether the ductwork stays. Those figures include taking the old equipment out and disposing of it lawfully. What separates the bottom of each range from the top is almost entirely what survives from the previous installation. Removal and degassing add $150 to $400 on top. A split swap sits at $1,400 to $3,600 and a multi split at $6,500 to $12,000. Ducted work spans $6,000 to $22,000 depending on the ductwork.

A changeover is a different job from a first installation and usually a cheaper one. The wall penetration already exists, the condenser has somewhere to sit, the electrical circuit is generally in place, and on a ducted system the ducting and ceiling outlets may all still be serviceable. That inherited infrastructure is what makes a swap economical. The wall penetration already exists and the condenser has somewhere to sit. It is also why a changeover quote is not comparable with a new install quote.

The refrigerant generation your old system runs is the factor households never anticipate. Systems installed across different periods use different refrigerants operating at different pressures, and that determines whether existing pipework can carry the new charge safely. It is the first question a competent installer will ask. That determines whether existing pipework can safely carry the new charge.

Capacity deserves rethinking rather than repeating. Households routinely ask for the same size again, which assumes nothing about the house has changed in fifteen years, and that assumption is frequently wrong. Insulation upgrades, new glazing, an extension or a different way of using the rooms all shift the load. A fresh assessment regularly changes the recommended capacity by a full step.

Changeover is also the moment when upgrades cost least. Adding zones to a ducted system, moving from a single split to a multi head arrangement, or repositioning an outdoor unit are all far cheaper while the installer is already there with the system open. Deferring them means paying the setup twice. Zoning and condenser relocation are the two worth pricing. Ask the installer to state it on the quote. Wall penetrations get resealed against water after any change.

Timing carries more weight on a replacement than on a repair. A planned changeover in autumn is cheaper, faster and better executed than an emergency one during a January heatwave, and a system showing its age gives you the luxury of choosing. Households who wait for total failure lose that. Equipment availability also narrows sharply through summer. January installations attract peak pricing and long waits.

What follows covers end of life signals, refrigerant compatibility, what can be reused, and how the changeover proceeds. Diagnosing whether the current system is actually finished sits under air conditioning repairs. Each stage is dealt with in the order it arises. Everything here assumes the decision to replace has been made. Diagnosis of the current fault sits elsewhere. Static pressure readings show whether ductwork is restricted.

Signals It Is Finished

Systems rarely announce their retirement cleanly. Recognising the pattern early gives you a planned replacement rather than an emergency one, which is worth real money. Recognising the pattern early is worth real money. The signals below are worth watching for individually. Watching for the pattern is what buys you a planned replacement.

Age alone is the crudest signal and still a useful one. Residential systems in Victoria generally give twelve to eighteen years depending on quality, siting and maintenance, with coastal installations at the lower end and well maintained inland ones at the upper. Past fifteen years you are in replacement territory regardless of current performance. Coastal installations sit at the lower end of that range. Well maintained inland systems reach the upper end of that range. Siting and servicing history explain most of the spread.

Rising running costs are the signal households miss because they arrive slowly. An ageing system loses efficiency gradually as coils foul, refrigerant charge drifts down and components wear, so the bill climbs by a little each year rather than jumping. Comparing this winter's usage against the same quarter three years ago reveals it. Quarterly bills are the easiest place to see it. Compare the same quarter across three years rather than consecutive ones.

Declining comfort follows the same gradual curve. Rooms that once reached temperature comfortably now take longer or never quite get there, and the system runs for extended periods without cycling off. That pattern indicates capacity loss rather than a discrete fault. Scrap value rarely offsets removal cost meaningfully. Rooms take longer to reach temperature than they once did. The system runs for extended periods without ever cycling off.

Noise developing over a season is a mechanical warning worth heeding. Bearings wearing in fan motors, compressors labouring and cabinets resonating all produce sounds that were not there previously. Noise that changes character rather than simply existing is the concerning version. Mounting holes rarely line up between generations. Bearings, compressors and cabinet panels all produce different sounds. Noise that changes character is the version worth acting on.

Efficiency gains available now strengthen every one of these. Inverter technology, better heat exchangers and improved controls mean a current system delivers considerably more output per unit of electricity than one installed in the early 2010s, and that gap is widest in heating mode. Melbourne households feel that difference through a long winter. The gap is widest in heating mode, which is where Melbourne households feel it. Variable speed compressors ramp instead of cycling hard.

The clearest signal of all is a pattern of repairs rather than any single fault. Two or three callouts across two years on the same system indicate components reaching the end of their service life collectively, and the next failure is unlikely to be the last. Working out whether a fault is terminal sits under air conditioning not cooling or heating. Existing outlet positions suit most replacement layouts. Two or three callouts across two years say more than any single fault. Components are reaching the end of their service life together.

The Refrigerant Shift

Refrigerant generations have changed twice in the working life of systems still installed in Victorian homes, and that history determines what a changeover involves. Very few households know which one they have.mines what a changeover actually involves. The data plate on the outdoor unit tells you within seconds. Everything about pipework reuse follows from that one answer.

The oldest systems still running use refrigerants that have been phased out of production entirely under international agreements. Servicing those units relies on recovered and reclaimed stock, which is expensive and shrinking, and no new equipment uses them. A system in this category is at the end of its practical life whatever its condition. Airflow balancing follows any capacity change. Servicing relies on recovered and reclaimed stock alone. Anti vibration mounts perish over a decade outdoors.

The middle generation covers most systems installed through the 2000s and 2010s. Those refrigerants remain available but are being reduced in supply under a global phase down, which pushes prices up steadily over time. Systems using them can still be serviced today and will become progressively more expensive to keep going. Prices climb steadily as the supply tightens. Those systems can still be serviced today without difficulty.

Current equipment from Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Fujitsu and Panasonic has largely moved to a newer refrigerant with a substantially lower environmental impact rating. It operates at higher pressures than the previous generation and is mildly flammable, which imposes handling requirements on technicians and affects what existing pipework can safely carry. Handling requirements follow from both properties. Technicians need specific training to handle it safely.

That pressure difference is the practical consequence for a changeover. Pipework installed for an older refrigerant may not be rated for the operating pressures of the current one, and a technician has to verify wall thickness and condition rather than assume. Where it does not comply, replacement pipework is the answer. A technician has to verify wall thickness rather than assume it. Wall thickness on older copper is what gets checked. Condenser footprints have shrunk across recent generations.

Mineral oil residue is the second compatibility issue and it is less obvious. Older systems used mineral oils that do not mix with the synthetic oils in current equipment, and residue left in reused pipework can compromise the new compressor. Flushing removes it where the lines are otherwise sound. Some installers decline to reuse lines from that era at all.

Ask which refrigerant your existing system uses before seeking quotes. The data plate on the outdoor unit states it plainly, and knowing it lets an installer tell you immediately whether pipework reuse is on the table. System selection generally sits under air conditioning costs. It appears alongside the model and serial numbers on the same plate. Filter driers are replaced on every changeover as standard.

Reusing Pipework

Refrigerant pipework is the item most often argued about on a changeover quote, because reusing it saves several hundred dollars and doing so wrongly wrecks a new compressor. Both positions are defensible depending on what is actually there. Four tests decide whether reuse is viable. Each is quick for a technician to check on site. They are set out below in order. Plenum boxes often outlast the flexible duct attached to them.

Line size is the first test and the simplest to settle. Every system specifies suction and liquid line diameters for its capacity, and existing pipework sized for a different unit may be too small or too large. Undersized lines restrict flow and starve the system while oversized ones affect oil return. Diameters are printed in the installation manual for every model. A technician checks them against what is already installed.

Pressure rating follows from the refrigerant question. Copper installed decades ago may have thinner walls than current standards require for higher pressure refrigerants, and a technician should verify rather than assume. This is a safety matter rather than a performance one. Wall thickness on older copper is the specific thing being checked.

Physical condition matters as much as specification. Pipework that has been kinked, crushed, corroded at the fixings or exposed with degraded insulation for years is not worth saving. Insulation perished by ultraviolet exposure is a common finding on Victorian installations where lines run externally. Lines run externally on Victorian homes weather considerably faster than concealed ones. Access valves may need fitting where an older installation has none.

Contamination is the risk that ends most reuse arguments. Where the old system failed with a burnt out compressor, acid and debris will have circulated through the lines, and reusing them without thorough flushing transfers that straight into the new equipment. Some installers decline outright in that situation. Packaging waste leaves with the installation crew. Acid and debris circulate through the lines after a burnt out compressor. Transferring that into new equipment ruins it quickly.

Flushing is the process that makes reuse viable where it is otherwise sound. A proprietary flushing agent is pushed through the lines to remove old oil and residue, then the pipework is dried and pressure tested before the new system is connected. It takes time and a competent installer charges for it. The pipework is then dried and pressure tested before connection. A proprietary agent clears old oil and residue from the lines. Drying and pressure testing follow before anything is connected.

Replacing pipework costs $400 to $1,200 depending on the run and access. Where lines are buried in a wall or run under a slab that figure rises considerably, and in those cases flushing becomes the more attractive option. Full installation practice sits under air conditioning installation. Buried or slab run lines push that figure considerably higher. Access photographs prevent surprises on delivery day.

Reusing Ductwork

On a ducted changeover the ductwork is the single biggest cost variable, and keeping it turns a $20,000 job into a $9,000 one. Whether it should be kept is a genuine assessment rather than a formality. Keeping it turns a twenty thousand dollar job into a nine thousand dollar one. Flexible duct has a practical life of fifteen to twenty years here. Whether yours is past that is a genuine assessment. Pad sizes rarely match exactly between old and new units.

Age is the primary consideration on any existing ductwork. Ducting older than that is usually approaching replacement regardless of appearance. Flexible duct has a practical life of roughly fifteen to twenty years in a Melbourne roof cavity. Summer heat there ages the inner liner faster than the rated life suggests.

Insulation performance is where old ducting quietly fails. Standards have improved and older duct frequently carries far less insulation than current product, which means conditioned air arrives at the outlet several degrees off what left the plant. Upgrading it recovers capacity you have been paying for and not receiving. R values are marked on the duct sleeve itself. Standards have improved since most existing duct was installed. Bracket dimensions differ from one manufacturer to another.

Physical damage should be inspected rather than assumed. Ducts crushed where somebody has stood in the roof, joints separated by thermal cycling, rodent damage and sections sagging between supports all reduce delivery. A proper assessment means somebody going into the roof cavity with a light. Unsupported runs drooping between straps turn up constantly. Rodent damage in roof cavities runs a close second.

Sizing may not suit the new equipment. A replacement head unit with different airflow characteristics needs ductwork matched to it, and existing duct sized for the old system may restrict the new one. This applies particularly when upsizing capacity. Restricted ductwork strangles an otherwise sound installation.

Contamination is worth considering on older systems. Decades of dust, and in some cases mould where condensation has occurred, sit inside ducting that has never been cleaned, and a new system will circulate that through the house. Assessment of that sits under duct cleaning and sanitisation. A new system will circulate whatever is in there. Decades of dust sit inside ducting nobody has ever cleaned.

Ceiling outlets and grilles are usually reusable and cheap to replace where not. Where positions suit the new layout and the grilles are undamaged, keeping them saves both money and ceiling patching. Replacement runs $120 to $300 per outlet, and ducted work generally sits under ducted air conditioning installation. Plenum condition is worth checking during assessment. Retaining them avoids plaster repairs around every outlet. New grilles are inexpensive where a position really has to move.

Rethinking the Capacity

Asking for the same size again is the default and frequently the wrong call. The house you are conditioning now is not the house the original system was specified for. Fifteen years of changes rarely leave the load where it started. Load assessment should start from the house as it stands today.

Improvements to the building envelope reduce the load substantially. Ceiling insulation added or upgraded, double glazing installed, draught sealing done or wall insulation retrofitted all mean the house holds temperature better and needs less capacity. Households who have done that work and then replace like for like end up oversized. Sensor positions may need reviewing after a swap. Ceiling insulation, double glazing and draught sealing all shift the number downward. Drain lines are worth replacing while everything is accessible.

Oversizing carries real penalties rather than just costing more upfront. A system too large for its load cools the air quickly then shuts off, cycling repeatedly, which uses more electricity than steady operation and removes less humidity because the run times are short. The room ends up cold and clammy. A system too large cools quickly then cycles repeatedly. Short run times remove less humidity, so the room feels cold and clammy.

Extensions and layout changes push the other way. A room opened into an adjoining space, a deck enclosed, or a rear extension added all increase the volume a system serves, and the original capacity may now be inadequate. Under those circumstances an upsize is the right call. An enclosed deck or a rear addition both count.

Usage patterns change over the years a system runs. A household working from home conditions living areas through the day in a way nobody did fifteen years ago, and children moving out changes which rooms matter. Zoning arrangements should follow how the house is used now. Children leaving home changes which rooms matter most. Working from home changes when conditioning is needed. Condensate pumps have a limited service life of their own.

Original sizing may simply have been wrong. Systems specified from floor area alone rather than a proper load assessment are frequently mismatched from day one, and households who have lived with a system that never quite performed should say so at quoting stage. Changeover is the chance to correct it. Systems specified from floor area alone are frequently mismatched from day one.

Insist on a fresh load assessment rather than a capacity match. An installer who asks about insulation, glazing, orientation and occupancy is doing the job properly, while one who reads the old data plate and quotes the same number is not. Envelope improvements sit under ceiling and wall insulation installation. An installer reading the old data plate is not doing that. An installer asking about insulation, glazing and occupancy is doing the job. Return air sizing should be reassessed at changeover.

Upgrade Paths

Changeover is the cheapest moment to change what the system does, not merely how well it does it. Deferring an upgrade to a later date means paying for the setup twice. Ceilings, pipework and the electrical circuit are all already open at that point. The options worth pricing are set out below. Site protection covers floors during removal as much as installation.

Adding zones to an existing ducted system is the most valuable upgrade available. Dividing the house so living areas run by day and bedrooms overnight rather than conditioning everything continuously halves the running cost, and installing dampers and a controller while the system is already open costs far less than retrofitting later. Controls are covered under thermostat and zone controller installation. Retrofitting the same work later costs several times more. Dividing the house so bedrooms and living areas run separately cuts consumption sharply. Dampers and a controller cost far less while the ceiling is open.

Moving from separate splits to a multi split arrangement suits properties running out of outdoor space. Where three individual condensers crowd a small courtyard or side passage, consolidating to one outdoor unit serving several heads frees the space and tidies the appearance. That approach sits under multi split air conditioning installation. That frees the space and tidies the appearance considerably. Three individual condensers in a small courtyard is a common Melbourne problem. Consolidating frees the space and simplifies approvals.

Going the other way is sometimes better. Households with an ageing ducted system in a house where only two rooms actually get used may find two well placed splits cheaper to install and far cheaper to run. That is worth pricing properly rather than assuming ducted must be replaced with ducted. Households using only two rooms rarely need whole house ducting. Scrap metal recovery happens only after degassing.

Relocating the outdoor unit costs little during a changeover. A condenser sited badly fifteen years ago, in full western sun or against a neighbour's bedroom wall, can be moved to a better position while the pipework is being run anyway. Doing that as a separate job later costs several times more. Full western sun or a neighbour's bedroom wall are both worth escaping. The pipework is being run anyway.

Adding a head to an existing multi split is sometimes possible without full replacement. Where the outdoor unit has spare capacity and remaining life, extending to serve one more room may be a modest job. Ask specifically rather than assuming a whole system change is required. Branch box capacity is the limiting factor on most systems. Recovery cylinders are weighed before and after the work. Balancing dampers set the airflow reaching each room.

Controller upgrades come almost free at changeover. Modern controllers offer scheduling, wireless operation and usage monitoring that legacy wall units do not, and the wiring work is being done regardless. Split system work sits under split system installation. The wiring work is being done regardless. Scheduling, wireless operation and usage monitoring all become available.

The Changeover Itself

A changeover proceeds differently from a new installation and generally faster. Knowing the sequence helps you plan around the disruption. Each stage is set out below in the order it actually happens. Ducted jobs retaining the existing ductwork move fastest of all. Manufacturer registration activates the warranty period. Superheat readings confirm the charge under real load.

Recovery comes first and it is licensed work. Refrigerant is pumped out of the old system into a recovery cylinder rather than released, weighed, and sent for reclamation or destruction. This is a legal requirement rather than best practice, and any operator proposing to simply vent a system is committing an offence. Venting a system is an offence rather than a shortcut. Refrigerant is pumped into a cylinder rather than released.

Removal follows and is usually quick. The indoor and outdoor units come off their mountings and out of the property, and on a split system this takes under an hour. Disposal follows waste requirements administered by the EPA Victoria rather than going out with household rubbish. On a split system the units come off their mountings in under an hour. Compliance certificates follow any electrical alteration. Grille positions rarely need moving during a straight swap.

Assessment of the retained infrastructure happens with everything exposed. Pipework condition, the electrical circuit rating, the condenser base and on ducted systems the ductwork are all inspected once the old equipment is out. This is the point at which a quoted assumption occasionally becomes a variation. Ask what would trigger one before the work begins. Nitrogen purging during brazing keeps scale out of the new pipework.

Preparation work follows any decision to replace elements. New pipework is run, flushing is done where lines are being kept, brackets or pads are adjusted for the new unit dimensions, and electrical work proceeds where the circuit needs upgrading. On a ducted job this is where new ductwork goes in. Grille positions rarely need moving on a swap. New pipework is run and flushing done where lines are retained. Brackets and pads are adjusted to suit the new unit dimensions.

Installation and commissioning close the job the same way a new installation does. The new equipment is mounted, connected, evacuated, charged by weight and tested in both modes, with the readings recorded. Insist on that documentation exactly as you would on a first installation. Weighed charge and temperature differential both belong on the paperwork. Standing pressure tests run over hours rather than minutes.

Timelines run half a day to a day for a split system swap, one to two days for a multi split, and one to three days for a ducted changeover depending on whether ductwork is replaced. Ducted jobs keeping the existing ducting are markedly quicker than full installations. Multi split changeovers take one to two days. Ducted work runs one to three days depending on the ductwork. Commissioning readings belong on the handover paperwork.

Victorian Conditions

Four Victorian factors bear on replacement decisions specifically, distinct from anything affecting a new installation. Each is worth raising at quoting stage. None appears in national product literature. All four affect either the timing or the specification. Serial numbers should be recorded before the crew leaves. Amp draw against the rating plate reveals compressor health.

Coastal service life is the first and it shortens the replacement cycle noticeably. Outdoor units through the bayside suburbs from Williamstown around to Frankston, along the Bellarine and across the Mornington Peninsula corrode at the coil and cabinet, and households there frequently replace at ten to twelve years rather than fifteen to eighteen. Specifying a coastal rated unit at changeover extends the next cycle. Households near the bay frequently replace at ten to twelve years. Salt corrodes coil fins and cabinets across the bayside suburbs.

The long heating season is the second and it changes what a replacement should prioritise. Because Victorian systems spend most of their operating hours heating, efficiency improvements in heating mode deliver more value here than cooling improvements, and low ambient heating performance deserves attention. Ask for output figures at low outdoor temperature rather than accepting the headline rating. Heating efficiency gains deliver more value here than cooling gains. Low ambient heating performance deserves separate attention.

Melbourne's ageing housing stock is the third and it affects reuse decisions directly. Systems installed in the 1990s and 2000s into period homes frequently have pipework run externally and exposed to weather for two decades, which perishes insulation and corrodes fittings. Assume less is reusable on an older property. Externally run pipework two decades old rarely survives assessment. Two decades of weather perishes lagging and corrodes fittings. A micron reading is taken rather than estimated by time.

Seasonal scheduling is the fourth and it is the one households control. Replacement quotes in autumn attract better prices and faster installation than the same job during a heatwave, and equipment availability is better outside the peak. Autumn quotes attract better prices and faster installation. Equipment availability is also better outside the peak. Reclaimed refrigerant is processed rather than reused directly.

Apartment and townhouse replacements carry their own constraints. Owners corporation approval may be needed to change equipment on common property, lift access has to be arranged, and the replacement unit may need to fit the existing condenser position exactly. Check the building rules before ordering anything. Written approval is often needed before equipment touches common property. Lift access usually has to be booked in advance.

Regional replacement carries a supply consideration alongside travel. Equipment availability through country wholesalers is thinner than in Melbourne, particularly for specific models, so lead times stretch during peak periods. Ordering ahead is what secures the unit you chose rather than the one available. Country wholesalers carry narrower stock than Melbourne suppliers. Waste tracking applies to commercial quantities of refrigerant. Measured delivery tells you whether the design was achieved.

What Affects the Cost

What can be reused is the largest variable by a considerable margin. A ducted changeover keeping serviceable ductwork runs $6,000 to $11,000, while the same job with new ducting reaches $10,000 to $22,000. Pipework, circuits and mountings all work the same way at smaller scale. Ductwork is the single largest line on any ducted changeover. Schrader cores get renewed whenever a circuit is opened.

Refrigerant compatibility drives the pipework decision and therefore the price. Where existing lines suit the new system and can be flushed, the saving is $400 to $1,200, and where they cannot, that becomes an added line rather than a saving. Establishing which applies is a five minute check on the data plate. Ask for the answer before comparing any two quotes. Packaging and offcuts leave with the crew rather than staying. Zone motor protocols differ between manufacturers entirely.

Capacity changes cost more than like for like swaps. Upsizing may require larger pipework, a heavier electrical circuit and on ducted systems larger ducting, so the additional capacity brings additional infrastructure with it. Downsizing rarely reduces the cost below a straight swap. Upsizing may require larger pipework and a heavier circuit.

Removal and disposal add $150 to $400 including recovery of refrigerant by a licensed technician. Older ducted systems with substantial plant to extract from a roof cavity sit at the upper end. This line appears on every changeover quote and its absence is worth querying. Its absence from a quote is worth querying. Recovery must be performed by a licensed technician. Wiring for zoning may already run through the ceiling.

Upgrades taken at changeover add to the invoice while costing less than they would separately. Zone dampers and a controller, relocating the condenser, or new outlets each carry their own price. Weigh each against what retrofitting the same work would cost in three years. Zoning is almost always the one worth taking.

Electrical work depends entirely on what is already there. An existing circuit suited to the new unit costs nothing, one needing replacement runs $250 to $600, and a switchboard without capacity brings a larger job. That work sits under switchboard upgrade. A switchboard without capacity brings a considerably larger job. Copper work hardens and cracks after repeated flaring. Controller wiring runs are usually reusable as they stand.

Melbourne and Regional Victorian Pricing

Changeover pricing holds reasonably steady across metropolitan Melbourne, with the property explaining more variation than the postcode. The tables below assume a like for like replacement with existing infrastructure retained where serviceable. Access and wall construction account for most of the remainder. Neither table includes plumbing or electrical upgrades.

Two things about Melbourne housing account for that spread on replacement work. Older inner suburban installations have more weathered infrastructure and less that can be reused, which pushes quotes up before any equipment is priced. Growth corridor properties have newer installations with pipework and circuits that frequently suit a straight swap. Older installations simply yield less that can be carried over. Pipe supports prevent stress building at the joints.

Regional changeovers carry travel in the labour rate rather than as a separate line. A crew driving two hours to swap a split system builds that into the figure, and businesses running several jobs through a district on one day spread it further. Asking about their schedule can help. Autumn bookings avoid the summer scramble entirely. A crew driving two hours builds that into the figure. Businesses running several jobs through a district spread it further.

Equipment supply is the regional constraint that matters more than price. Country wholesalers carry narrower stock than Melbourne, so a specific model may take days or weeks to arrive, and during a peak that stretches further. Deciding early and ordering ahead is what avoids accepting a substitute. Lead times stretch further again during peak replacement months. Ordering early secures the model you actually chose.

Older regional housing frequently yields less reusable infrastructure. Farmhouses and older town properties often have installations that predate current standards in both pipework and electrical work, so quotes there assume more replacement. Have both assessed before committing to a figure. Farmhouse switchboards in particular predate current requirements. Both pipework and electrical work often predate current standards. Usage monitoring reveals which zones cost the most to run.

Coastal properties across the Bellarine, the Surf Coast and the Peninsula replace more often and should specify accordingly. Choosing a coastal rated unit at changeover costs a modest premium and extends the next replacement cycle meaningfully. That calculation favours specifying up rather than matching. Choosing a coastal rated unit costs a modest premium.

What to Look Out For

It also tells you how close the system is to being unsupportable. Gases phased out of production cannot be topped up at all. Servicing then relies entirely on reclaimed stock, which tightens every year. Reclaimed stock is all that remains and it thins each year. Lagging replaced after a repair should run continuously.

Ask specifically what the quote assumes about reuse. A figure built on keeping the pipework, ductwork and circuit is not comparable with one that prices replacing them, and the difference surfaces as a variation once the old system is out. Get every one of those assumptions written down. Differences surface as variations once the old system is out.

Insist on a fresh load calculation rather than a capacity match. Envelope improvements since the original installation may mean you need less capacity, while an extension may mean more, and matching the old data plate ignores both. One reading the old data plate is not. Matching the old data plate ignores everything that has changed since. Ask what the installer based the new figure on.

Establish who inspects the ductwork on a ducted changeover and when. That assessment needs somebody physically in the roof. An assessment made from below is a guess. Ask when that inspection will happen and who attends.

Ask whether flushing is included where pipework is being retained. Old mineral oil residue and any contamination from a failed compressor will damage new equipment, and flushing is the process that prevents it. An installer connecting to old lines without addressing it is cutting a corner. It takes time and a competent business charges for it. Wiring entry points are glanded and sealed against weather.

Take the upgrades worth having while the system is open. Zoning, condenser relocation and controller upgrades all cost a fraction of what they would as separate jobs later. Ask for them priced as options rather than deciding on the spot. Nothing obliges you to take any of them.

Confirm removal, degassing and disposal are included in the price. Refrigerant recovery is licensed work under the Australian Refrigeration Council scheme and disposal follows EPA Victoria requirements. Contract terms sit with Consumer Affairs Victoria and disputes at VCAT. Both requirements are legal rather than optional. Isolator switches are renewed where corrosion has set in.

What to Look for in a Quote in VIC

A changeover quote worth comparing names the new model and capacity, states exactly what existing infrastructure is being retained and what replaced, confirms whether flushing applies to retained pipework, includes removal and disposal of the old system, prices any upgrades separately, and lists what would become a variation. A single figure hides all the decisions that matter. It should state what is retained and what is replaced. Removal and disposal belong on the same document.

Send every installer the same information. Provide the existing brand, model and refrigerant from the data plate, the system age, photographs of both units and the switchboard, the rooms served, any changes made to the house since installation, and your suburb. That detail is what lets somebody quote rather than estimate. Photographs of both units and the switchboard matter more than descriptions. Quotes only compare properly when everybody got the same brief.

Four questions will show whether a changeover has been considered or just quoted. What refrigerant does the old system use and does the pipework suit the new one, how was the replacement capacity determined, what exactly is being reused, and what would trigger a variation. Clear answers on all four point to an installer worth engaging. Ask them before the site visit rather than afterwards.

Price the upgrade options alongside the straight swap. Zoning in particular changes running costs substantially and never costs less than it does during a changeover, so seeing both figures makes the decision informed rather than reactive. Ask for them as separate lines. A quote that bundles everything into one figure hides what each element costs.

Plan the replacement rather than waiting for failure. A changeover arranged in a quiet month costs less, proceeds faster and lets you choose the equipment rather than accepting what is available. Putting the job on The Quote Yard gets one brief to several Victorian installers, and system types sit under reverse cycle air conditioning. Choosing the equipment beats accepting what is available. A changeover arranged in a quiet month proceeds faster.