Multi-split air conditioning: several rooms, one outdoor unit

Multi-split prices

Each price includes one outdoor unit, a 2.5 kW wall unit in each room with up to 5 m of pipe per room in white trunking, an outdoor bracket, commissioning and warranty registration.

• Two rooms, one outdoor unit

  Multi-split

  from£3,650inc. VAT

• Three rooms

  Multi-split

  from£5,100inc. VAT

• Four rooms

  Multi-split

  from£6,500inc. VAT

Single split, multi-split or several single splits?

There's no single right answer. It depends on how many rooms you want to cool or heat, how you use them and how many outdoor units your walls can take.

How many rooms can one outdoor unit run?

Most home multi-split outdoor units run between two and five indoor units. Larger models take more, but beyond four or five rooms a second system is often the better design.

The outdoor unit is sized for the rooms you'll use at the same time, within limits the manufacturer sets for total indoor capacity, pipe length and height between units. Those limits differ by model, so we check them against your actual pipe routes at the survey rather than guessing from a brochure.

If you think you'll add a room later, such as a loft conversion, tell us at the survey. We can choose an outdoor unit with a spare connection and enough capacity, so the new room can be added without replacing it.

Why people choose a multi-split

The main reason is the outside of the house. One outdoor unit is easier to place, easier to hide and easier to get past planning and a freeholder than three or four.

• One outdoor unit instead of one per room, which keeps the back wall, balcony or garden tidy
• On most houses and blocks of flats in England, permitted development allows only one outdoor unit, so a multi-split often avoids a planning application
• Each room has its own indoor unit, remote and temperature
• Usually a little cheaper than the same number of single splits
• One service visit covers the whole system

The trade-offs

A multi-split isn't always the best choice. If you mostly use one room, a single split for that room is cheaper to buy and to run.

• If the outdoor unit fails, every room on it stops until it's fixed
• All rooms run in the same mode, so one room can't heat while another cools
• Running one small room on a large outdoor unit is less efficient than a matched single split
• Longer pipe runs to distant rooms can mean extra pipe, trunking or a condensate pump
• Adding a room later only works if the outdoor unit was chosen with spare capacity

Mixing unit types and brands

On most of our brands' multi-split ranges you can mix indoor unit styles on one outdoor unit: wall units in bedrooms, a floor-standing console in a loft with sloping ceilings, or a concealed ducted unit where you only want a grille to show. Design ranges such as Daikin Emura, Mitsubishi Electric Zen and LG Artcool can go in the rooms where looks matter most.

All indoor units on one system must be the same brand as the outdoor unit. We install multi-splits from Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, LG and Panasonic, and recommend a model once we know your rooms.

How a multi-split install runs

1. 1

   Survey

   We size each room, plan where the outdoor unit goes and how every pipe will reach it, and check your electrics.

2. 2

   Written quote

   A fixed price for the whole system, with the model, pipe routes, any extras and the manufacturer warranty set out in writing.

3. 3

   Pipes and outdoor unit

   We fit the outdoor unit and run the pipework to each room in trunking or through hidden routes we've agreed.

4. 4

   Indoor units

   Each indoor unit is mounted level, connected and drained. Two to four rooms usually take 1–3 days in total.

5. 5

   Commission and hand over

   Every circuit is pressure tested and vacuumed, then the system is checked room by room in cooling and heating. We show you the controls and register the warranty.

Multi-split questions