How much does air conditioning cost in Ireland?

€300–€700 for a portable unit, €3,000–€5,000 installed for a single-room wall-mounted split system, or €5,000–€8,000 for a multi-room system.

Which type of air conditioning is best for a home?

A wall-mounted split system for most homes. It is quiet, cheap to run and heats as well as cools, at €3,000–€5,000 installed for one room. A multi-room system at €5,000–€8,000 suits a house that overheats upstairs and down. A portable unit at €300–€700 is enough for one bedroom for a few weeks a year.

Can an air conditioning unit heat my house too?

Yes. Every modern split system is an air to air heat pump. In heating mode it gives 3.5 to 4.5 kWh of heat for every 1 kWh of electricity, which costs less per unit of heat than oil, gas or storage heaters.

Is there a grant for air conditioning in Ireland?

Not for cooling as such. But an installed split system is an air to air heat pump, and SEAI pays up to €9,500 when one replaces your main fossil fuel or electric storage heating. A unit added alongside an existing boiler does not qualify.

Do you need air conditioning in Ireland?

Some homes do. Around 1 in 10 Irish homes is at risk of overheating, mostly airtight A-rated homes and apartments. Try shading, night ventilation and the summer bypass on a heat recovery ventilation system first. If bedrooms still hold 27°C or more in hot spells, air conditioning is the reliable fix.

How much does air conditioning cost to run?

A split system costs €0.30–€0.45 an hour while cooling. Even heavy use over an Irish summer rarely adds more than €60–€100 to electricity bills.

Is a Dyson fan an air conditioner?

No. A fan moves air around without cooling it. In a 28°C bedroom a fan makes you feel 2 to 3 degrees cooler, while an air conditioner brings the room itself down to a set temperature.

Cooling and heating for Irish homes

Air conditioning in Ireland

Home air conditioning in Ireland costs €3,000–€5,000 installed for a wall-mounted split system that cools one large room, or €300–€700 for a portable unit. An installed system is an air to air heat pump, so it also heats the home in winter and can qualify for an SEAI grant of up to €9,500.

Prices last reviewed October 2026

Air conditioning cost Air to air heat pumps

Types of home air conditioning and prices

Type	Price	Cools	Also heats?
Portable air conditioner	€300–€700, no installation	One room, poorly	Rarely
Wall-mounted split system, single room	€3,000–€5,000 installed	One large room or open-plan area	Yes
Multi-split system, 3 to 5 rooms	€5,000–€8,000 installed	Several rooms from one outdoor unit	Yes

The brands fitted in Ireland are Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, Panasonic, LG and Samsung. Two of the three types are installations and one is an appliance, which is why the price gap is so wide.

Air conditioning and air to air heat pumps are the same thing

A wall-mounted air conditioning unit and an air to air heat pump are the same equipment. It moves heat out of the room in summer and into the room in winter.

So buying installed air conditioning in Ireland is really buying a heating system that also cools. That matters for the price you can justify and for the SEAI grant.

Why do newer Irish homes overheat?

An A-rated home is airtight and heavily insulated, often with large south-facing windows. Sun comes in through the glass, and the insulation that holds heat in all winter holds it in all summer too.

Try the cheap fixes first:

Close blinds or use outside shading before the sun reaches the glass
Open windows at night to flush the heat out
Check the summer bypass is on if you have heat recovery ventilation

If upstairs bedrooms still sit at 27 to 29°C for days, a split system is the fix. It works well in these homes, because the airtightness that traps heat also holds the cooled air.

How much does air conditioning installation cost?

Fitting a single split system costs €1,200–€2,500 on top of the units and takes a day. The indoor unit goes on an outside wall, the compressor sits outside, and refrigerant pipes join the two through the wall.

The refrigerant work must be done by an F-Gas registered engineer. In Ireland the companies doing it are heat pump and refrigeration installers.