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Air Conditioning in Sydney

Every business below is checked against the QBCC licence register and ranked by quantified Google-review themes — never by who paid.

Showing all 38 licensed air conditioning across SydneyUpdated 2026-08-31 · Register NSW Trades Register

Based in Castle Hill

Professional & friendly · 9Response time · 6Clean & tidy · 5

At Active Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, the same tradesperson keeps being named by customers, suggesting the owner handles the work personally. The earliest Google review for this Castle Hill aircon technician was posted in July 2021, so the business has been collecting feedback for more than five years. Every customer in the analysed sample received a reply from the owner. Repairs & faults, replacement & upgrades, and refrigeration & coolrooms are all mentioned in the reviews, with servicing & maintenance not far behind. The NSW Trades Register confirmed the licence covering Air Conditioning and Refrigeration as current on 31 August 2026. The business holds 4.9 stars across 12 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026.

Based in Auburn

Professional & friendly · 2Communication · 1

Airmaster Corporation Pty Ltd's NSW Trades Register licence, checked on 31 August 2026, is current across eight classes — Electrician, Air Conditioning, Refrigeration, Gasfitter, Lp Gasfitter, Water Plumber, Drainer and Plumber. That breadth of credentials stands in contrast to its modest review history: 3 stars across 21 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026, with the earliest review on record landing in March 2020. Customers who left feedback mention professionalism and communication, though the sample is small. The Auburn aircon technician's licence was confirmed current against the register on 31 August 2026.

Based in Mortdale

Professional & friendly · 6Response time · 5Quality of work · 3

Customers at Airworx Air Conditioning Pty Ltd keep naming the same tradesperson, a pattern suggesting the owner works hands-on rather than a crew. For this Mortdale aircon technician, the online review trail on Google starts in August 2020, giving it more than six years of history as of 28 August 2026. Ducted systems lead what customers describe, with split-system installs also coming up. The business rates 4.7 stars across 13 Google reviews, and it holds a current NSW Trades Register licence in two classes — Air Conditioning and Refrigeration — confirmed on 31 August 2026.

Based in Seven Hills

Professional & friendly · 27Response time · 20Quality of work · 16

Several different names come up in the feedback for All Climates Air Conditioning & Electrical Pty Ltd, one of them on the phones — the sign of a team rather than a solo tradie. The owner wrote back to 51 of the 52 customers in the analysed sample, and the oldest review on the Seven Hills business's Google profile is from March 2020, so its review history spans more than six years as of 28 August 2026. The NSW Trades Register confirmed the licence current on 31 August 2026, covering Electrician, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. 4.9 stars across 55 Google reviews.

Based in Prestons

Professional & friendly · 4Quality of work · 4Value & pricing · 2

All Seasons Air, an aircon technician in Prestons, Sydney, has a Google review history reaching back to April 2016, though the most recent feedback in the sample was from the past year. The owner writes back to some of the customers who leave feedback, and the NSW Trades Register confirmed its Air Conditioning and Refrigeration licence as current on 31 August 2026. As of 28 August 2026, the business holds 3.9 stars across 11 Google reviews, with customers mentioning professional and friendly service.

Based in Baulkham Hills

Response time · 7Professional & friendly · 5Quality of work · 5

Big Bear Refrigeration Air Conditioning is a Baulkham Hills aircon technician with a 5-star rating across 16 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026. Customers name the same tradesperson in half the reviews, suggesting the owner handles the work personally. The NSW Trades Register confirmed its Air Conditioning and Refrigeration licence as current on 31 August 2026.

Based in Kirrawee

Professional & friendly · 4Quality of work · 4Response time · 2

In Kirrawee, the first Google review of Brookair was posted in November 2018, so its review record now spans more than seven years. The aircon technician's reviews, analysed as of 28 August 2026, show a 3.8-star rating across 18 Google reviews. Customers most often describe replacement & upgrades work, with split-system installs and ducted systems also coming up. The NSW Trades Register confirmed Brookair's Air Conditioning and Refrigeration licence as current on 31 August 2026.

Based in Moorebank

Professional & friendly · 70Response time · 41Quality of work · 33

At Central Air Conditioning, customers talk most about ducted systems, with replacement & upgrades and servicing & maintenance also coming up. More than one person is named in the feedback, including someone at the desk, so it looks like a crew with a front office. The owner writes back to a solid majority of customers who leave feedback, and 41 of the 100 analysed reviews arrived in the past year. As of 28 August 2026, the business holds 4.8 stars across 367 Google reviews. The NSW Trades Register listed its licence in three classes — Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Electrician — as current when checked on 31 August 2026.

Based in Carlton

Professional & friendly · 62Response time · 50Quality of work · 28

Customers at Climacool Air Conditioning refer to different tradespeople, plus an office contact who handles bookings — the naming pattern of a team rather than a solo operator. The earliest Google review for the Carlton aircon technician lands in July 2016, giving it a decade of review history on record. Ducted systems lead what customers talk about, with replacement and upgrades also coming up. On 31 August 2026 the NSW Trades Register showed its Air Conditioning and Refrigeration licence as current. 4.9 stars across 163 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026.

Based in Bella Vista

Professional & friendly · 21Response time · 13Quality of work · 8

Google reviews for Crest Air Conditioning go back to August 2014, giving the Bella Vista aircon technician more than a decade of customer feedback. As of 28 August 2026, it holds 4 stars across 50 Google reviews, and the owner writes back to roughly half of the customers who leave feedback. The NSW Trades Register confirmed its licence in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning classes as current on 31 August 2026.

Based in Gladesville

Professional & friendly · 28Response time · 15Quality of work · 15

People hiring Delmar Air Conditioning Pty Ltd in Gladesville keep mentioning more than one name, with someone at the desk taking bookings — the sign of a proper crew rather than a one-person job. The owner wrote back to 33 of the 42 customers who left analysed feedback, and the company's Google history reaches back to January 2017, over nine years on record. Its NSW Trades Register licence, covering Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, was confirmed current on 31 August 2026. As of 28 August 2026, it holds 4.3 stars across 47 Google reviews.

Based in Hornsby

Professional & friendly · 21Response time · 16Quality of work · 9

Customers at Eagle Air Conditioning Pty Ltd name more than one person when they talk about the job, including someone who handles the office side. The earliest Google review for the Hornsby business lands in March 2013, giving it over a decade of customer feedback on record. The owner writes back to 29 of the 39 customers who left feedback. Split-system installs lead the work customers describe, with replacement and upgrades also coming up. The NSW Trades Register listed its licence in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning as current when checked on 31 August 2026. 4.1 stars across 42 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026.

Based in Kogarah

Professional & friendly · 61Response time · 49Quality of work · 33

The owner of Eastern Air Conditioning writes back to every one of the 100 customers whose feedback was analysed. The Kogarah aircon technician rates 5 stars across 152 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026. The oldest review on its Google profile is from July 2017, and 25 of the 100 analysed reviews arrived in the past year. Customers most often describe servicing & maintenance work, with repairs & faults and replacement & upgrades also coming up. The business holds a current NSW Trades Register licence in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, confirmed on 31 August 2026.

Based in Smeaton Grange

Professional & friendly · 60Response time · 37Quality of work · 32

The first Google review of Echo Air Conditioning was posted in November 2013, so its feedback trail spans more than a decade. The Smeaton Grange aircon technician holds 4.8 stars across 112 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026. In the past 12 months, 38 of the 100 analysed reviews appeared, a pattern consistent with ongoing customer activity. The owner writes back to 91 of those 100 customers who left feedback. The NSW Trades Register listed its licence covering Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, and Electrician as current when checked on 31 August 2026.

Based in Hawkesbury Heights

Professional & friendly · 13Response time · 7Value & pricing · 5

Ducted systems come up more than any other job at Emperor Air, with split-system installs and repairs & faults trailing behind. Most of the 20 Google reviews sampled on 28 August 2026 keep naming the same tradesperson, which suggests the owner does the work themselves. The earliest review in that sample lands in October 2020, giving the Hawkesbury Heights aircon technician over five years of feedback on record. Its NSW Trades Register licence, covering Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, was confirmed current on 31 August 2026. 5 stars across 20 Google reviews.

Based in Condell Park

Professional & friendly · 11Value & pricing · 5Response time · 4

In Condell Park, customers of FA Australia most often talk about electrical work, which comes up more than any other job in the analysed feedback (as of 28 August 2026). The feedback names more than one person, including office and booking staff, which points to a crew with someone handling the front desk. The first Google review of FA Australia was posted in January 2021, giving the business over five years of customer feedback. FA Australia holds a current NSW Trades Register licence in three classes — Electrician, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration — confirmed on 31 August 2026. It is rated 4.9 stars across 28 Google reviews.

Based in Sylvania

Response time · 41Professional & friendly · 40Quality of work · 23

Customers of Farran-heit Air Conditioning most often bring up response time, with the earliest Google review on record landing in June 2018. The Sylvania aircon technician holds 5 stars across 93 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026. Its Air Conditioning and Refrigeration licence was confirmed current on the NSW Trades Register on 31 August 2026.

Based in Kellyville

Response time · 55Professional & friendly · 52Quality of work · 28

Customers most often bring up repairs & faults at Fitzgerald Air Conditioning, with ducted systems and replacement & upgrades also coming up in the analysed sample. One tradesperson is named in most of the 100 reviews analysed as of 28 August 2026, a pattern consistent with the owner doing the work themselves. The owner wrote back to every one of the 100 customers who left feedback. The oldest review on Fitzgerald Air Conditioning's Google profile is from December 2022, and 21 of the sampled reviews arrived in the past 12 months. The NSW Trades Register confirmed the Kellyville business's licence in three classes as current on 31 August 2026: Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Electrician. 4.9 stars across 117 Google reviews.

Based in Castle Hill

Professional & friendly · 66Response time · 43Quality of work · 39

Ducted systems are what customers at Frost Air Conditioning Pty Ltd come back to most often, with replacement and upgrades also getting a regular mention in the 100 Google reviews analysed as of 28 August 2026. The first Google review of the Castle Hill business was posted in February 2018, and 62 of those sampled reviews arrived in the past 12 months. The owner writes back to 97 of the 100 customers who left feedback. Rated 4.7 stars across 1,102 Google reviews, the business holds a current NSW Trades Register licence in three classes — Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Electrician — confirmed on 31 August 2026.

Based in Penrith

Professional & friendly · 12Response time · 9Quality of work · 8

Customers most often talk about ducted systems at Genesis Air Conditioning PTY Ltd., with servicing & maintenance and split-system installs also coming up in the analysed reviews (as of 28 August 2026). More than one name appears in the reviews, and someone handling bookings is among them, which points to a team with an office. The first Google review of Genesis Air Conditioning was posted in August 2015, giving it over a decade of review history. The NSW Trades Register confirmed the Penrith business's licence in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration as current on 31 August 2026. 4.8 stars across 24 Google reviews.

Based in Miranda

Professional & friendly · 12Response time · 9Quality of work · 8

Happy Air Pty Ltd's Google history reaches back to June 2021, giving it more than five years of customer feedback. Split-system installs are what customers talk about most, with ducted systems and repairs & faults also coming up. In most of the 25 reviews analysed as of 28 August 2026, customers keep naming one person, suggesting the owner handles the work personally. The NSW Trades Register confirmed the Miranda business's Air Conditioning and Refrigeration licence as current on 31 August 2026. 5 stars across 25 Google reviews.

Based in Gledswood Hills

Professional & friendly · 59Response time · 49Quality of work · 32

Customers at Harmony Air Conditioning most often bring up servicing & maintenance, and the same one tradesperson keeps appearing in the feedback — a sign the owner handles the work hands-on. That owner replied to all 100 customers whose reviews were analysed, with 92 of those reviews landing in the past year, pointing to a steady stream of recent jobs. The NSW Trades Register lists the business in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration classes, verified current on 31 August 2026. It holds a 5-star rating across 634 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026.

Based in South Windsor

Professional & friendly · 11Response time · 6Quality of work · 5

Customers at Hawkesbury Refrigeration Pty Ltd talk about refrigeration and coolrooms more than any other job, and ducted systems and repairs & faults also come up. The earliest Google review for this South Windsor aircon technician landed in February 2020, so the business has been collecting feedback for over six years. As of 28 August 2026, it holds 4.7 stars across 34 Google reviews. When the NSW Trades Register was checked on 31 August 2026, it confirmed a current licence covering Electrician, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning.

Based in Penrith

Professional & friendly · 23Response time · 15Quality of work · 9

Electrical work is what customers at J&M Costa Enterprises Pty Ltd bring up most, while repairs & faults and replacement & upgrades come up less. The owner responds in writing to most of the 42 customers whose feedback was analysed, and Google's record for the business reaches back to a June 2019 review. The NSW Trades Register, checked on 31 August 2026, confirmed a current licence for the Penrith aircon technician in three classes: Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Electrician. It holds 4.7 stars across 55 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026.

Based in Beverly Hills

Professional & friendly · 18Response time · 17Quality of work · 12

Customers at Kalyair Pty Ltd repeatedly single out one technician, a pattern that suggests the owner handles the jobs personally. Ducted systems lead what they describe, with replacement and upgrades also coming up. The earliest Google review for this Beverly Hills aircon technician lands in January 2021, so its review history spans more than five years. The owner wrote back to 5 of the 30 customers whose feedback was analysed. Kalyair Pty Ltd holds a current NSW Trades Register licence in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, confirmed on 31 August 2026, and carries 5 stars across 32 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026.

Based in Campbelltown

Response time · 23Professional & friendly · 23Quality of work · 10

In Campbelltown, Leumeah Air Conditioning Pty Ltd has been building a review history that reaches back to at least November 2018, with the earliest Google review landing then. The owner writes back to a solid majority of customers who leave feedback, responding to 28 of the 39 analysed reviews. Customers most often talk about ducted systems and servicing & maintenance, with replacement & upgrades also coming up. The NSW Trades Register confirmed the aircon technician's licence in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration classes as current on 31 August 2026. As of 28 August 2026, the business holds 4.8 stars across 43 Google reviews.

Based in Taren Point

Professional & friendly · 54Response time · 42Quality of work · 21

At LJM Projects Australia, one name keeps coming up in customer feedback, which points to the owner handling jobs personally rather than sending out a team; that same person wrote back to 69 of the 78 customers who left comments. The earliest Google review for this Taren Point aircon technician lands in May 2019, and 15 of the 78 sampled reviews arrived within the past year. When checked on 31 August 2026, the NSW Trades Register showed a current licence in three classes — Electrician, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. The business holds 5 stars across 86 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026.

Based in Bankstown

Professional & friendly · 7Response time · 6Quality of work · 5

Customers at Mega Refrigeration Services talk most about refrigeration and coolrooms, with servicing and maintenance coming up as well. The Bankstown aircon technician holds 4.7 stars across 19 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026. On 31 August 2026, the NSW Trades Register confirmed the business's licence in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning as current.

Based in Berkshire Park

Professional & friendly · 44Response time · 25Quality of work · 18

On Call Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration, an aircon technician in Berkshire Park, Sydney, holds a 5.0 rating across 74 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026. The owner replies to a fair share of customers who leave feedback, and the recent sample shows 41 of 67 reviews landing in the past year. The NSW Trades Register listed its licence covering Refrigeration and Air Conditioning as current on 31 August 2026.

Based in Warriewood

Professional & friendly · 64Response time · 39Quality of work · 34

Customers at Peninsula Air Conditioning Pty Ltd bring up ducted systems more than any other job, while split-system installs and replacement & upgrades also come up (reviews analysed as of 28 August 2026). The owner replied to 98 of the 100 sampled customers, and the first Google review of the Warriewood business was posted in January 2014, with 41 of those sampled reviews landing in the past year. The NSW Trades Register confirmed a current licence in three classes — Electrician, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning — on 31 August 2026. 4.8 stars across 322 Google reviews.

Based in Prestons

Professional & friendly · 10Response time · 7Reliable & trustworthy · 5

Customers at Primo Group Services Pty Ltd most often bring up commercial sites, with electrical work also mentioned. The Prestons aircon technician holds a 4.8-star rating across 19 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026, and the owner writes back to one of the 16 analysed customers. Its NSW Trades Register licence, covering Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Electrician, was confirmed current on 31 August 2026.

Based in Berala

Response time · 6Quality of work · 5Reliable & trustworthy · 5

Region Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Pty Ltd is a Berala aircon technician. Customers most often bring up response time, with reliability also mentioned. The NSW Trades Register showed its Air Conditioning and Refrigeration licence as current on 31 August 2026. Google reviews go back to May 2023, and the business holds 5 stars across 15 reviews as of 28 August 2026.

Based in Penrith

Professional & friendly · 16Response time · 12Quality of work · 12

Repairs & faults lead what customers talk about at Relevant Air & Water, with servicing & maintenance, ducted systems and replacement & upgrades also mentioned in the sample analysed on 28 August 2026. More than one staff member gets named in the feedback, office people among them, which fits a team with someone at the front desk. The owner replied to 36 of the 37 customers who left feedback, and the oldest Google review on record goes back to February 2019. The NSW Trades Register confirmed on 31 August 2026 that the Penrith business held a current licence covering Air Conditioning and Refrigeration. 4.8 stars across 52 Google reviews.

Based in Padstow

Professional & friendly · 12Response time · 4Quality of work · 4

Stareast International, an aircon technician in Padstow, carries 4.5 stars across 43 Google reviews as of 28 August 2026. The earliest Google review for this business lands in September 2016. A check of the NSW Trades Register on 31 August 2026 confirmed its licence is current in Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Electrician.

Based in Bankstown

Response time · 53Professional & friendly · 52Quality of work · 40

Customers at Teknicool Air Conditioning most often talk about ducted systems, with split-system installs also coming up. Several different names appear in the feedback, one of them on the phones, suggesting a team with office support. The owner writes back to 99 of the 100 customers who left feedback. The earliest Google review for this Bankstown business lands in October 2015, giving it over a decade of review history. As of 28 August 2026, it holds 4.8 stars across 162 Google reviews. The NSW Trades Register confirmed its Air Conditioning and Refrigeration licence as current on 31 August 2026.

Based in Prestons

Professional & friendly · 9Response time · 6Value & pricing · 3

Ducted systems lead what customers talk about at TrimTemp Pty Ltd, with repairs & faults also coming up in the sample analysed as of 28 August 2026. Google reviews for this Prestons aircon technician go back to December 2014, giving it more than a decade of customer feedback on record. The business carries 2.9 stars across 29 Google reviews. Its NSW Trades Register licence, covering Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Electrician, was confirmed current on 31 August 2026. Customers also mention replacement and upgrades, though less frequently than the ducted work that dominates the conversation.

Based in Phillip Bay

Professional & friendly · 71Response time · 47Quality of work · 43

Electrical work is what customers at Wright Air & Electrical come back to most, with ducted systems and split-system installs also mentioned. One tradesperson keeps getting named by the people who hired them, a pattern that suggests the owner handles the work personally. The oldest review on Wright Air & Electrical's Google profile is from December 2018, and 18 of the 100 sampled reviews were left in the past year. As of 28 August 2026, the business holds 5 stars across 186 Google reviews. The NSW Trades Register confirmed on 31 August 2026 that the Phillip Bay business's licence, covering Air Conditioning, Refrigeration and Electrician, is current.

Based in Campsie

Professional & friendly · 35Response time · 23Quality of work · 22

When customers talk about Xpress Air Conditioning, more than one person comes up — a tradesperson and someone who handles the desk — so the business looks like a small crew with a front office. The owner wrote back to 53 of the 57 customers who left feedback on Google, a reply rate that stands out. Servicing and maintenance lead the work mentions, with split-system and ducted installs close behind (reviews analysed as of 28 August 2026). The NSW Trades Register listed a current licence in Air Conditioning and Refrigeration on 31 August 2026. 4.9 stars across 67 Google reviews.

About air conditioning in Sydney

In a Sydney apartment the installer is not the first approval. Clause 28 of the Strata Schemes Management Regulation 2016 prescribes installing a reverse cycle split system air conditioner as a minor renovation, which sends it to section 110 of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 — approval by a resolution at a general meeting, and the section says in terms that a special resolution is not required. Before that vote, section 110(4) wants written notice covering the work and its drawings, the days and hours, the rubbish, and details of the people carrying the work out including their qualifications to do it.

Approval comes up this often because of what Sydney lives in: at the 2021 Census, flats and apartments made up 78.5% of occupied private dwellings inside the Council of the City of Sydney's area. That share is the council area, not Greater Sydney, but it is the density a condenser bracket has to negotiate. Where a building's by-laws have adopted the statutory Common Property Memorandum — adoption is optional, since section 107(1) of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 says the by-laws may adopt it and the Regulation prescribes it only as one that may be adopted — the memorandum puts air conditioning systems serving only one lot on that lot's owner, whether the equipment sits inside or outside the lot, and systems serving more than one lot on the owners corporation. The system also earns its keep in both directions here: Observatory Hill's record, which ends with the station's closure in 2020, gives a January mean maximum of 26.0°C and a July mean minimum of 8.1°C.

Typical prices in Sydney

Ranges reflect quotes observed locally — not national averages, not advertised "from" prices.

ServiceTypical range (A$)
Split system install — unit supplied by the owner
Airtasker's Sydney air conditioner installation category page (fetched 31 August 2026). The page's own band — $25–$625, median $250, from 10 reviews — is thin and includes $5 and $10 postings that are budget placeholders rather than prices, so this row uses the completed Sydney tasks where the homeowner supplied the unit or the job was a re-install: $300 with the unit provided and roof access in Botany, $300 for a re-install, $300, $350, $450, $500, $500, $550, $600 and $600. Geo-template check: Melbourne's page gives $587–$1,030, median $775, from 8 reviews — a different level on a separate sample, not a scaled copy of Sydney's.
A$300A$600
Split system supplied and installed, including replacements
Completed Sydney tasks on the same installation category page (fetched 31 August 2026) where the price covers both equipment and labour: $1,000, $1,000, $1,600 for a replacement advertised as needing a licensed and experienced installer, $1,800 for a split system, and $2,500. Airtasker's Sydney heating and cooling category, fetched the same day, carries a comparable $800 split system install and a $2,500 installation, so the floor used here is the conservative end of what the two Sydney pages show.
A$1,000A$2,500
Fault call-out, diagnosis and repair
Airtasker's Sydney aircon repair category page (fetched 31 August 2026): $150–$230, median $180, from 28 reviews. The completed Sydney tasks on the same page spread wider than that band — $100 recurs across several jobs and $250 is the top of the main cluster — so this row runs $100–$250. Geo-template check: Melbourne shows $180–$250, median $200, from 26 reviews; Sydney's repair band sits below Melbourne's while Sydney's carpentry band sits above it, which is not the pattern a single multiplied table produces.
A$100A$250
Service and clean, split system
Airtasker's Sydney air conditioning cleaning category page (fetched 31 August 2026) states $147–$225, median $185, but on only 3 reviews, so the completed Sydney tasks are the better guide: $40 in Zetland, $60 in Surry Hills, $100 for a ducted unit in Pyrmont, $120 in Pyrmont, $200 in Marrickville and $240 in Potts Point, with dates running 2023 to 2025. The Sydney heating and cooling category adds a $150 split system service and clean and a $250 service. Geo-template check: the Melbourne cleaning page carries no headline band at all, so the two city pages are not rendering one shared table.
A$40A$250
Ducted system — filter and duct clean
Only two completed Sydney tasks fetched on 31 August 2026 name a ducted system: a ducted air conditioner clean at $100 in Pyrmont, on the Sydney cleaning category, and cleaning the filters in a ducted system at $300, on the Sydney heating and cooling category. Three larger cleans at $700 on that second page do not state the system type and are left out rather than assumed. Two observations is a thin base and this row is offered as that.
A$100A$300

Common questions

Is there a job value below which air-conditioning work doesn't need a licence?

No, and the reason is structural. Schedule 1 of the Home Building Act 1989 defines specialist work to include any work declared by the regulations to be refrigeration work or air-conditioning work, and clause 14 of the Home Building Regulation 2014 declares both. Section 4(1)(b) then requires a contractor licence to contract to do specialist work, and it carries no dollar figure at all. The $5,000 that people remember belongs to the definition of residential building work, whose exclusion is worded "other than specialist work" — so the threshold is written in a way that cannot reach this trade. NSW's register displays these as Air Conditioning and Refrigeration.

What about a plug-in portable unit — same rules?

Not the same. Schedule 4 of the Home Building Regulation 2014 describes air-conditioning work as the work required to install, maintain and service an air-conditioning system in a structure, building, vessel, container or railway vehicle, and then excludes a self-contained single-phase plug-in domestic air-conditioning system from that description. The refrigeration category carries the matching exclusion for a self-contained single-phase plug-in domestic refrigeration system. So a portable unit you plug into a wall socket sits outside the licensed category, while a fixed split system does not.

The installer says the new power circuit needs an electrician — is that an upsell?

It follows the wording of the category. Schedule 4 includes associated electrical wiring work inside air-conditioning work, but only work relating to the general servicing and maintenance of a system — testing and diagnosing control and power circuits, disconnecting and reconnecting components designed to be permanently connected, replacing components on the load side of the mains supply, repairs, and minor alterations to wiring. Running a new supply circuit for a new installation is not on that list; it is electrical wiring work, which clause 14(e) makes its own specialist category with no dollar threshold either. Schedule 4 also excludes installing, maintaining or repairing ducting or insulation in premises other than a dwelling, and the NSW government's page states that a licence is not required to do duct work outside of a dwelling.

Which licence category actually covers a split system — air-conditioning or mechanical services?

It can be either, and the honest answer is that it depends which description the work answers to. Clause 14 of the Home Building Regulation 2014 lists air-conditioning work, refrigeration work, and mechanical services and medical gas work as separate specialist categories. Schedule 1 of the Act defines mechanical services and medical gas work to include the installation, commissioning and incidental design work associated with any part of a single head split system, a ceiling cassette system, or an add-on condenser unit for a ducted system. Both routes are specialist work, so the conclusion — a licence at any job value — does not change, and asserting that only one of the categories can apply would overstate the instrument.

Who pays to repair the unit later — me or the owners corporation?

Start with whether your building's by-laws adopted the statutory Common Property Memorandum, because section 107(1) of the Strata Schemes Management Act 2015 makes adoption optional and clause 27 of the 2016 Regulation prescribes the memorandum only as one that may be adopted. Where it has been adopted, it assigns air conditioning systems that serve only one lot to that lot's owner, whether the equipment sits inside or outside the lot, and systems serving more than one lot to the owners corporation. Separately, section 106(1) obliges the owners corporation to properly maintain and keep in a state of good and serviceable repair the common property, and section 106(5) lets an owner recover reasonably foreseeable loss from a breach of that duty as damages for breach of statutory duty.

More trades in Sydney