VRF vs split vs ducted split
Short answer: wall-mounted splits suit single rooms and apartments on a budget, a ducted split hides the AC in the ceiling for an apartment or one villa floor, and VRF runs many rooms or floors from one outdoor system with every room controlled on its own. Here's how they compare.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Wall-mounted split | Ducted split (concealed) | VRF |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it works | One indoor unit on the wall, connected to its own outdoor unit | One indoor unit hidden in the false ceiling, feeding several rooms through ducts and diffusers | One outdoor system feeding many indoor units (wall, cassette or ducted) through refrigerant piping |
| Best for | Single rooms, apartments, adding AC to a finished home | Apartments and villa floors where you want the AC out of sight | Large villas, multi-floor homes, offices, shops and commercial buildings |
| Room-by-room control | Yes, each unit on its own | Usually one thermostat per ducted system | Yes, every indoor unit is controlled independently |
| Looks | Visible unit on the wall | Only slim grilles or linear diffusers show | Your choice: hidden ducted units, cassettes or wall units |
| Outdoor units | One per indoor unit | One per ducted system | One or a few for the whole building |
| Ceiling space | Not needed | Needs a false ceiling for the unit and ducts | Depends on the indoor units; ducted units need a false ceiling |
| Energy efficiency | Good with inverter models | Good; one unit serves the whole zone | Highest, especially when only some rooms are in use |
| Upfront cost | Lowest | Medium | Highest |
| Installation | Quickest; can be added to a finished home | Best planned before the ceilings are closed | Needs design and planning; best started at construction stage |
Which one should you choose?
Every site is different. We do a cooling-load calculation before recommending a system, and the site visit and quote are free.
Apartment or a few rooms
Wall-mounted splits are usually the best value. If you'd rather not see the units, a ducted split for the living areas works well.
Villa
A ducted split per floor suits many villas. For a larger villa with lots of rooms, or where you want every room controlled separately with fewer outdoor units, VRF is often the better long-term choice.
Office, shop or commercial building
VRF is usually the right fit: one system, independent zones and efficient running across long working hours.
Read more about each system
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