Most of us find a room temperature of 20 to 22 degrees and a relative humidity of 30 to 65 percent comfortable. In summer, however, these values increasingly exceed this comfort zone, even in our latitudes. That's why more and more homeowners are considering cooling and dehumidifying their house or apartment with an air conditioner, at least during the hot, humid summer months. Air conditioning regulates temperature and humidity and filters harmful bacteria, fungi or viruses from the air. This way, you increase the air quality, improve the indoor climate and protect your family's health. We've researched what your options are and how much it costs to install an air conditioner.
If you only want to cool a single room (at the same time), you have the choice between a mobile air conditioner, a fixed or stationary monoblock and a split unit. The mobile air conditioner is suitable if you want to cool different rooms alternately, the monoblock if it can be loud, and the split unit if it must be quiet. That is why the split unit, which is permanently installed, is the first choice for the home office, bedroom or living room. A split unit consists of a compressor, which is placed outside, and a heat exchanger, which is placed inside, and is much more energy efficient than a monobloc. Split units come in a variety of styles, including ceiling-mounted, chest-mounted, and wall-mounted units.
In a new building, you can combine a split unit with a heat pump and reduce air conditioning energy costs by up to one-third.
Pay attention to the volume of the compressor, which will be attached to the facade, to avoid noise disputes with neighbors from the beginning.
If you want to cool the whole house or apartment but not dehumidify it, a reversible heat pump is worth considering. Especially if the building is already well insulated or you are planning an energy renovation. With a reversible heat pump, you can heat and cool: If you want to cool, reverse the flow direction of the refrigerant with a four-way valve and an additional expansion valve so that the reversible heat pump extracts heat from the room and discharges it to the outside instead of the other way around. If you are planning to install a heat pump anyway, the additional cost of about ten percent for a reversible heat pump is relatively low and will pay for itself in a few years thanks to lower energy costs.
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A mobile air conditioner costs 100 to 1,000 Swiss francs at a hardware store or on the Internet, plus running costs of 200 to 350 Swiss francs a year. Because of the high energy costs, the bottom line is that a mobile air conditioner is significantly more expensive than it looks at first glance.
For a permanently installed or stationary monoblock, you should expect to pay between 250 and 750 Swiss francs. The energy costs are similar to those for a mobile air conditioner. Therefore, the monoblock is also an expensive investment in the long term, if you take all costs into account.
A split unit for one room (1 split) costs 2,000 to 5,000 Swiss francs, depending on the design. The more rooms you want to cool, the lower the cost per room. For example, calculate 5,000 to 10,000 Swiss francs for a split unit for four rooms (4 split). Most air conditioning technicians offer with assembly and installation costs. If not, you should expect to pay 250 to 500 Swiss francs for drilling and penetrations, 500 to 750 Swiss francs for core drilling and about 100 Swiss francs for electrical connections. In addition, there are ongoing costs for energy and service (cleaning and sterilizing, replenishing or changing refrigerant, and replacing wear parts) of 200 to 300 Swiss francs.
Because the compressor is mounted outside and is therefore visible, you need a building permit for a split unit.
A reversible heat pump is about ten percent more expensive than a normal heat pump. That means about 35,750 instead of 32,500 Swiss francs for an air-to-air heat pump, 44,000 instead of 40,000 Swiss francs for an air-to-water heat pump, or 55,000 instead of 50,000 Swiss francs for a brine-to-water heat pump for an average single-family home with 150 square meters of living space. Installation is included. The investment is quite high, but pays for itself in the medium to long term thanks to lower energy costs. Especially if you produce your own solar power and increase your own demand with the heat pump and therefore have to buy less expensive electricity from the grid.
Air conditioning systems do not receive financial support in Switzerland. With one exception: Reversible heat pumps, which not only heat but also cool, are partially funded by the federal and cantonal building program. Find out more at dasgebaeudeprogramm.ch and submit your application before you start the project. Also remember that you need a building permit for a heat pump, because it can be seen and heard from the outside.
* All prices are indicative only (as of 2023) so you can estimate the cost. If you want an exact offer, ask our certified air conditioning technicians from your region.
