The four formats used in homes
Wall-mounted high wall
The familiar rectangular indoor unit near ceiling level.
- Least building work and the widest choice of models
- Needs a sensible wall route to the outdoor unit
- Most visible option, though modern units are slim and quiet
- Best value per kilowatt of cooling
Ducted / concealed
Indoor unit hidden in a loft, void or bulkhead, feeding ceiling grilles.
- Almost invisible in the room — only grilles show
- Needs genuine void depth for the unit and ductwork
- More expensive, and best planned during other building work
- One unit can serve several rooms if the layout allows
Floor console
Low-level indoor unit sitting where a radiator would.
- Useful in rooms with no suitable high wall space
- Popular in bedrooms under windows
- Takes floor and furniture space
- Good option in rooms with sloping ceilings
Multi-split
Several indoor units sharing one outdoor condenser.
- One outdoor unit instead of three or four
- Ideal where boundary or garden space is limited
- Pipework must be routed back to a single point
- Rooms share a system, so capacity is planned together
The outdoor unit decides more than the indoor one
The condenser needs airflow around it, a solid mounting position, and a location where its noise is acceptable to you and to neighbours. Boxed into a tight side passage with no clearance, any system will run hotter, louder and less efficiently than its datasheet suggests.
It also has to be reachable for maintenance. A condenser bracketed high on a rear wall looks tidy on day one and adds cost to every future service visit. Ground or low-level positions on a bracket or feet, with room to work, are usually the better long-term choice.
Things worth deciding before you get quotes
- Which rooms genuinely need cooling, and which just get warm for a fortnight
- Whether you want the system to provide heating in shoulder seasons too
- Where an outdoor unit could reasonably live, and how the pipe route reaches it
- How much visible pipework or trunking you will tolerate
- Whether the property is listed or in a conservation area, which affects external work
- Whether other building work is planned that could hide ducting or pipe runs
Matching format to room
| Room | Format that usually fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Living room with a rear external wall | High wall unit | Short pipe route and plenty of wall height available |
| Bedroom with low ceilings or dormers | Floor console | Warm and cool air delivered at living level, no high wall needed |
| Loft conversion or new extension | Concealed ducted | Void depth already exists while the build is open |
| Terrace with one outdoor position | Multi-split | Several rooms served from the single available condenser spot |
| Conservatory or garden room | High wall unit | Heavy solar gain needs capacity more than discretion |
Start with the outdoor unit position and the pipe route, then choose the indoor format that fits the room. Households that pick the equipment first are the ones who discover the constraint late.