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Air conditioner and heater brandsThe install decides more than the badge does.

No single brand suits every home, and we don't rank them. How a system performs comes down mostly to its size, where the units go and who fits it, and after that to the warranty conditions behind the name. Each page here sets out what one brand says about itself, attributed to that brand. We're no brand's dealer and we don't sell units.

Which brand should I choose?

Most of the big names make split systems, multi-splits and ducted systems. Where they really differ is in how you buy them and what their warranties ask of you.

Some sell only through their own dealer networks, some through retailers, and Samsung sells direct online, arranging installation itself only in some postcodes. That changes who you deal with when something goes wrong.

What to compare between two brands

  • When the warranty starts. Daikin counts from the purchase date, Mitsubishi Electric from installation, ActronAir from commissioning and Rinnai from the day installation is completed.
  • What the warranty asks of you. Gree and ActronAir both tie cover to maintenance by a qualified person at least every 12 months.
  • Who must install it. Most warranty terms we've read exclude faults from incorrect installation, and the install needs an ARC licence plus state licences.
  • What happens near the sea. Several brands, Daikin and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries among them, make extra corrosion protection the owner's job in sea air.
  • Whether you need to register, and by when. ActronAir asks for registration within 14 days, and Midea's distributor ties some extensions to registering within 30 days.

Heating brands, cooling brands, and both

If you need gas ducted heating, the list is shorter. Rinnai sells Brivis ducted gas heaters, Seeley International sells Braemar ducted gas heating, and Bonaire makes ducted gas heating alongside its reverse cycle range.

For evaporative cooling, Breezair makes evaporative coolers only, and Braemar, Bonaire and Rinnai's Brivis sell them too. If that's your job, start with ducted heating or evaporative cooling, then come back to the brand.

What we'd do

Our take

Choose the installer and the size first, then the brand. A specialist who fits your kind of system every week will know which two or three brands they can supply, service and back up locally. Put those warranty cards side by side, check the start date and the conditions, and pick the one whose rules suit how you'll actually look after it.

Brands A to Z

Questions people ask

Do you sell air conditioners?
No. We're a referral service. Licence-checked local installers see your job, and the one who takes it quotes and supplies the system. We aren't any brand's dealer.
Can I ask for a particular brand?
Yes. Tell the installer when they call, and they'll say whether they supply and service it.

Read next

  1. 01How to choose a split systemSize, energy stars, noise, inverter and warranty conditions: what to check before you choose.
  2. 02How to choose a ducted systemGas or reverse cycle, heat load, zones, duct insulation and warranty terms, in order.
  3. 03Air conditioner warrantiesWhat voids an air conditioner warranty, the paperwork to keep, and who to call first.
  4. 04Air conditioning near the coastSalt, coil coatings, warranty fine print and where the outdoor unit should go near the sea.
  5. 05Air conditioner size calculatorA rough kW size from your room's measurements, and what that number leaves out.
  6. 06How to choose an installerThe licences to check, the questions to ask and the red flags, before you hire anyone.

Where this information comes from

We don't publish prices. Every home is different, so an installer's written quote is the only real number. How we write and check these pages.

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