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Licences and rules

Heating and cooling in QueenslandA QBCC licence, however small the job.

In Queensland, installing, repairing or maintaining air conditioning is mechanical services work, and it needs a QBCC licence whatever the job is worth. The electrical side needs its own licence from the Electrical Safety Office. You can look up any QBCC licence, with its complete history, on the QBCC licensee register.

Which licence covers which part of a Queensland job?

Licence neededWatch for
Installing, repairing or commissioning the systemA QBCC mechanical services (air-conditioning and refrigeration) licence: unlimited design, limited design or occupationalThere's no small-job exemption
Handling the refrigerantThe national ARC licence, RAC01 or RSS03A refrigerant handling licence on its own doesn't allow any electrical work
Wiring, such as the interconnect cablesAn electrical licence from the Electrical Safety OfficeA restricted refrigeration and air conditioning electrical licence covers testing, repair and maintenance, not electrical installation work
A gas heaterA gas work licence for type A gas devices, plus QBCC licensing for gas fittingA servicing licence doesn't cover installing, removing, altering or certifying

Reading a Queensland ad or directory listing

QBCC treats websites, social media pages and online service directories such as Hipages as the tradie's own advertising. A licensee's ad has to show the name they're licensed under, say they're licensed under the QBCC Act, and give the licence number, legibly and prominently.

Someone without a contractor's licence who advertises has to say what they can do without one. For mechanical services, QBCC says that line is 'Cannot perform building work valued in excess of $0.' Spot it on an aircon ad and you know they can't legally take your job.

Under s 42 of the QBCC Act, unlicensed building work carries up to 250 penalty units for a first offence, rising to 350 penalty units or a year's imprisonment for a third.

Queensland warning signs

  • A listing with no licensed name or QBCC licence number.
  • Someone offering to install who carries the QBCC '$0' statement.
  • A technician who says their refrigerant licence covers the wiring.
  • 'It's only a small repair, so no licence needed.'

Rebates and concessions in Queensland

We couldn't confirm a current Queensland rebate for buying an air conditioner. PeakSmart is over for new customers: Energex says it closed to new installations on 30 November 2025, and Ergon Energy is no longer registering new PeakSmart installers.

Some people can get help with the power bill instead. The Medical Cooling and Heating Electricity Concession Scheme is for Pensioner Concession Card or Health Care Card holders who are responsible for the electricity bill and have a qualifying condition that needs cooling or heating at home. You re-apply every two years.

North and south need different things

The Queensland Government's home design advice splits the state. In the tropical north, climate zone 1, the aim is to cool the home all year round. On the coast south of Mackay, south-east Queensland included, it's cooling for summer and some warmth for winter.

It also says evaporative coolers lose effectiveness as humidity rises, and to turn the water pump off when regional humidity tops 65%. See evaporative or refrigerated.

What we'd do

What we'd do in Queensland

We'd put the QBCC number into the licensee register before the visit and read the history, not just today's status. Then we'd ask who's running the interconnect cable and which electrical licence they hold. An air conditioning specialist who works through Queensland summers will have both answers ready.

What this work looks like

Photos from real jobs in Melbourne, to show what the work looks like. They aren't from an installer near you.

A slot diffuser beside a round ceiling fitting
A slot diffuser beside a round ceiling fitting. Oct 2023. A job in Melbourne.
New insulated ducts run through a roof space
New insulated ducts run through a roof space. Sep 2023. A job in Melbourne.
Two ducted outdoor units on a retaining wall
Two ducted outdoor units on a retaining wall. Oct 2023. A job in Melbourne.

More job photos

Cities in Queensland

Questions people ask

Does a small aircon repair need a QBCC licence?
Yes. Mechanical services work needs a QBCC licence regardless of value, and QBCC's definition includes repair, maintenance and testing as well as installation.
Can a refrigeration tech with a restricted electrical licence install my split?
Not the electrical part. QBCC says that licence covers testing, repairing and maintaining the equipment, but not installation work such as running the interconnect cables.
How loud can an air conditioner be in Queensland?
Under the default standard, no more than 5 decibels (A) above background from 7am to 10pm, and 3 decibels (A) above it from 10pm to 7am, measured at the affected premises. Your council can set its own standard instead.

Ready for the right installer to take a look?

Your postcode and three quick questions. Licence-checked local installers who specialise in your kind of job see it, and the one who takes it gets in touch to quote.

Free for you. Installers pay us for each job we pass on.

Read next

  1. 01How to check an installer's licenceRun the ARCtick check, read RAC01 and RSS03, and check the state licence too.
  2. 02Heating and cooling rebates by stateWhat we could confirm in each state, how each scheme reaches you, and the warning signs.
  3. 03Evaporative or refrigerated cooling?How each kind of cooling works, why humidity matters, and what each one needs from your home.
  4. 04The electrical side of an installCircuits, isolators, switchboard upgrades and three phase, and who's licensed to do them.
  5. 05Air conditioning near the coastSalt, coil coatings, warranty fine print and where the outdoor unit should go near the sea.
  6. 06Aircon noise rules and neighboursQuiet hours, decibel limits by state, and how to place an outdoor unit so the neighbours don't notice.

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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