Three layouts
Every room needs an indoor unit or a grille. What changes is how many outdoor units there are and where the pipework runs.
Individual systems
Good for: two rooms on different sides of the house
- If one develops a fault, the others keep running
- Short, direct pipe runs
- An outdoor box for every room
- Awkward on a narrow terrace yard
Multi-split
Good for: a bedroom floor or a whole upstairs
- A single outdoor unit runs up to five rooms
- Each room keeps its own remote
- Plan the final room count from the start
- More pipework routed through the house
Ducted
Good for: loft conversions and big refurbishments
- Only slim grilles show in each room
- Very quiet in bedrooms
- Needs a loft or ceiling void
- Disruptive in a finished home
Side by side
Scroll sideways to see every column
| Question | Individual | Multi-split | Ducted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor units | As many as rooms | Just one | Normally one |
| What you see indoors | A wall unit per room | Wall, floor-standing or ceiling units | Grilles in the ceiling |
| Room-by-room settings | Yes | Yes | By zone |
| Disruption | Low | Low to moderate | High unless already renovating |
| Extending later | Easy | Possible within capacity | Difficult |
Reading homes in practice
- Terraces in Newtown, East Reading and the Oxford Road area. Yard space is tight, so one multi-split unit at the back usually beats a row of separate boxes.
- Estate houses in Lower Earley, Woodley and Tilehurst. Side access and cavity walls make multi-splits straightforward. Some owners pick two separate systems instead, one front and one back.
- Caversham and Emmer Green villas. Larger rooms and higher ceilings need more capacity per room, which the survey measures.
- Loft conversions across the town. The top-floor room is often the hottest in the house. If the conversion is still being built, a small ducted unit can hide in the eaves.
One house, two approaches
It’s common to put the bedrooms on a multi-split and give a garden room or extension its own system. The surveyor will say if that suits your layout.
Adding rooms later
If budget or timing means starting small, a little planning now saves work later:
- Mention every room you might wantThe outdoor unit can be chosen with spare capacity for later.
- Lay pipes while the decorators are inRouting pipework is much simpler before walls are skimmed or floors relaid.
- Book the next room when you’re readyWith the outdoor unit and routes in place, each extra room is a quicker job.
List your rooms and see a figure
Takes a few minutes, and the survey refines it.