The most common question we get after "how much does it cost to install" is "how much does it cost to run." The honest answer is: less than most people expect, provided the system is sized correctly in the first place — which is exactly why we don't let customers guess their own kW figure.
SEER and SCOP: the numbers that actually matter
Every system we install carries a SEER rating (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio, for cooling) and a SCOP rating (Seasonal Coefficient of Performance, for heating). Both measure how much cooling or heating output you get per unit of electricity input over a typical season — higher is better. Our Standard tier starts around SEER 7.5; our Diamond flagship tier reaches SEER 10.3 or higher on some models.
In practice, this means a higher-tier unit sized identically to a lower-tier one will cost noticeably less to run over a full cooling season, even though it costs more to buy — the tier comparison table on our catalogue page shows this trade-off model by model.
Sizing correctly matters more than the tier you pick
An oversized system cycles on and off more frequently, which is both less efficient and harder on the compressor over its lifetime. An undersized one runs constantly trying to keep up, which is worse for both your bill and your comfort. This is the entire reason our online quote tool asks about insulation, sun exposure and occupancy rather than just room dimensions — a correctly sized Standard-tier unit will usually cost less to run than an incorrectly oversized Diamond-tier one.
A rough real-world figure
For a typical 2.5kW domestic wall-mounted unit run for cooling on a warm day, expect running costs broadly comparable to a couple of hours of oven use — a small fraction of most households' daily electricity spend, and only incurred on the days you actually need it. Heating mode running costs (for systems used as a heat-pump-style heating source) depend more on the property's overall insulation and the SCOP rating of the specific unit.