Multi-split AC installation on the Côte d'Azur, with English-speaking specialists

A standard split pairs one outdoor unit with one indoor unit. A multi-split pairs one larger outdoor unit with two to eight indoor units, each in its own room, with a pipe run to each.

That outdoor unit is bigger and louder than a single-split one. It usually goes in a terrace corner, on a roof or on a wall bracket. Ask where it will sit and how loud it will be, for you and for the neighbours.

The case for multi-split is looks and paperwork. One outdoor unit is tidier on a villa and easier to get past a building syndic (the building's managing agent) in an apartment.

The case against is how you use the place. Many second-home owners use the living room and one bedroom and leave the rest shut. Separate single splits suit that better: you run only what you need, and if one unit fails the others keep going. With a multi-split, one outdoor fault takes out every room.

For a main home or large villa with several rooms in use at once, multi-split usually wins. For a smaller or seasonal place, compare it with single splits first.

The brands match those for single splits. What separates them here is after-sales support: local engineers, spare parts and warranty claims.

Choose a brand with an established installer and service network in the Alpes-Maritimes and Var. That counts for a reversible system you'll heat with all winter.

Large Japanese and Korean manufacturers all sell here, but their service networks differ in size. Ask the installer which brands they fit and service locally, and who will attend a fault. For brand comparisons, see our guide to heat pump brands in France.

Each indoor unit adds its own pipe run, wall hole and condensate drain, so the zone count sets the base price. A unit in a room you rarely use costs as much to fit as one in the living room, so leave it out if you can.

A roof or heavy wall bracket for the outdoor unit costs more than a terrace corner, and a distant spot means long pipe runs. Drilling through thick old stone walls takes longer. Pipes in plastic trunking are cheaper than pipes chased into the wall and replastered, so ask which the quote assumes.

A whole-house set-up may need more power on the electricity contract. A copropriété may need an owners' vote first, and in a protected old town the ABF (heritage architects) can set facade rules.

Get at least two written quotes for the same rooms and brand, each devis (written quote) listing units, pipe lengths and electrical work. A reversible system can earn CEE credits (energy-saving bonuses paid by energy suppliers). The Côte d'Azur sits in the lowest CEE climate band, so they're small here, and they vary by supplier. Accept an offer before you sign the devis.