Installing A Gas Ducted Heating System

What Is A Gas Ducted Heating System?

We use leading brands like Brivis /Rinnai. We use the leading brands as they are ideally suited to Melbourne’s winters and ready supply of natural gas that most of Melbourne has access to.
And of course we can source the components and servicing a well known brand is always easier than a lesser known brand.

A gas ducted heating system consists of a heating unit (and thermostat) connected via pipes /ducts that feed to a series of air vents ( outlets). The vents or outlets will be placed on the floor, walls, or ceiling. There will also be a return air grille in the ceiling or wall.

Where the vents are placed comes down to what sort of home you have and where the ducts can be installed – For example, the ducted system can be under the house if you have stumps or in the roof cavity if you are on a concrete slab.
Your heating and cooling installer will develop a plan of where the ducts and vents will be placed within the home.

How Does Gas Ducted heating work?

The air is drawn in by a fan and heated in the central heating unit using heaters powered by natural gas. The heater can be in the form of a reverse cycle conditioner or a large gas furnace. 

The air is then forced through heavily insulated ducts to reduce heat loss. Finally, a fan forces it through the outlets and the ductwork into the rooms of your house in the form of a gentle supply of warm air. The air then goes into the return air grille, and it is recirculated back to the heater through the vents. 

The air is reheated before being pushed back through the ducts again.
The thermostat continuously monitors the air temperature and controls the Gas Heating System to ensure a consistently warm temperature throughout the home. 
In more energy-efficient models, the heater modulates the gas supply so that only a small amount of energy is used to warm the home.

We will discuss this further in the article.

Once your home has reached the desired temperature, the heater will switch off as soon as all of the hot air inside the unit has been consumed.

What size gas ducted heater should I get?

Not all houses are the same size, and not all heaters are suitable for all homes. 
If you choose a too small heater, you won’t have a warm home during the cold times of the year. 
On the flip side, if your heater is too big, you’ll face higher bills and could put your home at risk unnecessarily.

The many heating options can be overwhelming. 

As with many electrical appliances, they all come with different energy ratings. Getting the right size heater for your home and family will help you save money with power usage.

Measuring your house

Measuring your house will help you determine which kilowatt (kW) heater is best for your home. You will also need to consider insulation, flooring, windows and ceiling height.
We will multiply the height and width of each room that requires heating to get the area in square metres and then add up the areas you measured for the entire home. 

This will give you the total size of your house that is to be heated.

We do not need to find out how many squares the area of your home to has as not every room requires heating – like your laundry, bathrooms or garage.

As a basic rule of thumb, 1 x square = 1 x kilowatt.
You can calculate approximately what size gas heater (kW) you need to heat your home optimally if you know the square footage.

So what size heater do I need?

15kw, 20kw, 30kw, and 35kw are the typical sizes you will see.
When choosing the right sized heater, we take into consideration your: 

• The home’s insulation
• The flooring, 
• Window coverings, 
• The ceiling heights
• Window sizes and where they face.
• Plus a few other factors that may affect heating.

Contact Beyond Heating and Cooling, and we can arrange a measure of your home and provide you with the best solution or option for your home.

What are star ratings?

Star ratings tell you about the energy efficiency of the appliance you are buying. In simple terms, it indicates how efficient your system is in relation to the gas running costs. The more stars, the higher the savings in running costs.

Each star will save you about 10% on the appliance’s operating costs as a rule of thumb. The minimum rating for gas duct heaters is 1 star, and the maximum rating is 6 stars. An “equivalent star rating” is used if your heater is more efficient.

Thermostats and Temperature control

Touch Controllers are wall-mounted panels with an LED screen that acts as a command centre for your gas duct heating (and your cooling in the summer months if you have an add on the cooling system)

The touch controllers are designed to be very easy to use, even for those who are not as tech-savvy as others and have a high-resolution screen that is easy to read even in low light or at night. 
It can be used manually or automatically. 
With manual, you choose the temperature you want in your home and turn it off when you’re warm enough.

With automatic climate control, your ducted heating system turns on and off to maintain an even temperature throughout your home or in specific areas.

Some can be programmed for 7-day programmability, meaning you can enter your weekend and weekday heating needs to match your family’s comings and goings. 
For example, are you out late on a Tuesday night? 
No problem, set the timer to turn on just before you arrive instead of earlier in the evening.

Saving power

When you programme your gas heating thermostat wisely, you can save a lot of money from your gas heating bill and still be warm and cosy!  Although it may be tempting to turn the temperature to a tropical 25 degrees on cold evenings, all experts recommend choosing a lower temperature. 
Setting the temperature to 19 or 20 degrees will keep your home consistently warm, no matter the weather outside.

If this is still a bit chilly for some people in the home, there are other ways they can be warmer without having to raise the heating level.
By suggesting an extra jumper, wearing slippers or using a blanket on the couch while watching TV, you can be warm without wasting power for one person. 
So if your energy bills are a little out of control in winter, set your gas heating thermostat to a lower temperature and use a blanket while watching tv!

The energy comparison website Energy Watch even estimates that you can reduce your electricity bill by 10% by setting your thermostat just one degree lower. That’s a lot of money for a slight change!
One feature you may want to look at is a PIN-protected thermostat panel so that children or flatmates do not unnecessarily turn up the temperature and waste power. 

Zoning your home 

Zoning your home can save you money over the life of your duct heating system. The zoning system saves you money by only heating (or cooling) the areas of your home that you use at certain times of the day and night. For example, the bedrooms are heated in the late evening, and the kitchen and dining area are heated in the morning when you prepare breakfast.

Ducted Heating Installation Melbourne

Whether you’ve already made up your mind or would like to have a personal consultation with an expert, Beyond Heating and Cooling is the company to call. 
As experts in heating and cooling we can help you find and implement the best heating and cooling option for your situation.