Installing Ducted Heating And The Options

Installing ducted heating means fitting one central unit, running ducts through the ceiling or under the floor to a vent in each room, and connecting a wall controller so you can set the temperature for the whole house. Most of the Melbourne homeowners we install for today choose electric reverse cycle ducted heating, because the same system heats in winter and cools in summer through the same vents. Gas ducted heating is still an option, and this guide explains how both compare.

Below we walk through what installing ducted heating involves, from sizing and zoning through to the ductwork, the outdoor unit and the day of the install itself. We also cover how running costs compare with gas, how the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) rebate works when you switch a home across to electric, and the questions worth asking any installer before you sign.

Key points about installing ducted heating

• Reverse cycle air conditioners are between 300% and 600% efficient, according to the Australian Government’s energy.gov.au.
• Energy.gov.au also states that ducted reverse cycle systems are more cost-efficient than gas heating.
• Most installs take one day, and a larger home or a complex duct layout can run into a second day.
• The VEU rebate applies when an existing gas heater is removed and replaced with a qualifying reverse cycle system.

What Are Your Options When Installing Ducted Heating?

There are two main types of ducted heating you can install in a Melbourne home, and one way to add cooling to a gas system you already have.

• Electric reverse cycle ducted heating and cooling. An outdoor unit and an indoor unit work together to heat or cool the whole house from one set of vents. This is the system we install most often, and you can read more about it on our ducted reverse cycle air conditioning page.
• Gas ducted heating. A gas furnace heats the air and a fan pushes it through the ducts. We still install gas ducted heating, but most Melbourne households we talk to are moving off gas rather than putting in a new gas heater.
• Add-on cooling for an existing gas heater. If your gas ducted heater is fairly new, an add-on cooling system connects to it and cools through the same ducts and controller.

If your gas heater is getting old, needs repairs more often than it used to, or costs too much to run, replacing it with an electric reverse cycle ducted system gives you heating and cooling in one install. Our guide on how to replace gas ducted heating with electric heating covers that switch in detail.

How Does Reverse Cycle Ducted Heating Work?

Reverse cycle ducted heating moves heat rather than making it. The Australian Government’s energy.gov.au heating and cooling guide explains that reverse cycle air conditioners “take one unit of electrical energy and turn it into 3 to 6 times as much heating or cooling energy”, which is why they rate between 300% and 600% efficient. An electric bar heater, by comparison, turns one unit of electricity into one unit of heat.

In winter, the outdoor unit draws heat from the outside air and carries it indoors through refrigerant pipes. The indoor unit, which sits in the roof space or under the floor, blows that warm air through the ducts to each vent. In summer the process runs the other way, so the same system cools the house. Our article on how a refrigerated reverse cycle system works explains each part in more detail.

How Is Ducted Heating Sized for Your Home?

Sizing decides how well a ducted heating system copes on a cold Melbourne morning. A system that is too small runs flat out and still leaves the far rooms cold, and a system that is too big costs more to buy than it needs to. Energy.gov.au advises choosing a model with the right capacity for your house and seeking expert advice before a major purchase such as ducted heating and cooling.

When we assess a home, we look at the number of rooms and vents, whether the ducts run through the ceiling or under the floor, whether the home is single storey or multi storey, and how the rooms are used. If you have house plans, they help us work out duct runs before we arrive. Our guide on how to size a ducted heating system for your Melbourne home goes through the numbers.

Should Your New Ducted Heating System Be Zoned?

Zoning lets you choose which rooms are heated. You might keep the bedrooms off during the day and the living areas off at night, rather than heating the whole house at once. If your old gas ducted heater was not zoned, the time to add zoning is during the new install, because it is much simpler to set up then than to add later.

The thermostat setting matters too. According to energy.gov.au, each extra degree of heating in winter increases your energy use by between 5% and 10%. Most of the systems we install can be controlled from your phone, so you can turn the heating on before you leave work and come home to a warm house without running it all day.

What Happens to the Ductwork and Vents During the Install?

We fit new ducting with every installation. Ducting from an old gas heater is usually the wrong size for a reverse cycle system, and after years of gas heating it is full of dust. The new ducting is sized for both heating and cooling, and it runs to the same outlet points in your ceiling or floor, so you are left with new vents and grilles where the old ones were rather than patched holes.

For a ceiling install, we reach the roof space by lifting roof tiles or roof sheets, take out the old unit and ducts, and fit the new system and ductwork in their place. About a third of the homes we see have floor ducting instead. In those homes the indoor unit goes in the subfloor, where access can be tight and the work takes more care.

Where Does the Outdoor Unit Go?

A reverse cycle ducted system has an outdoor unit as well as the indoor unit, and the two are connected by pipes that carry refrigerant. The outdoor unit sits outside the house. We agree its position with you during the in-home assessment, and if your property makes the position tricky, we work out the neatest place for it before the install day.

How Long Does It Take to Install Ducted Heating?

Most ducted heating installs take one day. A larger home or a more complex duct layout can run into a second day, and we confirm the timing when we assess your home, so you know what to expect before work starts.

On the day, the installation team removes the old heater, fits the new ducting and vents, sets up the indoor and outdoor units, and connects the controller. Because we are mechanical plumbers who work with both gas and refrigerant, we also cap the gas line to the old heater as part of the install, so you do not need to book a separate tradesperson. If you still use gas for hot water or cooking, that can stay connected. Before we leave, we check that the new system is working properly and show you how to use the controls.

For a closer look at the install day, read what to expect during your heating and cooling installation.

How Do Running Costs Compare With Gas Ducted Heating?

Energy.gov.au says ducted gas heating is “expensive to operate due to significant gas consumption and electricity for the fans”, and that ducted reverse cycle systems are “more cost-efficient than gas heating”. The same page notes that ducted systems are less efficient than wall-mounted units because of the larger fan and the energy lost through the ductwork, which is one more reason to get the sizing and the duct design right.

Your own running costs depend on the size of your home, how well it is insulated, how you use zoning and whether you have solar panels. A reverse cycle system can run on your own solar power during the day, which gas heating cannot do. Our comparison of ducted gas and reverse cycle heating for Melbourne homes goes through the running cost figures in more detail.

How Does the VEU Rebate Work When You Switch From Gas Ducted Heating?

The Victorian Energy Upgrades program is a state government incentive for households that switch from gas heating to an efficient electric system. The rebate applies when you remove an existing gas heating appliance and install a qualifying premium inverter reverse cycle system. If a home has never had gas heating, the rebate generally does not apply.

We handle the VEU paperwork as part of the installation, and the rebate comes off your price at the point of sale, so there is no form to fill in and no waiting for a refund. Our article on the VEU rebate explains who qualifies and what the rebate covers.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign a Ducted Heating Installation Quote

Ducted heating quotes are often hard to compare, because one quote may include things another leaves out. These questions help you compare like with like:

• Is the price all-inclusive, and is the VEU rebate already deducted?
• Does the quote include new ducting and vents, or does it reuse the old ducts?
• Was the system sized from an in-home assessment or from a phone call?
• Is zoning included, and how many zones does the quote allow for?
• Who removes the old gas heater and caps the gas line?
• Will the installer’s own team do the work, or will it be subcontracted?
• What workmanship guarantee comes with the installation?

Installing Ducted Heating in Melbourne’s North With Beyond Heating and Cooling

Beyond Heating and Cooling installs new ducted heating and cooling systems across Melbourne’s north and northeast. We are refrigeration mechanics and mechanical plumbers who work with both refrigerant and gas, we hold ARC refrigerant handling licence L073783, and every install is done by our own licensed team rather than subcontractors. We stand behind our installations with a workmanship guarantee.

Every quote starts with a free in-home assessment. We look at your current heater, your ducts and the layout of your home, explain the system options that suit it, and give you a quote with the VEU rebate applied where your home qualifies. We work with a range of leading heating and cooling brands, so we can recommend the system that suits your home rather than one brand.

If you are planning new ducted heating, call us on 1800 239 663 or request a quote online. Adam or one of the team will be happy to talk through the options for your home. You can also see our full range of ducted heating and cooling installs.