Hotter summers are arriving faster, and they’re lasting longer. Meanwhile, winter nights are getting colder and sticking around for longer too. Across Australia, families are no longer dealing with seasons like they used to, and that shift is totally changing the way people heat and cool their homes.
Portable heaters and air conditioners used to do the trick just fine. But now, lots of bigger homes are having trouble with indoor temperatures fluctuating wildly with standalone systems on their own. That pressure is driving more and more homeowners to opt for whole home climate control, especially in suburbs that are growing fast and where bigger homes seem to be the norm. Searches for services like ducted heating and cooling Frankston have taken off in tandem with construction of newer, more energy efficient homes, and that’s part of a broader trend.
Australia’s Unpredictable Climate Is Bending Home Cooling to Its Will
Australia’s climate has become completely unpredictable, throwing hotter summers, colder winter nights and some crazy temperature extremes at both major cities and regional areas. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology reckons 2024 was one of the warmest years on record here. Meanwhile, demand for cooling in homes is going up and up.
All that’s changing what homeowners care about most. Rather than relying on portable heaters or just chucking an air conditioner in one room at a time, more and more people are looking for systems that can control the whole property’s temperature. Unlike those standalone A/C units, ducted systems are designed to keep the air nice and consistent across loads of different rooms all at once.
And it’s just as clear in the suburbs that are growing fast. More and more homes are getting bigger and bigger, and keeping the air circulating evenly inside them has become really tough with individual cooling systems on their own.
How Do Ducted Heating and Cooling Systems Work?
A ducted system works by having a central unit connected to insulated ducts that blow conditioned air around different rooms through ceiling or wall vents. When you turn it on in cooling mode, the system sucks heat out of the air and sends it outside. When it’s heating up mode, the way it works varies depending on the setup, some systems reverse the A/C cycle and others just use a gas-powered heater to warm up the air before circulating it around.
Across Australia, reverse cycle ducted systems are the most popular because you get both heating and cooling in one go. According to the Australian Government YourHome energy guide, reverse cycle air conditioners can give you between 3 and 6 units of heating or cooling for every unit of electricity you use. That’s way more energy efficient than traditional electric heaters.
And modern systems are no longer just about turning the temperature up or down. Many now have zoning technology that lets you heat or cool just specific areas of the house rather than having to run the whole system all the time. Research done by Sustainability Victoria says that can cut energy use by as much as 30% compared with running the whole system at full whack all the time.
As electricity prices keep fluctuating around the country, that flexibility has just become more and more important.
Why Bigger Aussie Homes Are Suddenly Driving Demand for Ducted Systems?
Housing design is really making a big difference when it comes to the growing popularity of ducted systems. Stats from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show that brand new Aussie homes are some of the biggest in the world, we’re talking 230 square metres plus. That size difference basically makes single room split systems a bit redundant, they just can’t keep up with the temperature requirements of larger floor plans.
You end up needing multiple separate units to keep bedrooms, living areas and shared spaces at an even temperature, which over time can leave you with hotspots and inconsistent airflow between rooms. Ducted systems, on the other hand, centralise airflow and temperature control, making them a lot more practical for larger homes. Plus, they look pretty clean and tidy too, most components get hidden away in ceilings and walls, leaving just a few discreet vents on show inside the house.
For people building in high end areas, a lot of them just prefer the way ducted systems look over wall mounted split systems. And it’s not just about looks, noise reduction is another big plus. Since the compressor and fan systems are usually installed externally or inside the roof space, indoor operating noise is a lot lower than you’d get with portable or window mounted systems.
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