Heating and cooling
Most Australian homes need heating or cooling at some time of the year. In some areas this forms up to 20 per cent of total household energy use.
There are many ways you can make your home cheaper to run and remain comfortable all year round.
Passive design
Passive design helps you maintain the interior temperature of your home all year round with little mechanical heating and cooling.
You can use passive design ideas when you are designing a new home or for your existing home.
Passive design ideas include:
- insulating the ceiling, walls and floor
- sealing draughts around doors and windows
- allowing winter sun to warm the house
- stopping summer sun from entering the house
- using natural airflow to help with cross ventilation
The Your Home Technical Manual has information about Australia's climate zones and passive design options. These include effective shading, passive solar heating, passive cooling, thermal mass and window glazing.
Mechanical heating choices
If your home isn't designed for passive heating, the next best option is to choose appropriate heating for your situation.
Your climate, type of heater, how you use it and even it's position in the room can make a big difference to your comfort and heating bills.
There are many different types of heating, with different sources of energy and levels of efficiency:
- Gas heaters and efficient reverse-cycle heat pumps are cheaper to run than standard electric heaters.
- Ducted-air central heating systems can use either gas or reverse-cycle heat pumps as the energy source.
- Hydronic central heating systems are usually gas-fired but may use a wood-fired heater, solar system or heat pump.
- If you choose an electric heater, electric fixed heaters (a type of reverse-cycle heat pump) are the most energy-efficient type.
- Heat shifters have a fan and ducting to direct warm air to unheated parts of your home. They can be cost effective to install and low cost to run.
- Wood is a renewable energy source if it is harvested sustainably. Use a low-emission heater, not an open fireplace. Before getting a wood heater, check with your council or local government to find out if smoke and particle emissions from wood heaters are a potential health concern in your area.
- Electric portable heaters can be cheap to buy but very expensive to run. Many are not as effective as other methods of heating.
- Electric in-slab floor heating often has the highest greenhouse gas emissions of any heating system and may be the most expensive to run.
See our tips for saving on heating and cooling options.
Mechanical cooling choices
If your home isn't designed for passive cooling, the next best option is to choose appropriate cooling for your situation.
When preparing for a hot summer, options may include:
- Fans, which are the cheapest option and often sufficient
- Evaporative coolers, which are particularly good in low-humidity areas
- Air-conditioners
A free consumer guide from the Australian Refrigeration Council is available to help you choose, install and maintain your air-conditioner. If your air-conditioner is inappropriate and not installed correctly or maintained properly, it can cost you more in energy bills and have a negative impact on the environment. Go to Look for the Tick for more information
See our tips for choosing a cooling option
More information
See these resources for more information about heating and cooling:
Rebates & assistance
As a home owner, renter or landlord, you could be eligible for financial assistance and home assessments to help you start saving energy and water sooner.
Find out about government rebates and assistance.
Why do it?
- Use the environment as a free source of heating and cooling
- Keep your home comfortable year round
- Reduce your energy bills
- Protect the environment with less greenhouse gas emissions
Did you know?
An extra 1 degree Celsius difference between outside and inside temperatures can add around 10 per cent to heating and cooling costs. You can save money and energy by setting the thermostat to 18-20 degrees in winter and 25-27 degrees in summer.
What can I do?
Take Action
Page last modified: 25 Feb 2010