The gas ducted heater in the roof of most Chelsea Heights homes is now 20 to 40 years old. We replace it with ducted reverse cycle on new R1.5 insulated ducts, zoned so you only heat or cool the rooms you are in.
Chelsea Heights was mostly built between the 1970s and the 1990s, and the heating in those homes followed the fashion of the day: a gas ducted heater in the roof space, floor or ceiling vents in every room, and one thermostat in the hallway. Cooling, if there is any, is an evaporative unit on the roof or a single split in the family room. Many of those heaters are on their second or third service history and getting harder to keep going.
In a single-storey Chelsea Heights home the swap is a straightforward one. The gas heater and the old ducts come out of the roof, a ducted reverse cycle unit goes in, and new R1.5 insulated ducts sized to that unit run to each room. The house gets heating and proper cooling from one system, and reverse cycle heating costs around a third of the running cost of gas heating.
The double-storey homes take more thought. Where the ducts to the ground floor run between the floors and cannot be replaced, a Braemar Dominator takes the gas heater's position and controls the airflow through the existing ducts. We look at the roof space and the floor plan before we tell you which applies. See the rest of our Chelsea Heights services.
Braemar, Mitsubishi Electric and Hisense ducted units with AirTouch 5 zoning, and splits for the rooms ducts do not reach.
The standard Chelsea Heights job. Old heater and ducts removed, a ducted reverse cycle unit in the roof, new R1.5 insulated ducts sized room by room, a new return air grille and the outdoor unit on a pad at the side of the house.
AirTouch 5 splits the home into zones, usually living areas and bedrooms, or upstairs and downstairs in a two-storey home. Each zone gets its own sensor, so the family room is not warm while the bedrooms freeze.
Only for homes where the ducts cannot be replaced, usually the ground floor runs of a two-storey house. The Dominator sits where the gas heater was and manages the airflow through the ducts already there.
A rumpus room, a converted garage or a home office outside the duct runs gets a Mitsubishi Electric or Hisense split system, fitted in a few hours.
The full range is on our products page.
Ducted reverse cycle, including the Dominator for homes where the existing ducts have to stay.
Ducted units for tight roof spaces, plus split and multi-head systems.
Ducted and split systems, with anti-corrosive Golden Fin coils on the ducted range.
Zoning control for ducted systems, with a sensor in each zone and control from your phone.
No Chelsea Heights heating case study yet. These are from Cairnlea, Narre Warren South and Berwick, in houses built in the same decades.
In Cairnlea the gas ducted system was decommissioned and an 18kW Mitsubishi Electric ducted unit installed, run through ten vents in seven AirTouch 5 zones. That job carried a $6,300 saving.
A whole-home 23.5kW ducted reverse cycle system in Narre Warren South, on R1.5 insulated ductwork to 16 round outlets, with the lounge, study and each bedroom on its own AirTouch 5 zone.
In this Berwick home the ductwork could not be replaced, so a 16kW Braemar Dominator went into the gas heater's place, with AirTouch 5 zones and temperature sensors. The owner saw a $6,000 rebate.
Expect typically one to two days on site for ducted on new R1.5 ducts. We time it so you are not without heating for long.
We check the heater, the duct runs, the return air and the space for a new unit, and for two-storey homes how the ground floor is fed.
The load is worked out room by room and the zones planned around how the family uses the house.
Unit, capacity, ducts, zoning and the after-VEU price in writing.
Our crew removes the old heater and ducts, fits the new unit and R1.5 ducts and runs a dedicated circuit from the board.
Each outlet is balanced, both heating and cooling are tested, and we set up the AirTouch 5 app with you.
A discount on the day, and a lower bill every winter after.
Ducted reverse cycle replaces both the gas heater and the need for a separate cooler. One system, one service, one set of controls.
Replacing gas ducted heating with an efficient reverse cycle system is the upgrade the VEU program discounts most. Eligibility depends on the existing heater and the new unit, and we show the figure on the quote.
Daytime heating and summer cooling run largely on solar. Our Chelsea Heights solar and battery page shows a local system with an EV charger.
The unit gets the attention. The ducts decide whether it actually works in every room.
Old gas ducts come out and R1.5 insulated ducts matched to the new unit go in. The Dominator is kept for the homes where that cannot be done.
ARC licensed technicians (AU 065299), BPC registration 132072 and electrical licence REC 32300. Refrigeration, mechanical and electrical all by Powerband employees.
We plan AirTouch 5 zones around how you use the house before we size the unit.
Close enough to come back and rebalance a zone after the first cold week if it needs it.
Live Google reviews. Look for the ducted reverse cycle and AirTouch jobs.
Anything else, call 0466 355 441. A technician will answer.
Old gas ducts are often split, squashed or poorly insulated, and were sized for warm air only. Cooling through them leads to weak airflow and condensation. New R1.5 ducts sized to the reverse cycle unit fix that.
If the ducts can be reached, they are replaced and the floors zoned separately. If the ground floor ducts run between the floors and cannot be replaced, a Braemar Dominator works with them.
Only briefly. The old heater keeps working right up to install day, and a ducted swap on new ducts is typically one to two days on site.
Usually three to six. Living areas, the main bedroom and the kids' rooms are the common split. We plan them with you before the quote.
A ducted unit needs its own dedicated circuit. Older boards from the 1970s and 80s sometimes need work first, and we include it in the fixed price when they do.
Braemar, Mitsubishi Electric or Hisense, depending on the house, capacity and budget. We explain the choice on the quote.
We look at the roof space, the ducts and the switchboard, then send a written quote with the unit, zoning and after-VEU price. No obligation.
