Adelaide winters and homes
How cold it gets on the plains
Bureau of Meteorology averages give a July mean minimum of 7.7 degrees at Kent Town. That's a real winter but not a severe one, so weigh hydronic against reverse cycle, which also cools.
The Hills
Frosts are common in the valleys of the Adelaide Hills and rare elsewhere. Up there, long cold nights make steady whole-home heat far more appealing.
Stone and double brick
In an older bluestone or double brick house, wall panels are the practical retrofit, with pipes run under the floor or through the roof space.
Slab homes
Later Adelaide houses are mainly brick veneer on a concrete slab. Underfloor hydronic pipes usually go in when a slab is poured, so in an established slab home, panels are the likely option.
Gas or heat pump
The ACT Government says hydronic systems are usually gas-fired but can run on a heat pump, wood or solar. Australian Gas Networks supplies greater Adelaide, and Solar Victoria describes a heat pump hydronic system as turning heat from the outside air into hot water for the home.
What makes the job bigger or smaller
Panels in a few rooms off one boiler is the smaller end. Every room, underfloor in an extension, or a boiler that needs a new spot adds work. Solar Victoria says the pipes need proper insulation to stay efficient, so ask where they'll run and how they'll be lagged.
Hydronic only heats. With Adelaide summers that pass 40 degrees, you'll still need cooling, so plan the two together if both are on your list. The national hydronic heating page covers how an install runs.
Questions to ask a hydronic installer
- Which rooms will get panels or underfloor, and how was each one sized?
- Gas boiler or heat pump, and why for my home?
- Where will the boiler go, and how will the pipes be run and insulated?
- Can each room be controlled on its own?
- What servicing does the boiler need, and who does it?
What we'd do
Where we'd start
For most homes on the Adelaide plains we'd compare hydronic against reverse cycle before committing, because reverse cycle covers summer as well. In a Hills home that gets the frosts, or for someone with asthma who wants heat without moving air, hydronic deserves a proper quote from an installer who designs hydronic systems, not one who adds them on.
Tell us about the house and your postcode. Hydronic specialists near you, all licence-checked, will see the job. Your details are released to a single installer, the one who takes it. Our Adelaide page covers the other heating options.
