A town that's still being built
In December 2010 the State Government signed off on rezoning about 1,300 ha of farmland at Mount Barker, which developers wanted for an additional 7,700 new homes. The estates that followed are why so many heating and cooling jobs here are in houses only a few years old.
Newer Adelaide houses are mostly brick veneer on a concrete slab, so the ducts and pipes for a whole-house system go through the roof space. If you're building or have just moved in, it's worth planning heating and cooling before the ceilings are painted and the garden goes in.
Mount Barker's climate and homes
Cold, damp winters
The Mount Barker station sits at 359 m (1991 to 2020 averages). It's generally cooler and wetter than Adelaide, winters are damp and chilly, and temperatures can fall below 0 degrees on the occasional clear night.
Warm summers, cool nights
January's mean maximum is 28.1 degrees, temperatures regularly nudge 30, and there are one or two days over 40 each year. Summer nights can still be cool.
Family houses
At the 2021 Census, 91.2% of Mount Barker's occupied homes were separate houses, averaging 3.3 bedrooms. 42.6% were owned with a mortgage and 29.3% were rented.
Close enough to commute
The town is about 33 km from the Adelaide city centre and is ranked fifth for fastest growth in South Australia.
What to check in a newer home before you get quotes
- Whether your switchboard has room for a dedicated circuit. Mitsubishi Electric says an air conditioner needs its own power supply.
- Whether a large ducted or multi-head system needs a 3-phase upgrade. The ACT Government's guide says big houses sometimes do, and your installer can confirm it.
- How the ducted system will be zoned, so you can heat the living areas at night without warming empty bedrooms.
- Where the outdoor unit can go on a tight estate lot without its noise reaching the neighbour's bedroom or patio.
- That any ducting carries at least R1.5 insulation, which the ACT guide says you may need to ask for.
What we'd do
Our take
In a newer three or four bedroom Mount Barker house, we'd get a quote for zoned ducted reverse cycle and one for a few well-placed splits, both sized from a heat load calculation for winter. Ducted suits an open roof space and a family that wants every room even. Splits suit a household that mostly lives in two rooms and wants to start smaller.
When you send us a job, licence-checked installers who specialise in it can see the details, if there's one near Mount Barker, and the one who takes it is the only one who gets your number. If no one around Mount Barker takes it within 48 hours, installers elsewhere in South Australia may see it too.
