Heating and cooling in BallaratHeating first, in Victoria's coldest city.

What's different about heating a Ballarat home

A reverse cycle system (a heat pump) can heat a Ballarat home well, but it has to be chosen for it. The ACT Government's guide says air at 0 degrees still holds over 90% of the heat energy of air at 40, and good systems keep working at -10. What separates models is how much heat they deliver in that cold, so ask for the heating capacity at 2 degrees, which the energy label shows.

Expect defrost cycles. Mitsubishi Electric says that in heating, frost forms on the outdoor unit when it's cold and humid outside, and the unit pauses for up to 10 minutes to clear it, sometimes letting off white vapour. On a foggy Ballarat morning, with July afternoon humidity averaging 75% at the aerodrome, that's normal, not a fault.

The wind matters as much as the thermometer. Rinnai counts windows and doors letting in cold air among the things that change the size a home needs, and in a city this windy, draughts can undo a well-sized system. If you have a gas heater, get it checked before sealing up: Energy Safe Victoria warns that weather-sealing can trap carbon monoxide inside.

The jobs that come up most in Ballarat, and why

Reverse cycle heating, installed. Whether it's one split system in the living room or a ducted or multi-split install for the whole house, heating capacity sets the size here, and cooling is checked second.

Servicing before winter. A heat pump that runs most nights from May to September needs its yearly service in autumn, when a fault is an inconvenience rather than an emergency.

Gas ducted heating. In a 2021 Victorian Government survey, 37% of regional home owners in gas areas had gas ducted heating that only heats the whole house. Those systems need a gasfitter every two years and, eventually, a decision about replacement.

Wood heaters. The same survey found wood heaters in 19% of regional homes, against 7% in metropolitan areas. When one of those comes out, a heat pump is the obvious electric alternative to look at.

Renting in Ballarat

Almost a third of Ballarat homes are rented. A working gas heater can stay, but from 1 March 2027, if a rental's main living area heater permanently fails and can't be repaired, the replacement must be energy efficient electric, such as a reverse cycle unit with a heating rating of 2 stars or more. Fixed cooling is needed in the main living area for new or month-to-month agreements from that date, and for every rental from 1 July 2030. Our rental heating guide has the detail.

Licences, and where we come in

In Victoria, installing a split is plumbing work: the installer needs Building and Plumbing Commission registration and an ARC refrigerant licence, and new wiring needs a licensed electrician. Gas heater work is for a licensed gasfitter. See our Victorian licence guide.

Send us the job and your postcode. Where we have licence-checked installers around Ballarat who specialise in that work, they can see it, and only the one who takes it gets your contact details. If none of them takes it within 48 hours, Victorian installers further from Ballarat may see it too.