Why heating decides the install in Ballarat
When the Victorian Government surveyed home owners in gas areas in 2021, the top reasons for not heating with reverse cycle were that a larger house needs several splits where one ducted system would do (59%), and that a split can only push air so far, so it struggles in big rooms or behind interior walls (56%).
In a Ballarat winter, those are exactly the questions a quote has to answer. One split in the lounge won't warm the bedrooms down the hall, so whole-home heating means ducted reverse cycle, a multi-split, or a split in each room you use.
Ballarat facts an installer should work from
Design for the cold end
Ballarat has reached -6.0 degrees, and winter lows of 0 to 2 degrees are common. Mitsubishi Electric says that when it's very cold outside, the heating effect may not be enough, so sizing for an average winter day leaves you short on frosty mornings.
Wind
Driving winds make Ballarat winters feel colder, and Rinnai lists windows and doors letting in cold air among the things that change the size a home needs. A good heat load allows for draughts, or you fix them first.
Ducts in a cold roof
The ACT Government's guide recommends at least R1.5 insulation on ducting and says suppliers may not include it by default. It also notes ducts running through the ceiling reduce its insulation. In a zone 7 winter, both points count.
Terraces and semis
12.0% of Ballarat homes are semis, terraces or townhouses, and the terraces come in short runs. Shared walls put outdoor units closer to neighbours, and in Victoria a system heating after 10pm mustn't be heard in a neighbour's habitable room.
Rentals
31.6% of Ballarat homes are rented. From 1 March 2027, an electric ducted system only qualifies as an energy efficient rental heater if its Heating Seasonal Performance Factor is 3.2 or above.
Ducted, multi-split or splits in a Ballarat house
Ducted reverse cycle heats every room from one system, with only vents showing. The ACT Government says it can be slightly less efficient than splits because of heat lost through the ducts, which is why duct insulation matters so much in a cold roof, and it may need 3-phase power in a large house.
Multi-split puts several indoor units on one outdoor unit. Mitsubishi Electric says each can run at its own temperature, but all must share one mode, which rarely bothers anyone in a Ballarat winter when every room wants heat.
Separate splits suit a home where you only heat two or three rooms. Switching on just the rooms in use, the ACT Government notes, is a simple way to zone.
What makes a Ballarat install bigger or smaller
Replacing gas ducted heating with ducted reverse cycle is the big one, because the ACT Government's guide says gas ducts are too narrow to reuse. A gasfitter has to disconnect the old heater, and new insulated ducting goes in. Keeping the gas heater and adding a split or two for the rooms it doesn't reach is a much smaller job.
After that: storeys, roof access, the pipe run to the outdoor unit, whether the switchboard can take the load, and in a terrace, how the pipes get to the back of the house.
VEU and the paperwork
Some systems that both heat and cool can get a Victorian Energy Upgrades discount through an accredited private provider, so ask whether your installer is accredited and who the accredited person is. Since 30 September 2026, ducted systems carry a minimum co-payment of $3,000, and none of it can be refunded to you in any form.
At the end of the job you should have an Energy Safe Victoria Certificate of Electrical Safety and a plumbing compliance certificate. Keep both with the quote.
Questions to ask a Ballarat installer
- What heating output does this system deliver at Ballarat's winter temperatures, not just its rated figure?
- How did you allow for wind and draughts in the heat load?
- What R-value is the duct insulation, and is it included?
- Could I keep my gas heater for now and add reverse cycle where it's needed?
- Does the house need 3-phase power or a switchboard upgrade?
- Where will the outdoor unit go, and will it be quiet enough after 10pm?
What we'd do
If it were our Ballarat house
We'd ask for a heat load done for July, not January, and compare a ducted system against a multi-split on the heating output each delivers when it's near zero outside. If the gas ducted heater still works, we'd look at adding reverse cycle to the rooms it struggles with before ripping it out. And we'd want a ducted heating specialist who knows cold roofs to check the insulation before quoting.
