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Bathurst, New South Wales

Heating and cooling in BathurstCold winters, warm summers, one system for both.

An installer for Bathurst

Licence-checked installers in Bathurst who specialise in your kind of job see it, and the one who takes it calls you to quote.

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Bathurst needs real heating and some real cooling. July nights at the Agricultural Station average 0.6 degrees, but January afternoons average 29.5, warmer than Orange Airport's 27.4. So a reverse cycle system here should be chosen for winter first, with enough cooling for the hot spells. If yours is getting old, replacing it is often the bigger question.

What's different about Bathurst

Four distinct seasons

Bathurst is in Australia's cool temperate zone, with warm summers and cool to cold winters. At Bathurst Agricultural Station (1991 to 2020, 713 m above sea level), January's mean daily maximum is 29.5 degrees and July's mean daily minimum 0.6 degrees, with afternoon humidity of 41% in January.

Plenty of cold nights

AdaptNSW says up to 130 cold nights below 2 degrees a year are recorded in the Tablelands, and that Orange and Bathurst have fewer than 10 days a year above 35.

Cold that's made history

Bathurst is one of only a handful of Australian towns to have recorded a sub-freezing maximum, minus 0.8 degrees on 18 June 1877, and light to moderate snow falls each winter on the high country around it.

Heat is rare, but it comes

The Agricultural Station's record high is 41.5 degrees, set on 11 February 2017. 40 degree days are exceedingly rare for Bathurst.

Houses and renters

At the 2021 Census, 84.8% of occupied dwellings in the Bathurst Regional council area were separate houses, 10.2% semi-detached or townhouses and 4.4% flats or apartments. 30.3% were rented.

Gas

Jemena says its gas network serves customers in more than 20 regional centres, naming the Central West and Central Tablelands among them. The building code lists Bathurst as climate zone 7.

Choosing a system for both seasons

Size it for the cold. Mitsubishi Electric says a proper heat load calculation is essential, and in Bathurst that calculation should be done for a July night, not a January afternoon. Then check the cooling capacity covers the warm spells.

On the energy label, look at the red heating stars for the cold zone and the heating capacity at 2 degrees outside. Rinnai warns that an undersized system leads to insufficient heating or cooling and a shorter life, while an oversized one short cycles. Our size calculator is a sensible first step.

Is it time to replace an old system?

If your system has been on the wall or in the roof for a long time, efficiency is the question to ask. Solar Victoria says a system more than 15 years old typically uses more than three times the energy of a modern reverse cycle air conditioner. That doesn't make every old unit a write-off, but it changes the maths when a repair comes up.

Bathurst households may be eligible for the NSW Energy Savings Scheme discount when replacing an old air conditioner with a more efficient one, through an installer partnered with an IPART-accredited certificate provider. The ESS activity covers replacing an existing unit whether it's working or not. Sign the nomination form before installation begins, because work already done isn't reimbursed. Our repair or replace tool helps you weigh it up.

Moving on from gas ducted heating

If you heat with gas ducted and want cooling too, there are two routes. One is add-on cooling through the existing ducts: Rinnai says compatibility depends on the age, model, capacity and condition of the heater and ductwork, and not every ducted heater can support it. See add-on cooling.

The other is ducted reverse cycle, which heats and cools from one system. The ACT Government's guide says the old gas ducts are too narrow to reuse, so expect new ductwork. The NSW ESS gives no incentive for gas space heaters installed from 1 July 2026, but a high efficiency air conditioner may qualify.

Keeping a working gas heater is also fine. Better Health says gas heaters should be serviced at least every 2 years by a licensed gasfitter, so book that before winter.

Rentals and licences

With 30.3% of homes rented, a lot of Bathurst households will need the owner to arrange any fixed heating or cooling. Whoever books it, air conditioning work in NSW needs a licence or certificate, and Service NSW's check can search by suburb, postcode or local government area as well as by name.

What we'd do

What we'd do in Bathurst

If the current system is more than 15 years old and needs a major repair, we'd get a replacement quoted alongside it, and ask the installer about the ESS before signing. For a new system, we'd pick reverse cycle on its heating at 2 degrees and size it for July. Send us the job. Licence-checked Bathurst installers who specialise in that work can see it, and your contact details go to the one who takes it. If no Bathurst installer takes it within 48 hours, the job may be shown to installers elsewhere in New South Wales.

What this work looks like

Photos from real jobs in Melbourne, to show what the work looks like. They aren't from an installer near you.

Two linear slot diffusers across a living room ceiling
Two linear slot diffusers across a living room ceiling. Oct 2023. A job in Melbourne.
A ducted outdoor unit beside a gas ducted heater
A ducted outdoor unit beside a gas ducted heater. Jul 2023. A job in Melbourne.
An evaporative cooler on a new home's roof
An evaporative cooler on a new home's roof. Oct 2023. A job in Melbourne.

More job photos

Heating and cooling jobs in Bathurst

Questions people ask

Is reverse cycle enough for a Bathurst winter?
A well-chosen one is. The ACT Government says good systems keep working at minus 10 degrees outside. Choose on the heating capacity at 2 degrees and have it sized for your coldest room.
Can I add cooling to my gas ducted heating?
Sometimes. Rinnai says it depends on the age, model, capacity and condition of your heater and ducts, and not every system can take it. A ducted heating specialist can check yours.
Is it worth replacing an old air conditioner that still works?
It can be. Solar Victoria says a system more than 15 years old typically uses more than three times the energy of a modern reverse cycle unit, and the NSW ESS covers replacing an existing unit whether it's working or not.
When should I service my system in Bathurst?
Before winter, with both heating and cooling tested. Our Bathurst service page explains what to ask for.

Ready for the right installer to take a look in Bathurst?

Your postcode and three quick questions. Licence-checked local installers who specialise in your kind of job see it, and the one who takes it gets in touch to quote.

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Read next

  1. 01Air conditioning service in BathurstA Bathurst aircon service: timing, both modes tested, warranty records and old systems.
  2. 02Repair or replace?Three questions on age, fault and history, and whether to repair or price both.
  3. 03Adding cooling to gas ducted heatingHow add-on cooling works with gas ducted heating, which heaters suit it, and when reverse cycle is the better call.
  4. 04Switching from gas heating to electricYour options for leaving gas heating, what the rules actually require, and what to ask before you sign.
  5. 05Reverse cycle air conditioningHow reverse cycle heats and cools, which type suits your home, and what to check for winter.
  6. 06NSW Energy Savings SchemeHow the ESS discount works on a new or replacement air conditioner, and what's left out.

Where this information comes from

We don't publish prices. Every home is different, so an installer's written quote is the only real number. How we write and check these pages.

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