Bendigo facts that shape a split install
A real heating load
On Bureau of Meteorology averages for Bendigo Airport, July's mean minimum is 2.7 degrees and the record low is -5.5, and Bendigo dips below zero on 26.1 days in an average year. A split here will spend a lot of winter on heat.
A dry summer cooling load
January's mean maximum at the airport is 30.2 degrees, days above 35 are common, and January afternoons average 30% humidity. You need enough capacity for the hot spells, not an oversized unit for the average day.
Room outside most houses
91.4% of occupied homes in Greater Bendigo were separate houses at the 2021 Census, so there's usually a side or back wall for the outdoor unit.
Terraces with close neighbours
Bendigo has older terrace houses, generally in short runs. With a neighbour's wall right beside yours, the outdoor unit's position and Victoria's noise rules carry more weight.
How should a Bendigo split be sized?
From a heat load on the room, not the box on special. Mitsubishi Electric calls a professional heat load calculation essential, because climate, the room's orientation, insulation, windows and ceiling height all change the answer. Our size calculator gives you a starting point to talk through.
Then read the label properly. The zoned energy rating label shows heating capacity at 7 degrees and at 2 degrees outside, and with Bendigo's July nights averaging 2.7, the 2 degree figure is the one to compare. A unit that looks generous on cooling can be lighter on heating.
Don't go too big either. Rinnai says an oversized system short cycles, switching on and off, which wears it faster and leaves the room never quite right.
Where the outdoor unit should go
The ACT Government's guide says to weigh up access for servicing, noise for the neighbours and fresh air for the unit, and to avoid enclosed courtyards and slat fencing around it.
On a terrace, the neighbour issue is the big one. In Victoria a split running on heat mustn't be heard inside a neighbour's habitable room on weekdays before 7am or after 10pm, and on cooling the cut-off is 11pm. Weekend and public holiday mornings start at 9am.
Frosty mornings matter too. Mitsubishi Electric says water drips from the outdoor unit in heating mode and as it defrosts, so put it where that water can run away from paths and doorways.
Who can install a split in Bendigo?
In Victoria, fitting a reverse cycle split is plumbing work. The installer needs Building and Plumbing Commission registration plus an ARC refrigerant licence: either the full RAC01, or the restricted RSS03, which covers installing single-head splits under 18kW only.
Mitsubishi Electric says a split needs its own dedicated power supply, and a new circuit is work for a Registered Electrical Contractor. When the job's done you should get an Energy Safe Victoria Certificate of Electrical Safety and a plumbing compliance certificate. Our national split system installation page covers the install day itself.
Questions for a Bendigo split installer
- What's this unit's heating capacity at 2 degrees, and is that enough for this room?
- Where will the outdoor unit sit, and how close is it to a neighbour's window?
- Is a new circuit included, and who's doing the electrical work?
- What's your RTA number? The ARC requires it on quotes.
- Will I get both Victorian certificates at the end?
What to do before the installer arrives
You can
- Decide which room matters most in winter, and which in summer. Often it's the same one.
- Look at where an outdoor unit could sit with air around it and water able to drain away.
- Talk to the neighbour if the best spot is on a shared side.
Leave to a licensed installer
- The heat load and the final size.
- The refrigerant pipework, charging and testing.
- The power supply and any new circuit.
What we'd do
Where we'd start
We'd ask for a heat load on the room and compare quotes on their heating capacity at 2 degrees, not the headline cooling number. On a terrace we'd settle the outdoor unit's spot with the neighbour in mind before signing. Then we'd use a split specialist who does this work every week, because the bracket, the drain and the pipe run are what make a split last.
If that sounds like your job, tell us your postcode and what you're after. Licence-checked split installers around Bendigo will see it, and the first to take it is the only one sent your contact details. If no split installer around Bendigo takes it within 48 hours, installers elsewhere in Victoria may see it too. For whole-home options, see our Bendigo heating and cooling page.
