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Licences and rules

Heating and cooling in the ACTCheck the electrical licence, then the rebate rules.

In the ACT, the licence that decides who can install your heating and cooling is the electrical one. Wiring on low voltage systems needs an unrestricted electrical licence, and the restricted refrigeration and air-conditioning licence only covers disconnecting and reconnecting. Access Canberra's public registers show whether a licence is current, and any disciplinary action against the holder.

How to check a Canberra installer

  1. Get the licence numbers

    In the ACT, builders, electricians, plumbers, drainers, gasfitters and gas appliance workers all need a licence. Ask for the electrician's number, and the gasfitter's if gas is involved.

  2. Search the public registers

    Access Canberra lists licensed electricians, plumbers and gasfitters, including licences that are expired, suspended, surrendered or cancelled.

  3. Open the Details tab

    Any disciplinary action against the holder shows there, so it's worth the extra click.

  4. Match the licence to the job

    A restricted holder may disconnect and reconnect low voltage only, and can't install low voltage wiring. A new unit on a new circuit needs the unrestricted licence.

The isolator beside your outdoor unit

Access Canberra quotes the Wiring Rules clause (AS/NZS 3000:2018 clause 4.19) that requires air conditioning and heat pump systems with a compressor to have a lockable isolating switch adjacent to the unit, but not on it. If yours is missing, or fixed to the unit itself, raise it with the installer.

Older Canberra homes: Mr Fluffy and the ducts

Between 1968 and 1978-79, Mr Fluffy loose-fill asbestos was put into more than 1000 Canberra homes, and fibres have turned up in some heating and cooling ducts and vents. An affected house has to carry a safety tag on its meter box and switchboard. If you see one, or aren't sure, stay out of the roof space, leave old ducting alone, and tell any installer before they come to quote.

Rebates and loans: pre-approval comes first

The Sustainable Household Scheme lends money at low interest, through Brighte, for electric heating and cooling and other upgrades. Home Energy Support adds a rebate for eligible owner-occupiers holding a Pensioner Concession Card, DVA Gold Card or Health Care Card.

For the rebate, quotes must come from accredited suppliers on the Brighte list, and you shouldn't accept one until the ACT Government has pre-approved your application. The amounts and tests are in our ACT scheme guide.

Gas, and why heating comes first here

Since 8 December 2023, new gas network connections have been blocked in all of the ACT's residential, commercial and community facility zones. The ACT aims to phase out fossil fuel gas by 2045, and the government says parts of the network will likely close from the mid-2030s. It also says any unflued gas heater should be replaced immediately, because of the carbon monoxide it produces.

The ACT Government puts heating at about 60% of the average Canberra household's energy use. That's why the installer to look for is a heating specialist who sizes reverse cycle for Canberra winters. Our gas to electric page covers the switch.

What we'd do

If it were our Canberra home

We'd check the electrician on Access Canberra's register, Details tab included, before booking a quote. In an older house we'd look for a Mr Fluffy tag at the meter box first. And if we were applying for the rebate, we'd wait for pre-approval before signing anything.

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.

New insulated ducts run through a roof space
New insulated ducts run through a roof space. Sep 2023. A job in Melbourne.
A slimline ducted outdoor unit in a side passage
A slimline ducted outdoor unit in a side passage. Jul 2023. A job in Melbourne.
An evaporative cooler beside a new flue on a Colorbond roof
An evaporative cooler beside a new flue on a Colorbond roof. Jul 2023. A job in Melbourne.

More job photos

Cities in Australian Capital Territory

Questions people ask

Can an air conditioning tech wire up a new split in the ACT?
Only with an unrestricted electrical licence. The restricted refrigeration and air-conditioning licence covers incidental wiring for disconnection and reconnection, not new low voltage wiring.
Can I accept a quote before my rebate is approved?
You can collect quotes from suppliers on the Brighte list, but don't accept one until the ACT Government has pre-approved your application.
What are the ACT's noise limits for air conditioners?
Monday to Saturday, the residential limit is 45 dB(A) between 7am and 10pm and 35 dB(A) the rest of the time. Sundays and public holidays allow 45 dB(A) from 8am to 10pm. In a multi-unit development, the limit drops by 5 dB(A).

Ready for the right installer to take a look?

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. 01ACT Sustainable Household SchemeHow the ACT loan works for electric heating and cooling, and the rebate some homeowners can add.
  2. 02How to check an installer's licenceRun the ARCtick check, read RAC01 and RSS03, and check the state licence too.
  3. 03Switching from gas heating to electricYour options for leaving gas heating, what the rules actually require, and what to ask before you sign.
  4. 04Duct cleaningWhen duct cleaning is worth it, what to check first, and what a proper clean involves.
  5. 05The electrical side of an installCircuits, isolators, switchboard upgrades and three phase, and who's licensed to do them.
  6. 06Aircon noise rules and neighboursQuiet hours, decibel limits by state, and how to place an outdoor unit so the neighbours don't notice.

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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