Heating and cooling in TasmaniaHeat pump work is plumbing work here.

What counts as plumbing work?

The Occupational Licensing (Plumbing Work) Regulations 2021 list the installation, replacement, repair, maintenance, servicing, commissioning, decommissioning and removal of mechanical services and refrigerated air conditioning systems as prescribed plumbing work. That's the whole life of a heat pump, not just the day it goes in.

There's one carve-out. Work by sheetmetal tradespeople in connection with ventilation or air conditioning plant isn't prescribed plumbing work, so the ductwork on a ducted job may come from a different trade.

The refrigerant licence sits on top. Whoever handles the refrigerant needs an ARC licence: RAC01, or RSS03 for single-head splits under 18kW.

Why the ad might not show a licence number

Section 100 of the Act used to require licence numbers in ads, and it was repealed from 1 January 2017. A missing number on a Tasmanian website doesn't mean the business is unlicensed. It means you ask.

The Act still polices what a business claims. Under s 38(2), nobody may represent that they, or anyone else, will contract for prescribed work unless the intended contractor holds the right contractor's licence. The maximum is 400 penalty units for a company and 200 for an individual. Holding someone out as a practitioner or contractor when they aren't one carries up to 150 or 75 penalty units under s 38(1).

Heat pumps, winter nights and the neighbours

Every Tasmanian location in the National Construction Code's climate zone table, Hobart and Launceston included, is zone 7: cool temperate. Heating is the main job, so keep the 10pm change in mind when you pick the outdoor unit's spot.

EPA Tasmania's guideline limits are 45dB(A) between 7am and 10pm and 40dB(A) between 10pm and 7am, taken one metre from the external wall of the closest neighbouring home. The EPA adds that heat pump noise at any hour can be found unreasonable under section 53 of the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act.

Renting in Tasmania

Tasmania's rental minimum standards (Residential Tenancy Act 1997, s 36M) need a heating device in a room that may be used as the main living area. It can be a fixed electric or gas heater, a heat pump, a wood heater (not an open fireplace), an approved open fireplace, or another prescribed device.