Carrum Downs, from swamp to suburb
Built on the old swamp
eMelbourne says Carrum Downs sits on the former Carrum Swamp and was one of Melbourne's fastest growing residential areas in the late 20th century.
The estates
Wikipedia says Botany Park dates from the late 1970s and early 1980s, Botany Bush became housing in the late 1990s, and building is still going on.
Three-bedroom houses
At the 2021 Census, 79.0% of the 8,307 occupied homes were separate houses and 58.6% had three bedrooms. Only 0.4% were flats or apartments.
Mortgages and renters
47.6% of homes were owned with a mortgage and 27.3% were rented. Carrum Downs is in the City of Frankston, about 48 km south-east of the CBD.
The decisions a Carrum Downs house brings up
Splits or ducted? The ACT Government guide says split systems suit houses under 180 square metres, or homes needing only limited heating and cooling, while ducted or multi-head systems suit larger houses. Measure the area you actually heat before choosing. Our split or ducted tool walks you through it.
A multi-split in the middle. Rinnai says multi-split suits 2 to 5 rooms that each need separate control. In a three-bedroom house, that can mean the living area and two bedrooms on one outdoor unit. See multi-split systems.
Retiring an old reverse cycle unit. By Solar Victoria's reckoning, a unit past 15 years typically draws over three times the energy of a modern reverse cycle one. If your split dates from when the house was new, get a replacement quote before you pay for a big repair.
Hot water, not heating. From 1 March 2027, a gas hot water system at the end of its life must be replaced with an efficient electric one, such as a heat pump. DEECA says owner occupiers don't have to switch gas space heating.
Could a VEU discount apply?
Maybe, on a reverse cycle system that both heats and cools, through an accredited provider. VEU is voluntary and the providers are private businesses, not the Government. It doesn't cover gas heaters or evaporative coolers. Our Victorian Energy Upgrades guide explains how it works.
What we'd do
If it were our Carrum Downs house
We'd measure the living areas and bedrooms first, then choose between splits, a multi-split and ducted. If the gas ducted heater is still sound, we'd keep servicing it and add a split for summer. If it's failing, we'd put a ducted reverse cycle quote and a multi-split quote side by side.
