Where can the outdoor unit go in Claremont?
If your home is on the Town's heritage list, ask the Town of Claremont before an outdoor unit, pipe cover or roof cooler goes anywhere visible from the street. Side and rear walls, behind a fence or low in a courtyard are the usual places to look, as long as the unit still gets air.
In an apartment or a strata townhouse, the by-laws decide. Expect to need approval for anything on a balcony, an external wall or common property. Our apartments and strata page has the questions to ask the strata manager.
Wherever it goes, the ACT Government's guide asks you to think about maintenance access, noise for the neighbours and fresh air reaching the unit, and warns against enclosed courtyards. In close-set streets, the noise point matters as much as the look.
Claremont in a few facts
Heritage everywhere
The Town of Claremont covers 4.9 square kilometres and lists 854 heritage places, 20 of them on the State Register, including Claremont Post Office, the Teachers College and the weatherboard Anzac Cottage.
Older homes
Claremont was established in the 1890s and its land was subdivided by around 1903. In an older house, ask early whether the roof space suits ducts. If it doesn't, splits or a multi-head system are the usual alternatives.
Apartments and townhouses
At the 2021 Census, 34.6% of homes were flats or apartments and 26.1% were townhouses or semis. Separate houses were only 39.0%.
Renting
32.6% of homes were rented in 2021, and 39.8% owned outright. Tenants need the owner's OK, and often the strata's as well.
Between river and sea
Claremont sits on the Swan River's north bank, next to Swanbourne and the Indian Ocean. At Swanbourne, January averages 29.8 degrees and the 3 pm wind 27.7 km/h, so the sea breeze does a lot of the cooling on summer afternoons.
Questions for a Claremont installer
- Have you worked on heritage-listed homes, and what did the council ask for?
- Where exactly will the outdoor unit and pipe run go, and can I see it marked up?
- How loud is the outdoor unit, and how far is it from the neighbour's windows?
- For an apartment: what does the strata need from you before the install date?
What we'd do
If it were our Claremont home
We'd sort out approvals before choosing a model: a heritage check with the Town, or a written yes from the strata. Then we'd look at reverse cycle splits or a multi-head system, which need less roof space than ducted, with outdoor units out of sight from the street. We'd ask for an installer who's done heritage and strata jobs before, because they'll know what gets approved.
