Hornsby, by the facts
Mostly apartments now
At the 2021 Census, 59.1% of Hornsby's homes were flats or apartments, 35.3% separate houses and 5.4% semis or townhouses. 43.0% were rented.
Early 1900s houses
Hornsby's residential growth began in the early 1900s, led by private developers. Its older homes include Federation, Arts and Crafts, Queen Anne and California bungalow styles, and places such as Mount Wilga House and Mount Errington are heritage-listed.
Up on the ridge, surrounded by bush
Hornsby sits at about 188 m on the Upper North Shore. The shire runs along a ridge between Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Berowra Valley Regional Park, and bushland covers up to 70% of it.
Zone 5
The ABCB climate map puts Hornsby's council area in zone 5, warm temperate, with Ku-ring-gai and the inner city.
In an apartment near the station
If you own the unit, the owners corporation has a say. A new reverse cycle air conditioner is a minor renovation under NSW strata rules, approved by more than 50% of the votes at a strata meeting or by the committee where a by-law allows. NSW's exempt development rules do allow an outdoor unit on the floor of a balcony, but the NSW planning department notes strata by-laws can still limit where and how it goes. Read your by-laws first.
If you rent, you need the landlord's written permission, because a split means drilling through a wall. For more on both, see apartments and strata and split systems in Sydney.
In an older Hornsby house
Federation and bungalow houses weren't built with air conditioning in mind, so the installer has to find wall space for indoor units, a route for pipes and power, and a spot outside with air around it. Mitsubishi Electric says an air conditioner needs a dedicated power supply, so an older switchboard may need a licensed electrician first; see electrical work.
If the roof space allows, ducted reverse cycle keeps wall units out of period rooms: Mitsubishi Electric notes only the vents are visible. If it doesn't, a multi-split is the usual middle path. And if your block backs onto bush, keep the outdoor unit clear of leaves, which Daikin says make it run less efficiently. If the house is heritage-listed, the NSW exempt rules require the outdoor unit on the ground, at or behind the rear building line.
What we'd do
Where we'd begin in Hornsby
In an apartment, we'd get the strata answer and read the by-laws before asking for a single quote, then fit a quiet, well-sized split. In an older house, we'd ask for a switchboard check on the first visit and compare ducted with multi-split. Either way, we'd want an installer who does that type of home all the time. Licence-checked installers near Hornsby who specialise in it can see your job; the one who takes it is the only one who gets your details. If no installer near Hornsby has taken it after 48 hours, it can be seen by installers elsewhere in NSW.
