What's different about Windsor
The cold end of Sydney
The Bureau's averages for Richmond give 38 nights a year below 2 degrees and 17 below zero. The far west also has a big gap between day and night temperatures, so a July day can start icy and finish mild.
Life beside the Hawkesbury
Being close to the Hawkesbury River has brought Windsor numerous disastrous floods. A horseshoe on the Macquarie Arms marks where the 1867 flood peaked, and floodwater closed the bridge in March 2021.
A town proclaimed in 1810
Windsor was officially proclaimed on 15 December 1810. The court house, St Matthew's Anglican Church, the Macquarie Arms and Claremont Cottage are among its sites on the State Heritage Register.
Mostly houses, many rented
At the 2021 Census, 77.1% of Windsor's homes were separate houses and 13.9% townhouses, semis or terraces. 41.6% were rented, so for many households the system is the owner's call.
Heating in a frost: what to expect from reverse cycle
Reverse cycle heats well in Windsor's cold, but it behaves differently on frosty mornings. Mitsubishi Electric says frost forms on the outdoor unit when it's cold and damp outside, and the system stops for up to 10 minutes to defrost. White vapour rising from the outdoor unit during that time is normal.
When you compare models, look at the heating capacity printed for 2 degrees on the energy label, not just the 7 degree figure. A ducted system for a whole house should be sized for those mornings as well as the hottest afternoons. See ducted air conditioning in Sydney.
If you heat with gas, Energy Safe Victoria and Better Health both say to have a gas heater serviced at least every two years by a licensed gasfitter. Autumn is the time, before the first frost. More on gas heater service in Sydney.
Placement on the floodplain and in the old town
If your home has flooded before, ask the installer how high the outdoor unit can sit. If floodwater ever reaches the unit, leave it switched off at the switchboard and have it checked before it runs again.
In the heritage streets, an outdoor unit on a street-facing wall can be a planning question. If your home or its neighbours are listed, talk to Hawkesbury City Council before work starts.
What we'd do
If it were our Windsor home
We'd choose a reverse cycle system on its heating figures first, then check it copes with a summer afternoon. We'd keep the outdoor unit off the ground if the block has ever flooded, and away from the street face if the house is old. If there's a gas heater, we'd book its service in autumn. Then we'd want an installer who does Hawkesbury heating jobs every winter. Licence-checked installers near Windsor who do that work will see your job, and only the one who takes it gets your contact details. If no one near Windsor takes it within 48 hours, installers elsewhere in NSW may see it too.
