Heating and cooling in WarrnamboolMostly heating, with salt in the air.

What's different about heating and cooling here

It's a heating-led climate. With summer afternoons averaging under 25 degrees and cool, wet winters, a reverse cycle system here will spend more of its life heating than cooling, so its heating rating and capacity deserve more attention than the cooling stars.

Cooling still has its days, because the airport has hit 45.0 degrees. One reverse cycle unit handles both, and on a summer night that turns cold it switches to heating without anyone digging out a portable heater.

Salt, wind and the outdoor unit

Mitsubishi Electric's instructions list salty places such as the seaside among places to avoid installing an air conditioner, which in a surf coast town isn't always possible. So the outdoor unit's position matters: the most sheltered wall, out of the direct line of the wind off the sea, with air still able to reach it.

Several warranty cards put corrosion protection on the owner near the sea. Toshiba's and Carrier's say so for units installed close to the sea, and ActronAir describes that protection as regularly washing down the outdoor unit, panels and coils with a mild detergent. Some brands treat their coils: Daikin calls its treatment Blue Fin and TECO calls its Gold Fin protection, but neither gives a distance-from-the-sea rule. Our coastal homes guide goes further.

What most Warrnambool homes end up needing

Reverse cycle heating in the living area. A split system suits a single room, and with mostly separate houses, ducted or multi-split systems are the options for whole-home heating.

Servicing with a corrosion check. Near the beach, the yearly service is where early rust on fins and fittings gets caught.

Gas heater checks. If you heat with gas, Energy Safe Victoria says to have the heater serviced at least every two years, and Victorian rentals need a gas safety check every two years too. See gas heater servicing.

Rules that apply in Warrnambool

Victorian rules apply. Installing a split is plumbing work that needs Building and Plumbing Commission registration and an ARC licence, and new wiring is for a licensed electrician. Some systems that heat and cool can get a VEU discount through an accredited provider, so ask the installer whether they're accredited.

In a rental, a working gas heater can stay. From 1 March 2027, a main living area heater that permanently fails must be replaced with an energy efficient electric one. Our rental heating guide explains.

Licence-checked installers near Warrnambool who specialise in your job will see it, and the one who takes it gets your details. If nobody in the south-west takes it within 48 hours, installers from elsewhere in Victoria may see it too.