Practical advice on heating and cooling your Perth home
Straight answers from the engineers who design and install the systems. Floor heating, radiators, heat pumps, geothermal and heat recovery.
What size heat recovery unit does my home need?
It's sized by the air it moves, not by heating power. How the airflow is worked out, and which unit suits which home.
Is heat recovery ventilation noisy?
A good central system is close to silent in the rooms. Why wall units stay out of bedrooms, and how to read a noise figure.
How much does it cost to heat a pool in Perth?
About $3,280 a warm season with a gas or electric heater, far less with a heat pump on spare solar. Why the cover and season matter most.
How do I choose a hot water heat pump?
Five things to check before you buy a hot water heat pump, the one feature Phil calls a gimmick, and how to size it.
Can heat recovery ventilation work with ducted air conditioning?
Yes, and they do different jobs. Two ways to put them together, and the roof-space trap that wastes the heat recovery.
Is geothermal worth it, or will an air-source heat pump do?
For most Perth homes, an air-source heat pump will do. The few cases where the ground is worth drilling for, and the many where it isn't.
Can radiators run on a heat pump?
Yes, and most of ours do. A heat pump makes warm water rather than hot, so each radiator has to be sized for it.
Radiators vs panel heaters and convectors: what’s the difference?
One is central heating fed by warm water, the others plug in. What each costs to run, and the room where electric is the right answer.
What is heat recovery ventilation, and how does it work?
It swaps stale air for fresh and keeps most of the warmth. How it works, what goes where, and what it can't do.
How much does a heat recovery ventilation system cost in Australia, and does it pay back?
What sets the price, why the ducts matter more than the box, and an honest answer on whether it pays back in Perth.
Can I have heat recovery ventilation and a wood fire?
Yes, if the fire gets its own air. Why a sealed house changes things, and what to ask the heater installer.
Will floor cooling make my floors wet? Condensation, dew point and humidity explained
A cool floor sweats only below the dew point. How good controls keep it dry, and why the air con helps on sticky days.