Is Reverse Cycle Ducted Heating Warm Enough for an Albury-Wodonga Winter?

The question we hear most from people thinking about leaving gas behind is a simple one: will reverse cycle ducted heating actually keep the house warm on a frosty Albury-Wodonga morning? It is a fair question. This is not Brisbane. July mornings along the Murray regularly start below zero, often with fog sitting over the river flats until late morning, and a heating system here has to cope with that week after week.

The short answer is yes, a properly designed reverse cycle ducted system heats an Albury-Wodonga home well. The longer answer is that it behaves differently from gas ducted heating, and most of the complaints we hear come from systems that were sized for summer, installed without thinking about frost, or run the way people used to run their gas heater.

How a reverse cycle system makes heat

A reverse cycle system is a heat pump. In heating mode it pulls heat out of the outdoor air and moves it inside, even when that air feels bitterly cold. Modern inverter systems keep producing heat well below zero, but their output does fall as the outdoor temperature drops. That matters here, because the coldest part of the day is exactly when you want the most heat.

It is the main reason sizing for heating matters as much as sizing for cooling in this region. A system chosen only to handle a forty-degree January afternoon can come up short at seven o'clock on a July morning. Our guide What Size Ducted Air Conditioner Do I Need? goes through how capacity is worked out, and in Albury-Wodonga the heating load should always be part of that calculation, not an afterthought.

The defrost cycle, and why it is normal

On cold, damp mornings, moisture in the air freezes onto the coil of the outdoor unit. Ice on the coil stops it working efficiently, so the system periodically runs a defrost cycle. For a few minutes it reverses, melts the ice, and then returns to heating.

During that time the indoor fan usually slows or stops, and the air from the vents can feel cool. Outside, you may see a cloud of steam rising from the outdoor unit and water running out of the base. People sometimes ring us thinking the system has broken down. In most cases it is doing exactly what it was designed to do.

What is not normal is a system that seems to spend more time defrosting than heating, an outdoor unit that stays encased in ice, or a defrost that never seems to finish. Those point to a fault, a refrigerant problem or an airflow issue, and they are worth having looked at under our Refrigerated & Reverse Cycle Servicing.

Warm air, not hot air

The other difference people notice is the feel of the air. Gas ducted heating delivers air that is noticeably hot at the vent. A reverse cycle system delivers air that is warm rather than hot, in a larger volume, over a longer period. The room ends up at the same temperature, but if you stand under a vent expecting the blast you remember from a gas heater, it can feel underwhelming at first.

This is also why reverse cycle systems tend to be happiest running steadily. Switching the system off overnight and asking it to drag a frozen house back up to temperature at six in the morning puts it at its least efficient point, on the coldest part of the day, at full output. Many households find the house is more comfortable, and the bills are no worse, when the system holds a moderate setting through the early morning rather than starting from cold. How you run it is your choice, and our article What Does It Cost to Run Refrigerated Ducted Air Conditioning? covers the running cost side in more detail.

Ceiling outlets and where the warm air ends up

Most reverse cycle ducted systems blow through ceiling outlets, and warm air wants to stay up near the ceiling. In a well set up system the outlets, airflow and return air position work together to push warm air down into the room. In a poorly set up one, you get a warm ceiling and cold ankles.

Return air position is a common culprit. A return grille placed where it draws the warmest air straight back from the ceiling of the hallway, rather than pulling air through the rooms, short-circuits the system. Older homes that have had ducting added piecemeal over the years are the usual offenders. If you already have ceiling fans, many have a winter setting that runs slowly in reverse to push warm air back down without creating a draught.

Where the outdoor unit goes

In a frosty climate the outdoor unit needs a bit more thought than just finding a spare spot beside the house. It needs clear airflow around the coil, it should sit up off the ground, and the meltwater from every defrost cycle has to drain somewhere sensible. Water that runs across a path or a driveway on a July morning can turn into a sheet of ice. We plan the drainage when we plan the location.

Zoning for winter

Zoning earns its keep in winter as much as summer. Heating the living areas during the day and the bedrooms at night means the system is only heating the part of the house you are using, which keeps the load within its capacity on the coldest mornings. Our guide Ducted Air Conditioning Zoning in Albury-Wodonga: Is It Worth It? explains how many zones make sense for different homes.

Moving from gas to reverse cycle

If your gas ducted heater is getting on, reverse cycle ducted is one of the main options to consider, and our article When to Replace Gas Ducted Heating in Albury-Wodonga walks through the decision. It is often possible to reuse sound ductwork, but that depends on its size, condition and insulation, and it needs checking rather than assuming.

Through our Reverse Cycle Ducted Installation service we size every system for the heating load as well as the cooling load, plan the outdoor unit location for frost, and set up the controls and zones so the house is warm when you want it to be. If you are weighing up a switch, or your existing system is struggling this winter, get in touch and we will come and take a look.