Australia is a land of extremes, particularly when it comes to the weather. Residents experience heat waves in the summer and freezing temperatures in the winter. What’s more, the weather can change drastically over the course of a single day.
Australia’s extreme weather makes it essential to invest in heating and cooling systems at home. These will look different depending on whether you live on the coast or in an inner city, so it helps to learn about the different heating and cooling solutions available to Australian homeowners.
In this article, we’ll explore the best ways to keep the temperature comfortable at home, whether you live in the Northern Beaches or in the heart of Sydney’s CBD. Keep reading to find out how you can keep cool in the sweltering summer and warm when temperatures drop in winter.
Cooling for Coastal Homes
There are a plethora of ways to keep a coastal home cool in the summer. For instance, it’s worth exploring air conditioning for Northern Beaches properties or heat pump options in Brighton.
Here are some concrete cooling solutions for a coastal home:
Split System Air Conditioners
A split system is a type of air conditioner made up of an indoor and outdoor unit. The outdoor component takes cool air from the outside and chills it, pumping the cold air into the indoor unit, which absorbs hot air from inside the house and sends it out. The two units are connected by insulated tubing installed in the wall.
Split systems perform best when they’re limited to a single enclosed space. Consider installing a separate unit in every room of your coastal home where people spend plenty of time, which can include bedrooms, living rooms and home offices.
Outdoor Blinds
Remember that electricity bills from split systems and other air conditioners can stack up over time, so you should only use them when necessary. Installing blinds for your coastal home is a cheap way of taking advantage of the sea breeze on days that aren’t particularly hot.
If you live in a coastal area like the Northern Beaches, your home is likely to include some outdoor spaces. Installing outdoor blinds is a fantastic solution that allows you to hang out on a balcony or a porch during the summer without overheating. Blinds also provide privacy and allow you to cool an outdoor space without letting insects inside your house.
Heating for Coastal Homes
Coastal areas can get quite chilly during the winter. The sea breeze that is so pleasant in the summer can be a nuisance in the winter months, so it’s crucial to take steps to ensure that your coastal home is protected against the cold.
Heat Pumps
A heat pump, as the name suggests, takes the air outside, warms it and pumps it into your home. It’s similar to an air conditioner, only in reverse. Heat pumps are made up of a compressor and a heat exchanger. Once the heat has been extracted from the outside air it is funnelled into your house through systems like radiators.
The main advantage of heat pumps is that they’re cheaper than heaters, which means that it won’t cost you much to warm a large coastal home. They also don’t run on gas, so there’s no risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
While heat pumps are great for general heating, they’re not suitable for the coldest temperatures. You won’t want to rely on them solely when heating a coastal home in the winter.
Underfloor Heating
Underfloor heating is a fantastic option for heating larger homes in the winter. Underfloor heating systems are either electronic of hydronic and are available in many different designs. They’re relatively cheap and easy to install, which is always an advantage.
While it’s possible to install underfloor heating in a new home, it’s always easiest to build it into a brand-new house. If you’re constructing your dream coastal house, consider underfloor heating as one of your heating options, especially if your home falls on the larger end.
Cooling for Inner City Homes
Australian inner cities can get incredibly warm during the summer, so it’s essential to install cooling systems that are up to the task of keeping the sweltering heat at bay. Fortunately, there are many ways you can do this, including installing evaporative cooling units and buying portable air conditioners.
Evaporative Cooling Systems
Evaporative coolers work by drawing hot air from the outside using damp filter pads that stay wet due to a water tank at the bottom of the cooling system. As the water evaporates, the evaporative cooler draws heat from the air and humidifies it. This cool air is then blown through the house using fans and vents.
As you can imagine, an evaporative cooling system’s humidifying properties make is a less-than-ideal option for coastal areas, which are usually more moisture-rich. However, an evaporative cooler can be perfect for a house or apartment in the inner city.
Portable Air Conditioners
A portable air conditioner works in a similar fashion to split systems and other air conditioners, only on a smaller scale. They suck in the hot air in your house and replace it with chilled air from outdoors.
Portable air conditioners are perfect for small homes, which are extremely common in inner cities. They’re also much less expensive than other sorts of air conditioning systems. You can also take one with you when moving homes.
Heating for Inner City Homes
Winters in inner cities can be freezing, which means that now’s as good a time as any to buy a new heating system if you don’t already have one or repair or replace an existing one. Here are some options to consider:
Radiant Space Heaters
Radiant space heaters are perfect for small, inner city homes. They provide heat using infrared radiation and are powered by electricity. They are usually small enough to fit in the corner of your house, so there’s no need to worry about them taking up too much space.
In contrast to central heating systems, radiant space heaters focus their heat on a single spot. They’re best used for very small homes or in individual rooms. They do consume a lot of power, though, so use them selectively.
Fin Oil Heaters
Fin oil heaters use a combination of oil and electricity to provide warmth in a house or a room. The oil contained within the columns behind the heater’s fins is heated up, and the heat produced is then radiated into the air of your house via the metal surface of your fin oil heater.
Fin oil heaters are a cost-effective option since they retain heat well after they’ve been switched off, allowing them to warm your room for a while even without consuming electricity. Like radiant space heaters, they’re fairly small, which makes them perfect for inner city homes.
Australian weather is unpredictable, and it’s important to be prepared for both the heat and the cold, whether you live by the sea or in the heart of the city. Options like heat pumps, evaporative cooling systems and portable air conditioners can help regulate the temperature in your house and keep you comfortable.
In this article, we’ve gone over these and many more options for heating and cooling your home. Install them in your inner city or coastal home to make your house a more comfortable place to live.