The Best Home Heating: Reverse Cycle vs Ducted Gas Heating

With summer almost over and the cool season rebooting, it's time for homeowners to ensure their home heating still meets the mark.

After all, when it comes to keeping the family warm and comfy, there should be no compromise.

Home Heating Systems – Ducted Gas vs Reverse Cycle

For home heating, there are a few options you can explore. If you already have a heater installed, you may still want to read this post to decide if you would like to switch or upgrade to something that may be more suited for your home.

Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning

Reverse cycle air conditioning comes in two forms. Ducted Reverse Cycle and Split System Reverse Cycle. Both are capable of producing cold and warm air – hence the name “reverse cycle”.

Reverse Cycle air conditioning is a popular choice that many homeowners go for. This is because it is a convenient all-in-one system that delivers both cooling and heating. You do not need to invest in purchasing a separate heating system.

A downside to reverse cycle air conditioning is that running costs could get quite costly, depending on your usage. Some homeowners get by with a few hours of air conditioning a day. Others like to blast their air conditioning and heating throughout the day. Excessive usage could lead to sky high power bills.

Having said that, reverse cycle air conditioning has become more efficient than the older models. Most recent models come with a highly efficient inverter technology, that scales down the power modes when the heating and cooling requirements of a room are met. This significantly reduces the amount of power consumed, as opposed to having the air conditioner run in high power mode constantly.

With moderate usage and a high energy star rating, one could be quite satisfied with the heating and cooling solution it provides. Reverse cycle air conditioning is still viewed as the system that provides the highest level of comfort for a home.

Ducted Gas Heating

This form only does the heating. It does not produce cold air. Hence it cannot be used as a cold air conditioner during summer. You will need to invest in a separate air conditioning system to complement ducted gas heating.

Ducted gas heating does have it’s unique benefits, though. Gas is still much cheaper than electricity and a gas heating solution during winter runs far cheaper than a reverse cycle air conditioner. For this reason, many homeowners choose to install evaporative cooling and complement it with a ducted gas heating system.

Braemar is one of the top ducted gas heating brands which boasts a high 7-star efficiency rating. You could save a considerable amount of spending on your power bill during the cold months by swapping to a ducted gas heating solution for your home.

A nice benefit is that a ducted gas heating system can use the same set of ducts and air vents that a ducted reverse cycle air conditioner or evaporative cooling system uses. That means, you only need to install one set of ducts and use it for both your heating and cooling system.

In terms of heating, a ducted gas heating system provides the best heating performance vs other systems. It generates warm air that is truly comfortable and can quickly heat up a cold home in winter. It also covers the entire home. Whereas a wood heater or wall furnace can only heat up a small area.

For overall heating comfort, especially for larger homes, ducted gas heating would be an ideal heating choice.

Wall Furnaces & Wood Heaters

A wall furnace or wood heater is a combustion system that burns gas in order to produce heat. It is a stand alone system that is attached to a wall and can generate warm air rapidly. However, its coverage is limited to a small space around the heater, or a small room. Since it is a stand alone system and does not distribute air through a duct system, it does not cover the entire home like ducted gas heating.

If you just want to heat up a small room or space, a wall furnace may be quite suitable. For instance, if you only want your dining area to be warm when entertaining guests, a wall furnace could be quite a cosy option.

Is Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning or Ducted Gas Heating Better for Winter?

It all depends on your personal preference, usage pattern and of course, your budget. You can save on upfront costs with a reverse cycle system on its own. During winter, you can fall back on the ducted gas heating system for some truly cosy home heating. You will be safe knowing that gas heating costs less to run than the electrical powered reverse cycle system.

Meanwhile, evaporative cooling produces better quality cool air that complements gas heating. This air has a higher moisture content, is easier to breathe and more comfortable on the skin. You can run your evaporative cooling with your door and windows open, creating a very natural cool atmosphere in your home.

Evaporative cooling is also by far the cheapest air conditioning to run. Since it does not use the refrigeration process, it consumes only up to 1/10th the power that a reverse cycle air conditioner consumes. You could blast an evaporative cooling system the entire day and still not spend as much as you would on a reverse cycle.

Evaporative cooling coupled with ducted gas heating may cost more upfront, but the long term running cost is definitely the lowest. You will be spending far less on consumption in both winter and summer. And throughout the year. The downside to this combination is that you would need to service and maintain 2 systems, instead of one.

So as you can see, there are strong benefits and also downsides to each combination mentioned above. To learn more about how we can help you, contact Air Con Repair Near Me.

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