How to electrify Your Heating and Cooling
8 mins
May 2026
Overview
Heating and cooling are typically the biggest energy users in Australian homes - making up around 40% of total household energy use. It can be anywhere between 20% and 50% depending on climate, your homes construction, and appliance efficiency. Making it the biggest contributor to your electricity bill.
In this episode, we take you through everything you need to know to electrify your home’s heating and cooling. From choosing the right electric system and finding a reliable, skilled installer to everyday tips and tricks that make your system run smarter, quieter, and more efficiently - we’ve got you covered.
If you’re ready to create a more comfortable home while cutting your energy bills, this episode is the perfect place to start.
Watch
Read
0:00
This is a great big hole in your thermal envelope.
0:03
Translated, it means it's a big hole in your wall.
0:12
Hello, I'm Sarah Aubrey from Electrify This. Welcome to How to electrify your heating and cooling.
0:19
I'll be sharing what I've learned from my own electrification journey to help make yours simpler and easier.
0:25
Yes, I have done the research for you.
0:26
Heating and cooling systems are the largest energy consumers in Australian homes.
0:31
They typically use around 40% of your homes total energy.
0:35
Yes, 40%.
0:37
Depending on where you live, your home construction and its efficiency, that number can range anywhere from 20 to 50%.
0:44
So yes, these systems are often the biggest contributor to your electricity bill.
0:48
We'll walk you through everything you need to know to electrify your homes heating and cooling.
0:52
From choosing the right and finding a great installer to some handy tips and tricks to using it smarter every day.
0:59
So if you're ready to have a more comfortable home and cut your bills, it turns out you're in the right place.
1:06
Research.
1:08
This is the very first thing I did.
1:10
I joined the Facebook group My Efficient Electric Home, which is an amazing resource.
1:15
You will find an installer there.
1:17
There's loads of information about different models of air conditioners.
1:20
First thing you need to do is to find installers.
1:22
So find 3, get 3 quotes, you'll get them around to your house.
1:25
They'll measure up the length and width and height of your rooms and then they'll be able to tell you what size unit you need.
1:31
But all the different websites of all the different air con makers have them in all these different places and it's really confusing.
1:37
So I created a spreadsheet so you can see here 3 1/2 kilowatt system.
1:43
All these different models here.
1:45
So I took a few things into consideration but the two main things were the heating and cooling rating.
1:50
They are the EER, which is the Energy Efficiency Ratio and the COP which is the heating rating, which is the Coefficient Of Performance.
2:00
Think of that like a star rating.
2:01
The higher that number, the more efficient it is to run and the cheaper it is to run.
2:06
The other things I took into consideration were the size of the unit on the wall.
2:09
You can see here the Daikin Alira X is slightly more efficient, but it's much, much bigger on the wall.
2:15
So I actually went for the smaller unit, only slightly less efficient.
2:17
I took that into consideration and the other two things I thought about were the decibel ratings.
2:22
Over here you can see the interior sound.
2:25
That's actually one of the quietest units and the exterior sound.
2:28
So you really want to think about is that going to be noisy when I'm watching TV or if you've got neighbours close by outside, is that going to be noisy for them?
2:35
So there's all the main things that I took into consideration and it's really easy to compare if you put it together like that.
2:41
One other thing to think about is whether your state has incentives or subsidies.
2:46
And this is why it's important to do your research because the NSW government have an energy saving scheme which lowers the cost of installing a new energy efficient air conditioner and will help you in the cost of replacing your old one with a more efficient model.
2:59
I replace all of mine who didn't know about that at the time, so it is important to do your research.
3:07
So in terms of my own home, there was ducted air here already, but it was about 15 years old and really inefficient.
3:12
In fact, embarrassingly, I've got a chart here that shows what we were using over 41 kilowatt hours a day.
3:19
That's double what a household of five people would use.
3:22
So that's shocking.
3:23
On top of that, we had a gas bill because we had a gas heater.
3:26
Fun fact, if you have a gas heater in your home and an air conditioner in the same room, you think that gas heaters cheaper, it's actually three times more expensive to run.
3:35
So use the air con, not the gas.
3:37
Get rid of the gas.
3:38
So anyway, we got rid of our ducted today because it was really inefficient and at the end of its life and you have to work on your insulation as well.
3:45
All those things work hand in hand with replacing gas and replacing those inefficient goods.
3:51
We put in these individual wall splits in each room and now check out that graph.
3:57
A year later, 2023, we'll be using 1/4 of the electric electricity and on top of that, remember no gas bill.
4:03
So huge savings straight off the bat.
4:05
Pretty amazing, right?
4:11
Here's Bindi's top tips on how to save money on your heating and cooling.
4:14
First and foremost, to get yourself some of these.
4:16
These are called Hygrometres and you can get them from Amazon.
4:19
They measure the temperature and the humidity in a room.
4:22
You can then see what the temperature is in the room, get it up to where you want it to be, and if you keep it sort of between 18 and 21°, you will save lots and lots of money.
4:31
Around 20° is really, really comfortable, but you need to get the room to that temperature 1st and the same with summer.
4:37
Blast the room, get it to the temperature that you want and keep it between 23 and 26°.
4:43
Hot tip, dry mode.
4:44
Dry mode is your friend.
4:46
All the Queenslanders know about it already, but we didn't know about it.
4:50
So you know how there's the snowflake and there's the sun symbol.
4:53
There's also the raindrop or teardrop symbol.
4:55
That's dry mode.
4:56
Put that on.
4:57
Uses a third of the electricity.
4:59
You will save so much money on your energy bill if you use dry mode.
5:03
So hot day, humid day, dry mode for the win.
5:06
Another hot tip is if you have an air conditioner and a fan in the same room, if you look on top of your fan, there'll be a little switch.
5:13
Flick that and it will turn the opposite direction, which means when the air conditioner is on and your hot air rises, the fan will push that air back down into the room.
5:21
Next tip, clean your filters.
5:24
Who knew that this is something you could do yourself?
5:26
You lift it like this.
5:27
We've had lots of construction going on in that area.
5:29
You should clean this every three to six months, preferably 3 months.
5:33
Look how dirty that is.
5:34
Hose that off, let it dry and then to put it back in, slide it in over the top.
5:40
There's like a little a couple of rails there.
5:42
And remember you've got your two little plastic bits here and you can grab here, lift it up over the top and then you just push down and it goes click and it's done.
5:51
So yes, they're both lovely and clean.
5:53
Now bring it down.
5:55
Press.
5:56
The reason you want to keep those filters clean is that if they're dirty, the unit has to work much, much harder, which means it's going to use more energy, which means it's going to be more expensive to run.
6:06
Another Bindi tip, people forget to close their window coverings in winter.
6:11
This is a great big hole in your thermal envelope.
6:14
These are honeycomb blinds.
6:15
They're like a concertina.
6:16
They create a little thermal break because they've got an air gap inside.
6:20
So they're really, really fantastic for thermal efficiency.
6:24
Done.
6:27
Lastly and certainly not least, renters.
6:29
We haven't forgotten about you.
6:30
The cheapest, cheapest, cheapest way to stay warm in winter.
6:34
Grab yourself a heated throw.
6:37
They're really cosy and comfy and they use hardly any electricity, only about 80 watts.
6:42
She is a heated throw hog.
6:43
That's your favourite thing, isn't it?
6:47
Here are my three key takeaways from today's episode, number 1 find a good installer.
6:52
They are not all equal, so find a good one.
6:55
Number two, do your research to find the most efficient unit that'll save you loads of money in the long run and number 3 individual wall units are far more efficient and cheaper to run than ducted air.
7:07
So make sure you inform your installer that you want to make your home as energy efficient as possible and you want to reduce your energy bills.
7:15
That's actually really important.
7:16
Make sure they know that.
7:18
So that's it.
7:19
That's how you electrify your home for heating and cooling.
7:22
That's how you choose the right system, use it efficiently and stay comfortable all year round.
7:28
Stay comfy.
7:29
See you next time.
7:32
Don't forget to check out our other videos on this How to Electrify series to help you on your journey.
7:37
If you'd like more information or handy resources on electrification, visit goodenergy.ausgrid.com.au.
7:45
Otherwise Bindi might growl at you.
This is a great big hole in your thermal envelope.
0:03
Translated, it means it's a big hole in your wall.
0:12
Hello, I'm Sarah Aubrey from Electrify This. Welcome to How to electrify your heating and cooling.
0:19
I'll be sharing what I've learned from my own electrification journey to help make yours simpler and easier.
0:25
Yes, I have done the research for you.
0:26
Heating and cooling systems are the largest energy consumers in Australian homes.
0:31
They typically use around 40% of your homes total energy.
0:35
Yes, 40%.
0:37
Depending on where you live, your home construction and its efficiency, that number can range anywhere from 20 to 50%.
0:44
So yes, these systems are often the biggest contributor to your electricity bill.
0:48
We'll walk you through everything you need to know to electrify your homes heating and cooling.
0:52
From choosing the right and finding a great installer to some handy tips and tricks to using it smarter every day.
0:59
So if you're ready to have a more comfortable home and cut your bills, it turns out you're in the right place.
1:06
Research.
1:08
This is the very first thing I did.
1:10
I joined the Facebook group My Efficient Electric Home, which is an amazing resource.
1:15
You will find an installer there.
1:17
There's loads of information about different models of air conditioners.
1:20
First thing you need to do is to find installers.
1:22
So find 3, get 3 quotes, you'll get them around to your house.
1:25
They'll measure up the length and width and height of your rooms and then they'll be able to tell you what size unit you need.
1:31
But all the different websites of all the different air con makers have them in all these different places and it's really confusing.
1:37
So I created a spreadsheet so you can see here 3 1/2 kilowatt system.
1:43
All these different models here.
1:45
So I took a few things into consideration but the two main things were the heating and cooling rating.
1:50
They are the EER, which is the Energy Efficiency Ratio and the COP which is the heating rating, which is the Coefficient Of Performance.
2:00
Think of that like a star rating.
2:01
The higher that number, the more efficient it is to run and the cheaper it is to run.
2:06
The other things I took into consideration were the size of the unit on the wall.
2:09
You can see here the Daikin Alira X is slightly more efficient, but it's much, much bigger on the wall.
2:15
So I actually went for the smaller unit, only slightly less efficient.
2:17
I took that into consideration and the other two things I thought about were the decibel ratings.
2:22
Over here you can see the interior sound.
2:25
That's actually one of the quietest units and the exterior sound.
2:28
So you really want to think about is that going to be noisy when I'm watching TV or if you've got neighbours close by outside, is that going to be noisy for them?
2:35
So there's all the main things that I took into consideration and it's really easy to compare if you put it together like that.
2:41
One other thing to think about is whether your state has incentives or subsidies.
2:46
And this is why it's important to do your research because the NSW government have an energy saving scheme which lowers the cost of installing a new energy efficient air conditioner and will help you in the cost of replacing your old one with a more efficient model.
2:59
I replace all of mine who didn't know about that at the time, so it is important to do your research.
3:07
So in terms of my own home, there was ducted air here already, but it was about 15 years old and really inefficient.
3:12
In fact, embarrassingly, I've got a chart here that shows what we were using over 41 kilowatt hours a day.
3:19
That's double what a household of five people would use.
3:22
So that's shocking.
3:23
On top of that, we had a gas bill because we had a gas heater.
3:26
Fun fact, if you have a gas heater in your home and an air conditioner in the same room, you think that gas heaters cheaper, it's actually three times more expensive to run.
3:35
So use the air con, not the gas.
3:37
Get rid of the gas.
3:38
So anyway, we got rid of our ducted today because it was really inefficient and at the end of its life and you have to work on your insulation as well.
3:45
All those things work hand in hand with replacing gas and replacing those inefficient goods.
3:51
We put in these individual wall splits in each room and now check out that graph.
3:57
A year later, 2023, we'll be using 1/4 of the electric electricity and on top of that, remember no gas bill.
4:03
So huge savings straight off the bat.
4:05
Pretty amazing, right?
4:11
Here's Bindi's top tips on how to save money on your heating and cooling.
4:14
First and foremost, to get yourself some of these.
4:16
These are called Hygrometres and you can get them from Amazon.
4:19
They measure the temperature and the humidity in a room.
4:22
You can then see what the temperature is in the room, get it up to where you want it to be, and if you keep it sort of between 18 and 21°, you will save lots and lots of money.
4:31
Around 20° is really, really comfortable, but you need to get the room to that temperature 1st and the same with summer.
4:37
Blast the room, get it to the temperature that you want and keep it between 23 and 26°.
4:43
Hot tip, dry mode.
4:44
Dry mode is your friend.
4:46
All the Queenslanders know about it already, but we didn't know about it.
4:50
So you know how there's the snowflake and there's the sun symbol.
4:53
There's also the raindrop or teardrop symbol.
4:55
That's dry mode.
4:56
Put that on.
4:57
Uses a third of the electricity.
4:59
You will save so much money on your energy bill if you use dry mode.
5:03
So hot day, humid day, dry mode for the win.
5:06
Another hot tip is if you have an air conditioner and a fan in the same room, if you look on top of your fan, there'll be a little switch.
5:13
Flick that and it will turn the opposite direction, which means when the air conditioner is on and your hot air rises, the fan will push that air back down into the room.
5:21
Next tip, clean your filters.
5:24
Who knew that this is something you could do yourself?
5:26
You lift it like this.
5:27
We've had lots of construction going on in that area.
5:29
You should clean this every three to six months, preferably 3 months.
5:33
Look how dirty that is.
5:34
Hose that off, let it dry and then to put it back in, slide it in over the top.
5:40
There's like a little a couple of rails there.
5:42
And remember you've got your two little plastic bits here and you can grab here, lift it up over the top and then you just push down and it goes click and it's done.
5:51
So yes, they're both lovely and clean.
5:53
Now bring it down.
5:55
Press.
5:56
The reason you want to keep those filters clean is that if they're dirty, the unit has to work much, much harder, which means it's going to use more energy, which means it's going to be more expensive to run.
6:06
Another Bindi tip, people forget to close their window coverings in winter.
6:11
This is a great big hole in your thermal envelope.
6:14
These are honeycomb blinds.
6:15
They're like a concertina.
6:16
They create a little thermal break because they've got an air gap inside.
6:20
So they're really, really fantastic for thermal efficiency.
6:24
Done.
6:27
Lastly and certainly not least, renters.
6:29
We haven't forgotten about you.
6:30
The cheapest, cheapest, cheapest way to stay warm in winter.
6:34
Grab yourself a heated throw.
6:37
They're really cosy and comfy and they use hardly any electricity, only about 80 watts.
6:42
She is a heated throw hog.
6:43
That's your favourite thing, isn't it?
6:47
Here are my three key takeaways from today's episode, number 1 find a good installer.
6:52
They are not all equal, so find a good one.
6:55
Number two, do your research to find the most efficient unit that'll save you loads of money in the long run and number 3 individual wall units are far more efficient and cheaper to run than ducted air.
7:07
So make sure you inform your installer that you want to make your home as energy efficient as possible and you want to reduce your energy bills.
7:15
That's actually really important.
7:16
Make sure they know that.
7:18
So that's it.
7:19
That's how you electrify your home for heating and cooling.
7:22
That's how you choose the right system, use it efficiently and stay comfortable all year round.
7:28
Stay comfy.
7:29
See you next time.
7:32
Don't forget to check out our other videos on this How to Electrify series to help you on your journey.
7:37
If you'd like more information or handy resources on electrification, visit goodenergy.ausgrid.com.au.
7:45
Otherwise Bindi might growl at you.