Why people are switching
A lot of Melbourne homes still have a gas ducted heater from the 80s or 90s and an evaporative cooler on the roof. They were good systems in their day, but they're getting old, they're expensive to run, and evaporative cooling struggles on humid days. Replacing both with one reverse cycle system gives you heating and cooling from one controller, and you can get off gas altogether.
What's involved
We remove the old heater and cooler, check whether any of the existing ductwork is worth keeping, and install a new ducted reverse cycle system (or split systems if that suits the house better). The roof penetration from the old evaporative cooler gets sealed and made good.
Replacing an evaporative cooler
Evaporative coolers work well on hot, dry days but struggle when it's humid, and they need the windows open. When we take one off the roof we remove the unit, seal and make good the roof penetration, and the new reverse cycle system takes over the cooling with the doors shut.
Victorian Energy Upgrades discounts
Through the Victorian Energy Upgrades (VEU) program, households can get a discount when an old gas ducted heater is replaced with an efficient ducted reverse cycle system. The indicative discounts published by the Victorian Government are:
| Replacing a gas ducted heater with | Discount up to |
|---|---|
| Ducted reverse cycle, 10 kW | $2,520 |
| Ducted reverse cycle, 16 kW | $4,200 |
| Ducted reverse cycle, 22.4 kW | $5,530 |
| Multi-split, 10 kW outdoor unit | $2,940 |
| Four split systems | $2,520 |
The discount has to be arranged before the install, the old heater must be more than two years old, and the new system has to be an approved high-efficiency model. Amounts change, so we confirm what applies to your home on the quote.
Source: energy.vic.gov.au, checked October 2026.
Do I have to switch?
No. But with the rising cost of gas, it's worth thinking about. We estimate your heating could cost around a quarter of your current gas bill, and you'll be doing your part to reduce greenhouse emissions.
Where we work
Our HQ is in Croydon, in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, and we service all areas within 100 km of Melbourne, including the Mornington Peninsula. That includes Melbourne CBD, Kew, Hawthorn, Camberwell, Balwyn, Toorak, Brighton, Croydon, Ringwood.