Macedon
Cold-Climate Gas to Electric Upgrades in Macedon and Mount Macedon
Macedon and Mount Macedon are the coldest places we convert homes from gas to electric, and the design has to respect that. A system that is fine in Sunbury falls short on the mountain if it was sized from a floor plan. This page explains how a conversion is designed for frost, shade and altitude, and how the Victorian Energy Upgrades program applies.
- Equipment selected for heating capacity at low outdoor temperatures, sized for the coldest July morning
- Mains gas and LPG heaters replaced; the LPG bill goes with the heater
- Large, high-ceilinged homes zoned around the rooms actually used
- Heater decommissioned and documented; eligibility confirmed in the written quote
Why the mountain changes the design
Most descriptions of a VEU upgrade stop at “replace the gas heater with a reverse cycle system”. In Macedon and on Mount Macedon that is where the real work starts. The heating season is long, the mornings are frosty, many sites are shaded and a lot of the housing is large and old. A reverse cycle system will heat a home here comfortably and cheaply, but only if the equipment is selected for its heating performance at low outdoor temperatures, the capacity is calculated for the coldest morning rather than an average, and the ductwork is sized and insulated to deliver that capacity to the rooms.
We treat every mountain conversion as a cold-climate design job: heat load calculated for the house as it is, including ceiling heights and construction; equipment chosen on low-temperature heating capacity and defrost behaviour; new insulated ductwork, new outlets and a proper return air; zoning around the rooms the household actually lives in; the outdoor unit positioned for airflow, noise, service access and the leaf and snow load the site will throw at it. Our guide on reusing gas heating ducts explains why the old gas ducts are never part of the plan.
LPG households
Bottled gas is common on the mountain, and the running cost of an LPG ducted heater is the reason many households ask about converting. A conversion removes the heating gas bill entirely, and for a large mountain home that runs its heater for eight months of the year the difference is significant. Whether a particular LPG heater qualifies under the program’s current rules is confirmed at the site visit; tell us it is LPG when you enquire.
The systems
We install ActronAir and Rinnai ducted reverse cycle systems, for which we are factory-trained dealers buying direct from the manufacturers, and we have substantial hands-on experience installing Mitsubishi Electric ducted systems. For a large, zoned mountain home ActronAir is our premium recommendation, because its variable-capacity inverter and zoning let the system heat the rooms in use without running the whole house at full output on a cold night. We recommend one system for your house rather than list three.
When something else is the better answer
Some Macedon homes only want the heater replaced and the cooler kept, in which case a new gas ducted heater or a Braemar Dominator direct replacement may be the better spend. Our guide on gas heating versus ducted reverse cycle sets out the comparison honestly, and the Macedon area page covers gas heater service and replacement. We install all of it, so the recommendation follows the house.
The program, briefly
The replaced gas heater must be decommissioned so it is permanently unusable and removed, and the work must be documented. Only accredited providers can apply the discount, and only approved equipment qualifies. VEU rebate administration for Macedon Ranges Gas & Air projects is processed under Melbourne Gas & Air, another trading name of the same legal entity; the accreditation details that apply to your job are shown in your written quote. We handle the decommissioning, the documentation and the discount as part of the installation. Eligibility rules and discount amounts change, so we confirm them for your home at quote time rather than publishing a figure here; the VEU eligibility page explains what we check.
Local knowledge
What we see in Macedon
Frost, altitude and shade
Macedon sits at around 500 metres and Mount Macedon higher, with hard frosts, long cold spells and occasional snow, and many homes are shaded by mature trees. A reverse cycle system here spends far more of its life heating than cooling, so it is selected for its low-temperature heating capacity and defrost behaviour, not its summer rating, and sized for the coldest morning of the year rather than an average.
LPG on the mountain
A good number of Macedon and Mount Macedon homes run their gas ducted heater on bottled LPG, and the running cost is the reason many of them ask about converting. Replacing the heater with a ducted reverse cycle system removes the gas bill for heating altogether. Whether an LPG heater qualifies under the program's current rules is confirmed at the site visit.
Big rooms, high ceilings, old construction
The grand older houses and weatherboards on the mountain have large rooms, high ceilings and construction that loses heat faster than a modern estate home. Heat load is calculated for the house as it is, and zoning is designed so the rooms in daily use are heated properly without running the whole house at full output.
Access and outdoor unit placement
Steep, treed blocks make outdoor unit placement and roof access a planning question rather than an afterthought. We choose the outdoor position for airflow, noise, service access and snow and leaf load, and plan the roof work before the installation date.
Macedon and Mount Macedon
We regularly work in Macedon and Mount Macedon, so the assessment visit and the installation are easy to schedule.
Why our installations perform
The MRGA Standard
What a properly designed and installed system includes, and what our quote is built around.
Sized for your home, not a rule of thumb
We size heating and cooling from the home: floor area, ceiling heights, insulation, glazing, orientation and how the rooms are used. An oversized unit short-cycles and an undersized one runs flat out on the coldest and hottest days, which is exactly when you need it.
New, correctly insulated ductwork on every ducted reverse cycle installation
Ducted systems live or die by the ducts. A new ducted reverse cycle installation gets new ductwork, sized for the system's airflow, insulated to the current standard, sealed at every joint and supported so it does not sag or kink in the roof. We do not reuse old gas-heating ductwork for a new ducted reverse cycle system. When a gas ducted heater is replaced like for like, the existing ducts can stay where we have inspected them and they are suitable.
Return air and outlets placed for even comfort
Outlet positions, return-air size and location decide whether the back bedrooms are as comfortable as the living room. We design outlet placement and return air for the floor plan and confirm it with you before installation day.
Zoning and sensors where they help
Zoning lets you heat or cool the rooms you are using. Where a system is zoned we set the zones around how the home is lived in, and place temperature sensors where they read the room rather than a hallway or a draught.
Factory-trained dealers
Trained by the manufacturers, buying direct
We are factory-trained dealers for ActronAir, Brivis and Rinnai and purchase equipment directly from these manufacturers.
We also install, service and repair all major heating and cooling brands, including Mitsubishi Electric.
Accountability
9Year Labour & Workmanship Warranty
It applies to the installation work our own team does. Equipment is covered by the manufacturer's warranty, repairs and servicing carry their own workmanship warranty, and pre-existing or reused components are not covered by the nine years.
Gas to Electric Whole-Home Upgrade in Macedon: your questions
Does ducted reverse cycle really heat a Mount Macedon home?
Yes, when it is designed for it. Modern reverse cycle systems heat efficiently well below freezing, but the unit has to be chosen for its heating capacity at low outdoor temperatures and sized for the house's real heat load, and the ductwork has to carry the airflow. That is the difference between a conversion that is warm on a minus four morning and one that is not.
My heater runs on LPG. Is that eligible?
Eligibility depends on the program's current rules for the heater being replaced, the equipment going in and the provider doing the work. Tell us the heater runs on LPG when you enquire and we check what applies at the site visit and confirm it in the written quote. We do not publish discount amounts because they change.
Can the gas heating ducts be reused?
No. Every ducted system we install gets new, correctly insulated ductwork sized for its airflow. Gas heating ducts are commonly too small and too poorly insulated for reverse cycle heating, and on the mountain insulation matters more than anywhere. New ductwork is in the quote from the start.
What about my evaporative cooler?
It can stay or go, decided after inspection. Many mountain homes barely use the cooler because the summers are mild and the sites are shaded, and remove it in the same job; the new system cools through its own ducts. Others keep a sound cooler. The Macedon evaporative cooling page covers the cooler side.
How long does a Macedon conversion take?
Typically one to two days on site. Large homes with several zones, difficult roof access or electrical upgrades can take longer, and we tell you before the day.
Get in touch
Request a written quote in Macedon
Prefer to talk? Call 1300 369 400, monday to friday 8:00am to 5:00pm, Saturday 9:00am to 1:00pm.