Ducted Reverse Cycle, Gas Heater or Evaporative?

Everyone wants to be comfortable at home. Choosing a ducted system be it an Evaporative Cooler, Reverse Cycle, or Gas Heater means you are already on the way to enjoying whole house comfort, but there are a few more decisions to make:

Heating and Cooling from 1 Unit

If you want to enjoy heating and cooling from 1 system, with 1 set of vents in the ceiling, then a reverse cycle ducted is the way to go. A reverse cycle ducted system offers both heating and cooling, and if you install it with zoning technology, you can control the air volume of each room, or turn the air on and off individually for them too. 

With a ducted reverse cycle system you get to control the set point temperature in °C from the unit's control panel. However, another great technological advantage is the ability to make the whole system smart and enjoy smart climate control at home. 

With technologies like AirTouch, you can enjoy control of your air conditioner and zone control from 1 smart looking touch pad and phone app. An all in 1 system, you can control you entire house climate, either at home or across the globe. 

This video explains it well

Ducted reverse cycle systems use a network of flexible duct in the roof-space, and distribute air through either round or square multi directional outlets.

Just cooling, without zoning

Evaporative coolers are an inexpensive way to offer cooling only, but generally work best in dry climates. They use evaporation of water to cool the air.

Starting from a reservoir, a pump is used to circulate water onto the cooling pads on all 4 sides of the unit making them very wet. When that happens, air from outside the unit is drawn through the moistened pad and successively cools the air by evaporation.

This air is then distributed throughout the home using flexible duct and outlets in each room. A lot of evaporative coolers have a fan only mode to circulate fresh air in the house. It is important to note that when in operation, evaporative systems need you to keep some windows and doors open to allow air to flow freely. 

Gas Heating

In colder locations, or if you have an evaporative cooler and want to add on heating, a ducted gas heater is an option to consider. They need a seperate installation of flexible duct and outlets. Generally they use jet diffusers to push warmed air into the room. With electricity prices rising, gas heating remains an economical way to warm the entire home, and gives you a central point of control of the heating with a thermostat.

Gas heaters are rated in star ratings for energy efficiency (3 to 7). As a general rule, the higher the star rating, the more efficient the heater is with gas to heat the air. 

There are a lot of other things to consider when installing a ducted system. You'll need several accessories to make the installation work properly, and to be done safely, but all in all if you are looking for whole house comfort from a central machine, they offer a great alternative to multiple split systems.