Many alternate forms of heating are available for the heating of homes & businesses, some of which have been utilised in Australia for some time, others which are only making inroads more recently.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of clear information available to consumers about which form of heating is best. The information in this section of our site aims to rectify this problem & provide clear recommendations as to what you should consider when thinking about heating.

Firstly, space heating (including combustion heaters & fireplaces) has been with us since Australian settlement. The more modern variants on this theme, such as both flued & unflued gas heaters are merely elaborations on a long-established principle. Obviously, the key weakness of space heating is heat distribution. The area immediately around the heater gets comfortable and the further away from it you go, particularly into other rooms, the colder it gets. Multiple heaters solves this problem, but of course, incurring serious expense in upfront & then ongoing running costs.

The next most common method is reverse-cycle air conditioning. This is actually a reasonable option in places where you need a mix of both cooling & heating and where it does not get genuinely cold. The big issues with aircon are that it's effectiveness starts to slide along with the temperature (becoming basically ineffective below about 5 degrees) and it is very expensive to run. It is also more expensive to purchase & install than gas ducted heating.

Then, there is Hydronic central heating (hot water circulated through radiators), this has been used successfully in Europe for many decades and was imported here as it was a widely used system with established credentials. The problems with hydronic heating are that it is expensive to buy & install, it requires more and more maintenance as it ages, there are few servicepersons to support it in most areas of Australia and it has lengthy warm-up and cooldown cycles, making it inefficient in Australia which has a much more 'on-demand' usage profile. In areas of the world where you have literally 'killing cold' outside, heating that is turned on and stays on for several months at a time is the norm.

Thanks to the influence of shows such as 'Grand Designs' and the general rise in the 'media-isation' of so many aspects of home ownership, many other forms of heating which are only efficient in locations that require heating systems to run constantly through the winter, have also been introduced to the Australian market. These include underfloor heating, either electric, hydronic or geothermal powered, heat pumps and even some solar combinations. The issues with these fall into much the same categories as with Hydronic systems with radiators: They are mostly expensive to buy & install, some do not have a lot of support persons widely distributed around Australia, some have poor efficiency in and most crucially, they largely suffer from long warm up & cooldown cycles. Then the operating costs for some of them are truly terrifying!

The emormous advantages of gas-fired, ducted air central heating are as follows: It is very reasonably priced to purchase & install and Its operating costs, particularly if the system is properly designed, are the most cost-effective of any other system of heating (see PDF-1 & PDF-2). The system can be added to with very little trouble and expense, including additional outlets and zoning. Because the ducting is tough & flexible installations can be performed in almost any building regardless of internal layout. As the air is circulated entirely within the house and the heat source is very high temperature, the system suffers no degradation in performance no matter how low the external temperature drops. The system is very quick to reach target temperature, averaging 15 mins to a comfortable level, making it the perfect fit for Australia's 'on-demand' usage pattern.

Ancillary benefits are that these systems actively combat damp & condensation and offer an additional method of drying household items, even clothing. Also, the government offers incentives for customers to switch to mains gas & various gas appliances, including central heating.

Now that we hope it's clear why you ought to be considering ducted gas heating as your preferred option, we invite you to see why Mountain High Heating should be your first choice of installer (see next column).

WHY CHOOSE MOUNTAIN HIGH HEATING?

1. We design every system for your particular home or business & supply a detailed system plan to show exactly what you will get & where all the components will go.

2. We specify, source & supply everything, and the person who quotes the job, does the installation.

3. We can supply many different quality brands in both furnaces & components, but we only recommend the best to ensure we maintain 100% customer satisfaction.

4. Our serviceperson is not tied up doing installations, he is dedicated solely to servicing & repairs so you get the fastest service available.

5. We don't rush through an installation so we can get to the next job, every installation takes exactly as long as is required to do the work properly.

6. We clean up, vacuum & take all debris & leftover materials with us when we leave.

7. We are experienced, trained installers & our customer satisfaction demonstrates our approach to our work.

8. We offer 10 years warranty on your ducted system.

It's very simple. We offer the best equipment available and at the best pricing you will find anywhere in Sydney.

We have negotiated excellent deals from our suppliers and consequently we can pass the savings on to you.

We keep our overheads low and ensure our service is first rate. When we say 100% customer satisfaction, that is exactly what we mean!

And not only do we offer an excellent value supply & install service, but for those who really want to save, we also offer DIY Kits.

So we have to ask...why would you use anyone else!