Boronia sits at the foot of the Dandenong Ranges, so winters can be noticeably cooler than closer to the city, and summer still brings plenty of hot days. If you're thinking about replacing an old gas ducted heater with ducted reverse cycle, the question we're asked most is simple: what will it cost to run? Here's a plain-English breakdown, the assumptions behind it, and where zoning makes the biggest difference.
The quick answer
A 16kW ducted reverse-cycle system heating and cooling a whole house costs roughly $1,250 a year to run under the assumptions below. With AirTouch 5 smart zoning heating and cooling only the rooms you're using, many homes use a third to a half less. For a typical family that's roughly $400 to $600 a year less, or $6,000 to $9,000 over a 15-year system life. Your own home will differ, so use the savings estimator for a figure based on your bedrooms and how you use the house.
How we worked it out
| Assumption | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| System | 16kW ducted reverse cycle | Common size for a 3–4 bedroom Boronia home |
| Power draw at full output | About 5.2kW | Typical for a 16kW inverter ducted unit |
| Average load | 60% | Inverters rarely run flat out once rooms are at temperature |
| Electricity price | 32c per kWh | A typical Melbourne residential rate; check your own bill |
| Use | 6 hours a day, 90 summer days and 120 winter days | A realistic household pattern |
| Whole house | About $1,250 a year | 5.2 × 0.6 × $0.32 × 6 hours × 210 days |
Rough estimate only, not a quote. Insulation, ceiling height, orientation, your tariff and solar all change the real figure.
Where zoning saves energy
Without zoning, a ducted system pushes air to every outlet, including empty bedrooms, the spare room and the study you only use on Fridays. It also keeps running to hold the whole house at temperature. AirTouch 5 changes that in two ways:
- Only the rooms you use. Turn off zones nobody is in. Heating three rooms instead of six means the unit works far less hard.
- Each room at its own temperature. Temperature sensors in each zone close the damper once that room is at temperature. When every room that's on is comfortable, the unit eases right back or switches itself off until a room drifts by a degree.
- Night and day modes. Bedrooms only at night, living areas only during the day, set once on the wall controller or the phone app.
Polyaire, the company behind AirTouch, quotes savings of up to 55% on heating and cooling with zoning. Our estimator caps its figures there, and most homes land somewhere below that depending on how many rooms they use at once. You can watch how this works in our AirTouch 5 simulator. It runs a three-hour comparison of a zoned home against heating and cooling the whole house.
Ways to keep running costs down in a Boronia home
- Set sensible temperatures. Around 20–21°C in winter and 24–25°C in summer. Each degree warmer in winter or cooler in summer adds noticeably to running costs.
- Use the timer and zones together. Pre-warm the living area before you get home, then switch to bedrooms only at night.
- Check your ductwork and insulation. Old, leaking or poorly insulated ducts lose heat in the roof. Our packages include new R1.5 insulated flexible ductwork.
- Run it in solar hours. If you have rooftop solar, pre-cooling or pre-heating in the middle of the day uses your own power.
Common questions from Boronia homeowners
Is ducted reverse cycle cheaper to run than gas ducted heating?
It depends on your gas and electricity tariffs and how efficient your current heater is. Modern inverter reverse-cycle systems produce several units of heat for every unit of electricity, and add cooling as well. We compare your current bills at the free design visit.
How much does ducted reverse cycle with AirTouch 5 cost to install in Boronia?
Our 16kW Premium packages start from $9,900 installed (Hisense) or $12,990 (Daikin or Panasonic) when replacing gas ducted heating, plus $500 for double-storey homes, with 36 months interest free through Zip or Humm.
How many zones can AirTouch 5 control?
Our packages include AirTouch 5 with up to 8 temperature-controlled zones and up to 8 outlets, controlled from the wall touchscreen or your phone.
Do you service Boronia?
Yes. We're based in nearby Ringwood and install and service heating and cooling across Boronia, The Basin, Bayswater, Ferntree Gully, Wantirna and the rest of metropolitan Melbourne.
Want a figure for your own home? Try the savings estimator, see the current ducted specials, or book a free in-home design visit. You can also read our complete guide to ducted air conditioning.