Hydronic Heating in Geelong
Quiet, even radiant warmth with no fans and no draughts. Panel and in slab hydronic heating designed and installed for Geelong homes.
- Panel and in slab systems
- Gas boiler or heat pump
- Accredited Master Electrician
- Retrofits and new builds
Warmth that does not blow at you
Hydronic heating warms the surfaces of a room rather than the air passing through it. Panels sit on the wall, water circulates through them, and the heat radiates out. Rooms feel warm at a lower air temperature than they do with ducted, because you are not standing in moving air.
It is the system people choose when comfort matters more than the up front price. It is quiet enough that you cannot tell it is running, it does not dry the air out, and it does not move dust around, which matters in households with allergies.
Renovated period homes
High ceilings and hard surfaces are where ducted struggles and hydronic shines. Panels can be sized and placed to suit rooms that were never built for forced air.
New builds with a slab
In slab pipework laid before the pour costs very little relative to the build and gives you the most comfortable heating available. It has to be decided early.
Households sensitive to dust
No fan, no filter, nothing recirculating. For people with asthma or dust allergies this is often the deciding factor.
Homes going all electric
A hydronic heat pump replaces a gas boiler and runs the same panels. It is a common step for people removing gas from the house entirely.
Design carries this system
Hydronic is unforgiving of guesswork. Undersized panels never get the room there, and a badly balanced circuit leaves the far end of the house cold while the first room cooks.
Heat loss calculated per room
Every room is calculated on its glazing, orientation, ceiling height and insulation, and the panel is sized from that number. Not one panel per room by eye.
Circuits balanced
Flow is set at each panel so the last room on the loop gets what it needs. This is the step that gets skipped and it is the reason some hydronic systems disappoint.
Pipe routes planned
Under floor where there is subfloor access, in bulkheads or cupboards where there is not. We map it before we start so nothing ends up boxed across a living room ceiling.
The heat source matched to the house
A gas boiler and a hydronic heat pump behave differently. Heat pumps run cooler water and need panels sized accordingly, which is why you cannot simply swap one for the other later without checking.
How a hydronic job runs
1. Site visit and heat loss
We measure the house and calculate room by room. For a retrofit we also check subfloor access, because that decides how invasive the pipe runs are.
2. Design and quote
Panel sizes and positions, pipe routes, heat source options with running cost for each, and the day count.
3. Install
A retrofit is typically three to five days depending on size and access. New build slab pipework is a day, timed with the concrete pour.
4. Commission and balance
System filled, purged, pressure tested, every circuit balanced, and controls set up with you so it runs on a schedule that suits the house.
Thinking about hydronic?
The design decisions happen early, especially in a build. Call before the slab is booked.
What hydronic costs in Geelong
Supplied and installed. The heat source is the largest single variable, and panel count follows the size of the house.
Panel retrofit, small home
$12,000 to $18,000
Panel retrofit, average home
$18,000 to $28,000
Large or double storey retrofit
$28,000 to $45,000
In slab, new build
$9,000 to $20,000
Heat pump instead of gas boiler
add $4,000 to $9,000
Boiler or heat pump replacement only
$6,000 to $14,000
Indicative only and current at the time of writing. Replacing a gas boiler with a hydronic heat pump may attract a discount under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program. Eligibility depends on the existing equipment and the current program rules, so we check it for your property first.
The things that move a hydronic quote
Panel count and size
Directly proportional to the heat loss of the house. A poorly insulated weatherboard needs more panel than a well sealed new build of the same floor area.
Subfloor access
A house on stumps with clear crawl space is straightforward. A slab on ground retrofit means bulkheads, cupboard runs or lifting floor coverings, and it costs accordingly.
Heat source
A gas boiler is cheaper to install. A hydronic heat pump costs more up front and much less to run, and it is the direction most of our customers are now heading.
Controls and zoning
Basic time and temperature control is inexpensive. Room by room thermostatic control across a large house is not, but it is what makes a big house economical to run.
Where we work
Hydronic work concentrates in the older, higher ceilinged suburbs and in new builds where it can be designed in from the start.
We work across Geelong, the Bellarine and the Surf Coast, and hydronic jobs are always quoted after a site visit rather than over the phone.
Areas we install in
- Newtown and Geelong West
- Highton and Belmont
- Barwon Heads and Ocean Grove
- Torquay and Armstrong Creek
Hydronic heating questions
Hydronic is a considered purchase. We would rather talk it through properly than send a number.
Related: home electrification and heating and cooling options.
What is hydronic heating?
Hot water is heated centrally and circulated through pipework to panel radiators on the walls, or through pipe cast into a concrete slab. The heat comes off the panels as radiant warmth rather than being blown at you, so there is no fan noise, no draught and no dust being pushed around the house.
Is hydronic heating expensive to run?
It depends entirely on what heats the water. A gas boiler is a conventional and predictable running cost. A hydronic heat pump, which extracts heat from outside air the same way a reverse cycle system does, is considerably cheaper to run and pairs well with solar. Slab systems run at lower water temperatures and hold heat for hours, which suits people who want steady warmth all day.
Can hydronic be retrofitted into an existing house?
Panel systems can be, and we do it regularly in Newtown, Geelong West and the older parts of Highton. Pipe is run under the floor where there is subfloor access, or in bulkheads and cupboards where there is not. In slab systems the pipe has to go in before the concrete, so those are new builds and extensions only.
How long does it take to heat up?
Panels come up in fifteen to thirty minutes. A heated slab takes hours, which sounds like a fault but is the point: you set it and it holds a stable temperature through the day and evening rather than cycling. Slab systems are run on a schedule, not switched on when you feel cold.
Does it cool as well?
No. Hydronic is a heating system. Most Geelong homes with hydronic run reverse cycle splits or ducted for summer cooling. If you want one system doing both, reverse cycle is the answer, and it is a fair comparison to put side by side before you commit.
Get a hydronic heating quote
Tell us the suburb, the age and construction of the house, and whether it is on a slab or on stumps. That decides most of the design.
If you are building, tell us where you are up to. In slab pipework has to be committed to before the pour.
We will give you a gas and an electric heat pump option with the running cost difference, so you can see it rather than take our word for it.
Phone (03) 5214 8711
Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm. Weekends by appointment.
Air Conditioning Geelong
Unit 2, 112 Balliang Street
South Geelong VIC 3220