Air Conditioning in Armstrong Creek
Geelong’s newest suburb, all built since 2012. Modern construction, small eaves, dark roofs and a lot of glass. Sealed tight, and easy to overheat.
- Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Dealer
- New build coordination
- Zoned ducted specialists
- Free site visits
A suburb with no old housing at all
Armstrong Creek was farmland until it was declared a growth area, and it was formally recognised as a suburb in February 2012. By the 2021 census it had 11,247 residents and it has kept climbing since. Every house here is new, which makes it the most predictable suburb we work in and, in one specific way, the trickiest.
Modern homes are sealed far better than older ones, which is good. They also tend to have small eaves, dark roofs, large windows and lot sizes that put houses close together, which means a lot of solar gain and very little of it shaded. Sealed tight and heavily glazed is a combination that heats up fast and does not let go.
Post 2012 slab on ground
Consistent construction, truss roofs with usable cavities, modern switchboards. About as straightforward as installation gets.
Small eaves and dark roofs
Common in current estate design. Both increase solar gain, and neither is something you can change after the fact.
Large glazed living areas
Modern floor plans put a lot of glass on the main living space. It is the dominant load in almost every house here.
Builder specified systems
Many homes were handed over with the cheapest compliant system. Adequate on a mild day, not on a February afternoon.
What Armstrong Creek households ring us about
The calls here are unusual in that almost none of them are about old equipment.
Builder grade systems that cannot cope
The most common call in this suburb. A system chosen to meet a specification at the lowest cost, in a house with more glazing than it was sized for.
Zoning set by default
Zones drawn on a plan by someone who never saw the house. Rezoning an existing system sometimes fixes it without new equipment.
Rooms on the western side
With small eaves and no established trees, west facing bedrooms here get hot and stay hot well into the evening.
Adding a system to a new build before handover
Getting the ducting and zoning designed properly rather than accepting the standard package. Much cheaper before the plaster goes on.
How we work out what an Armstrong Creek house needs
Construction is consistent here, so the assessment concentrates almost entirely on glazing and orientation.
1. Measure the glazing and its aspect
This is the load. Two houses of identical floor area on opposite sides of the same street can need different capacity because of it.
2. Note the eave depth and roof colour
Both are fixed and both matter. We account for them rather than pretending every modern house performs the same.
3. Review the existing zone plan
If a builder system is already in, the zoning is often the problem rather than the unit. That is a cheaper fix and we will say so.
4. Check what was actually installed
Builder packages vary. We look at the model and capacity that went in rather than assuming it was appropriate.
Matching the problem to the work
What we would recommend for the situations we see here.
New build, still under construction
Get the duct layout and zone plan designed rather than taking the default. It costs very little at that stage and it decides how the house lives.
Builder system that cannot keep up
Assess before replacing. Sometimes it is rezoning or a return air fix. Sometimes the unit really is two sizes short.
One hot west facing room
A split in that room, sized for the glass. Cheaper and more effective than upsizing the whole ducted system for one bedroom.
Going all electric from the start
Reverse cycle and a heat pump for hot water. In a new house with no legacy equipment this is the simplest decision on the list.
New house that still gets too hot?
It is usually the glazing and the zoning, not the unit. Ring us and we will work out which before you spend anything.
Comparing quotes in Armstrong Creek
Because every house here is modern, quotes look similar. The differences are in whether anyone accounted for the glass.
Was the glazing measured?
In a house with small eaves and a large window wall this is the whole calculation. A quote from a floor plan has not done it.
How is the house being zoned, and why?
Ask for the reasoning. Zoning that follows how you use the house is worth more than extra capacity.
Is the existing system being assessed or just replaced?
If you already have a builder system, a good quote tells you whether it can be salvaged. Replacing it is more profitable, so ask.
Is the return air adequate?
New builds are not immune to undersized returns. It is the most common cause of a system that is noisy and never quite gets there.
Most Armstrong Creek homes are all electric from the start, so Victorian Energy Upgrades activities aimed at replacing gas equipment often do not apply. We will tell you plainly when a rebate is not available rather than implying one is.
Armstrong Creek questions
Most relevant services here: ducted air conditioning. split system installation. new build installation.
Nearby: Grovedale, Torquay, Waurn Ponds.
Why does my new house get so hot when it is supposed to be energy efficient?
Energy efficiency ratings are mostly about how well the house holds a temperature, not about how much sun it lets in. Modern estate homes are sealed well, which helps, but they also tend to have small eaves, dark roofs, big windows and no established trees. Once the heat is in, the same sealing that keeps it out in winter keeps it in during summer.
Can the builder’s system be upgraded rather than replaced?
Sometimes. If the unit is a reasonable capacity and the problem is the zone plan or the return air, that can be fixed for much less than a replacement. If the unit is genuinely two sizes short for the glazing, it cannot. We assess it and tell you which, and we would rather do a cheap fix than sell you a system you do not need.
Should I get the ducting designed before the house is built?
Yes, if you can. Duct layout and zoning specified at design stage cost very little extra and produce a much better result than the standard package. Once the plaster is on, changing the outlet positions or the zone boundaries becomes an expensive exercise.
Are the lots too close together for outdoor units?
It is tight, and it matters. Modern lot sizes put your outdoor unit close to a neighbour’s wall, sometimes close to their bedroom window. We look at where the sound goes before choosing the position, and anti vibration mounting handles most of the rest.
Do rebates apply to a new all electric house?
Usually not, because the Victorian Energy Upgrades program mainly pays for replacing inefficient existing equipment, and a new house has none. That is not a bad thing, it just means the rebate conversation is shorter here than in Corio or Belmont. We will tell you straight rather than leaving you expecting a discount.
Get a quote in Armstrong Creek
Tell us the builder and roughly when the house was completed, plus which way the main living area faces.
If a builder system is already installed, send a photo of the outdoor unit’s label. The model tells us the capacity immediately.
If you are still building, tell us the stage. Ducting decisions are far cheaper before lock up.
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