How to Lower Energy Bills Using Ducted Heating This Winter

Apr 22, 2025

In Melbourne, our energy bills tend to spike in winter when the time comes to turn up the heat. When the outside temperature is cold and the sun is hidden behind thick clouds, we tend to spend most of our time indoors, meaning our HVAC systems will be working overtime to keep us comfy in the perfect temperature.

Gas ducted heating systems are very popular across the state, both for their innocuous look and their effectiveness at heating up properties quickly. But set them to full bore during the colder months and you’ll soon find your power bills start to creep up.

This blog will dive into a few clever ways you can use your gas ducted heating so it warms your home without hurting your wallet!

Choose the Right Temperature

Let’s begin with the temperature you set your thermostat to. You might think that setting it to a higher temperature is best on colder days, but really, this just forces your system to work overtime getting to a temperature you don’t really need.

It turns out that the best indoor temperature range for Australian homes during winter is between 18°C and 20°C. If you have a programmable thermostat, set it in this range to help keep your home comfortable without getting overly hot.

This is for more than just your comfort–setting your thermostat above this range can seriously affect your energy bills! In fact, according to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW), every degree you increase your heating above this range can add an extra 10% to your power bill.

Do you need assistance with your ducted heating in Glen Waverley, Hawthorn or Mornington? Contact Absolute Airflow for maintenance, repairs and new installations!

Use Zones in Your Property

You probably won’t need every single room in your house heated at once. That’s why ducted systems that have zoning capabilities are so handy for saving power and money! Zoning allows you to independently control the temperatures across different rooms in your home–you may like your kitchen and dining room to have temperatures separate from the bathroom and bedrooms.

If you think about it, zoning just makes sense. Why would you need to heat rooms that aren’t even being used? Or why would your bedroom and kitchen need to have the same temperature at the same time? By utilising zoning, your ducted system won’t need to work as hard, and can instead spend time and energy heating the rooms that need really it.

Strengthen Insulation Around Doors and Windows

Your ducted system may do a fantastic job of heating your home, but it will all be for nothing if the heat is allowed to escape outdoors. That’s where insulation comes into play. Unfortunately , many Australian homes are quite famously poorly insulated. In fact, as noted in an article on realestate.com, Australian homes are significantly colder than other homes across the world, even though our climate is quite warm in comparison.

Don’t stress! You don’t need to rip open your walls and start layering them up to improve your insulation (although this is certainly an option if you want to take the time and spend the money). Instead, focus on areas where heat is known to escape from–your doors and windows.

Use objects like draught stoppers around your doors, and thick curtains and blinds around your windows, to help trap heat and prevent it from escaping. You should also close doors to rooms you don’t need heated, like the bathroom or your study.

By keeping the heat your unit generates inside, it won’t have to continuously work to warm up your home, which will help you save money on the power the system uses.

Look For Energy-Saving Features

Many modern ducted heating systems will come with useful energy-saving features–you just need to make sure you’re utilising them! Keep an eye out for features like:

• > Timers: Set your heater to work only for certain periods of time before turning off. If you are a forgetful person, this can be a real lifesaver so you don’t accidentally leave it working all day long.

• > Eco Mode: This mode is specifically designed to help your system work as efficiently as possible. Eco mode will do things like keep the thermostat set to a temperature that won’t spike your bills and optimise the stop time of each heating phase.

• > Night mode: Using night mode means your thermostat will automatically adjust temperatures overnight while you sleep, keeping your home warm enough for you to rest comfortably but at a slightly cooler temperature than you would want while awake.

Make sure to explore what extra features your ducted system has so you can use them to help reduce your energy bills.

Find out about how gas ducted heating stacks up compared to other HVAC units in our blog, ‘Gas Ducted Heating Vs Reverse Cycle: Which Is Better for Your Home?’

Clean and Clear Your System Before Winter

Like any HVAC system, ducted gas heaters will benefit from regular cleaning and the occasional service. Cleaning your vents is something you can do yourself, as a quick vacuum with a soft attachment or even a thorough dusting can do them a world of good. If your vents aren’t clogged with dust, then your heating system won’t need to work as hard to push hot air through.

When it comes to proper servicing, this is something best left to the professionals. Experts can safely take apart, inspect, clean and make any repairs needed for your system before putting it back together and making sure the whole unit is working at peak capacity.

Make sure to clean and service your gas heating system before a period of heavy use, like during autumn before winter sets in.

Make sure to read our blog to discover the ‘Signs You Need to Service Your Gas Ducted Heating.’

Upgrade to a New, More Efficient Ducted Heater

If your ducted heating system is a little old and no longer heats up your home effectively, it may be time to upgrade to a better system. If this time has come for you, there are two factors you need to keep in mind when shopping for a new gas ducted heater:

• > Choose a unit that is the right size for your property. How well your heater can work will often depend on how its size relates to that of your home. A very small heater will have to work very hard to warm up a large property, while an oversized heater in a small home will always be switching on and off, wasting energy as it does so.

• > Look for high energy star ratings. Modern ducted heating systems can often have energy star ratings of six stars and above! Prioritising these systems can save you hundreds of dollars compared to less efficient systems, plus these newer systems will often come with extra features that make it easy to save energy and lower your bills.

Usually, replacing an old system will simply require the outside unit to be replaced. But, if the ductwork of your home is quite old and in need of repairs, then these may need to be replaced as well, or at least reinsulated so they can work effectively again.

Absolute Airflow is always ready to help you with your ducted heating in Mount Waverley, Broadmeadows and Glenroy. Contact us now on 03 7036 9149 for prompt assistance!

Save Money This Winter with Absolute Airflow

Ducted heating is one of the most effective ways to heat up your home, and with a few tweaks and smart tactics, it can work quite efficiently, too! Whether you need your current system serviced or would like a brand-new one installed, the experts at Absolute Airflow can help.

If you would like assistance regarding gas ducted heating in Melbourne, please get in touch with us as quickly as possible. You can reach us at 03 7036 9149, or feel free to use our online contact form to leave us a message.

Absolute Airflow can also assist you if you are interested in hydronic heating (underfloor heating), hot water servicing, or a new air conditioning system. We work with reliable and well-loved brands like Mitsubishi Electric, Hisense, Brivis and Daikin, and our technicians are well-versed in installing and maintaining systems from these suppliers.