Educational Resource
Ducted vs Hydronic Heating
Both are popular Australian heating choices — but they work fundamentally differently, with different cost profiles, comfort outcomes, and best-fit applications.
Both are popular Australian heating choices — but they work fundamentally differently, with different cost profiles, comfort outcomes, and best-fit applications.
The honest answer: ducted is cheaper to install in most homes, hydronic costs more up-front but delivers better comfort and lower running costs over its 30-year life.
If you're building or doing a major renovation, hydronic is almost always worth the extra cost. If you're retrofitting an existing home with no slab work, ducted may be the more practical choice.
Ducted reverse cycle: $14,000–$22,000 install. Running cost: $1,800–$2,800/year. Useful life: 12–18 years.
Hydronic with heat pump: $28,000–$45,000 install. Running cost: $900–$1,400/year. Useful life: 30+ years (boiler lifespan, network lasts indefinitely).
Ducted blows hot air into rooms — fast warm-up, but uneven, often noisy, recirculates dust and allergens.
Hydronic radiates gentle warmth from floors, panels or skirting — slower warm-up but much more even, completely silent, no air movement.
Ducted is often the better choice for: existing homes with no slab works planned, smaller homes (under 150m²), warm-climate primary cooling needs (Brisbane, Cairns), and budgets where the extra hydronic up-front cost can't be recovered through running savings.
New builds and major renovations, homes over 220m², cooler climates (Melbourne south, Canberra, Snowy region), heritage builds where ducting can't go, multi-zone control needs, and any project where occupant comfort, air quality and 30+ year lifespan matter.
Sometimes — we install hydronic underfloor for primary heating + a small ducted reverse-cycle for fast cooling in extreme summer days. Hybrid systems make sense in homes where one technology can't perfectly cover both seasons.