News

Notes from the tools

The brands we install, what keeps a cool room cold, ducted systems, rebates and what it really costs to heat and cool a Central Victorian home.

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Brands

Brands · 29 October 2026

Daikin against the cheap split you found online

What to check before you buy a cheap online split system: warranty, who fixes it, parts, the energy label for a cold climate, and noise.

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Brands · 17 October 2026

Mitsubishi Heavy and Mitsubishi Electric are not the same company

Two air conditioner makers share the Mitsubishi name. How they differ, how to tell which one is on your wall, and why it matters at service time.

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Brands · 27 September 2026

Who is Daikin, and why it matters when something breaks

Where Daikin came from, how long it has been in Australia, and what its local factory, parts and warranty mean for a home in Central Victoria.

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Brands · 15 September 2026

Mitsubishi Electric Mr Slim explained

What Mitsubishi Electric's Mr Slim range is, the indoor and outdoor units in it, and the kinds of rooms and businesses it suits.

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Brands · 3 September 2026

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries air conditioners, the current range

A plain walk through MHI's Australian air conditioner range, from small wall splits to floor and bulkhead units, and who each one suits.

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Brands · 26 August 2026

Daikin's wall split range, explained in plain words

Lite, Cora, Zena, Alira X and XL: what each Daikin wall split is, the sizes it comes in, and which ones we lean towards for a cold house.

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Brands · 14 August 2026

Mitsubishi Electric split systems in a cold winter

How Mitsubishi Electric wall splits handle heating in the cold, what the specs and energy label actually tell you, and how to choose for the ranges.

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Brands · 2 August 2026

Daikin multi-split, one outdoor unit for several rooms

How a Daikin multi-split runs several rooms off one outdoor unit, when that suits a house in the ranges, and when separate splits make more sense.

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Brands · 25 July 2026

Mitsubishi Heavy, Daikin or Mitsubishi Electric

We install all three. Here is how they compare on range, cold weather heating and warranty, and the things that matter more than the badge.

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Brands · 13 July 2026

Wi-Fi control for your split system, and what it is good for

The phone apps for Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries splits, what each needs, and the jobs where phone control earns its place.

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Refrigeration

Refrigeration · 2 November 2026

Get your cool room ready for summer

A pre-summer cool room checklist for pubs, cafés and guesthouses. What to look at yourself, and what to leave for us.

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Refrigeration · 21 October 2026

Refrigerant changes and what they mean for cool room owners

Australia is cutting back on HFC refrigerants. Here is what the rules say, what they don't, and what it means when your cool room needs gas.

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Refrigeration · 23 September 2026

Why a cool room ices up, and what to do about it

Ice on a cool room coil is a symptom, not the fault. The usual causes, what each one looks like, and what is safe to do before we arrive.

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Refrigeration · 7 September 2026

Common commercial fridge faults in pubs and cafés

The faults we see most in underbench, display and bar fridges, why they happen in busy venues, and the small habits that prevent them.

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Refrigeration · 17 July 2026

What to check when a cool room warms up

Safe checks to run before you call when a cool room starts climbing, in the order we would run them, plus what to leave alone.

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Ducted

Ducted · 9 October 2026

How many zones a ducted system needs, and which rooms go together

How we group rooms into zones on a ducted reverse cycle system, why four is usually the starting point, and where the return air goes.

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Ducted · 19 September 2026

Ducted reverse cycle or gas ducted heating

Running costs, cooling, the cold, the rules and the VEU discount, compared plainly for a house in the ranges choosing between the two.

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Ducted · 22 August 2026

Replacing old gas ducted heating, and whether the ducts can stay

When an old gas ducted heater goes, can a reverse cycle unit use the same ducts? What we check, and why the regulator says to look hard.

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Ducted · 29 July 2026

Sizing ducted heating for the cold, heating first

Why a ducted reverse cycle system in the ranges is sized for a frosty morning, not a hot afternoon, and what goes into getting the number right.

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Running costs

Running costs · 25 October 2026

Running your cooling off your own solar

Solar peaks around midday and the house peaks late in the afternoon. How to line the two up so more of your cooling runs on your own power.

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Running costs · 1 October 2026

The Midday Power Saver and your air conditioner

From 1 October 2026 there is no charge for power used between 11am and 2pm on the new Victorian offer. How to heat and cool around it.

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Running costs · 30 August 2026

Why reverse cycle heating costs less to run than gas

Sustainability Victoria's figures put reverse cycle well ahead of gas ducted on running costs. What the numbers mean for a cold house in the ranges.

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Running costs · 6 August 2026

Going all electric and dropping the gas connection

The gas daily supply charge only stops when the connection goes. The order we'd replace things in, and the difference between disconnection and abolishment.

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Running costs · 21 July 2026

Running heat pump hot water off your solar

A hot water tank stores heat the way a battery stores power. How to time a heat pump to your panels, and why it matters more in a cold winter.

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Rebates

Rebates · 13 October 2026

The VEU discount on heat pump hot water, step by step

What the Victorian Energy Upgrades discount on a heat pump water heater needs from you, the old tank and the new one, and how it sits with Solar Homes.

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Rebates · 11 September 2026

How Victorian Energy Upgrades discounts work, in plain words

Where the VEU discount comes from, who applies it, why it changes, and the order things need to happen in so you do not miss out.

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Rebates · 18 August 2026

The VEU discount for replacing gas or electric heaters

Which old heaters count, what the provider needs to see before they come out, and the limits per house under the Victorian Energy Upgrades program.

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Rebates · 9 July 2026

Victoria's gas rules for new homes and existing homes, in plain words

What Victoria has actually decided about gas in new homes, existing homes and rentals, with the dates, and what was proposed but dropped.

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Local

Local · 5 October 2026

Why local refrigeration support matters

When a cool room fails in the ranges, distance, records and knowing the site count for more than a big name. Here is what local support actually looks like.

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Local · 16 August 2026

Getting your heating ready for a Central Victorian winter

Five things worth doing before the cold really sets in, from cleaning the filter you forgot you had to knowing when a system is telling you it's struggling.

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Local · 10 August 2026

Planned maintenance for pubs, cafés and guesthouses

How a regular service plan for cool rooms, fridges and air conditioning works for hospitality venues, what each visit covers and when to book it.

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