We don’t want to be cold

We have been shivering through a cold winter, and the heating we have installed in the house has not been quite enough to warm our large downstairs living area. So we are embarking on a home project to improve the heating in our main living area. At 46 square metres with high ceilings, it is a sizeable room. While the house is well insulated and fitted with double-glazed windows, we still want it to be comfortable through Melbourne’s colder months. The idea of an electric fireplace appealed to us. There is something welcoming about the look of a fire on a winter evening, and we can already picture it becoming the focal point of the lounge room. However, the more we researched, the more we realised an electric fireplace is better suited to providing ambience than serving as the primary heat source for such a large space.

The practical option appears to be a reverse-cycle split system. Modern units are highly efficient, provide excellent winter heating, and also cool the room in summer. Without solar panels, efficiency and running costs are key considerations, making a heat pump an attractive solution. However, our current unit outputs only 5 kilowatts of heat, so if we stay with this option, we may need to upgrade. At this stage, we’re thinking of combining the two. The split system would provide the warmth we need, while the electric fireplace would add atmosphere. It feels like the perfect balance between comfort and practicality, but at the end of the day, we don’t want to be cold.