28/06/2025 | Hydrosol

Image of Subaru Uncharted in Warby-Ovens national park

Road Trip in Subaru Uncharted EV

Road Trip Report of the Subaru Uncharted, switching to an EV. After completing our transition to an all-electric home, we took the next logical step of electrifying our transport. We traded our old diesel Mercedes Benz C Class for Subaru’s new Uncharted, a car jointly developed by Toyota and Subaru. It has certainly met our high expectations of this new car. It has sports car like acceleration and handling if you push it, and can be quiet and smooth in Melbourne city driving. Out on dirt roads in our national parks., X Mode makes it feel planted and capable.

Hydrosol image of waffle pod with underfloor hydronic coils prior to concrete pour

Best Sustainable Flooring

Designing a sustainable home means balancing two forces that pull in opposite directions in a cold climate like Melbourne: embodied carbon when materials are manufactured versus operational performance, which is how well your home uses and stores thermal energy once built. This BLOG discusses this tension in your choice of flooring and sets out options to assist your decision.

Image of a 3-phase switchboard re power for your electric home

Maximum power demand assessment

Ask for a maximum power demand assessment for your home if you are planning to change over major gas appliances to electric. Receive a report of your maximum power demand covering: your home’s maximum load capacity, existing and forecast demand, and upgrade recommendations for adding new major appliances with budget estimates.

Image showing air leaks around floors, walls, windows, doors, and ceilings

Ventilating my airtight home

This BLOG discusses issues and options for ventilating an airtight home. Airtight homes have less natural ventilation coming through gaps and cracks. With windows closed and no mechanical ventilation system in place, you may wind up with an unhealthy home. In fact, it could lead to a dangerous buildup of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, mould and mildew.

Image of a solar power inverter and switchboard

Power for your electric home

Consider power for your electric home at the design stage. Removing gas as an energy source will put more load onto your power supply. Therefore, your home must be energy efficient and have energy efficient appliances. Also, this is required by new 7-Star ‘Whole of Home’ building code, for renovations and new buildings.

Underfloor heating and radiators

This BLOG explores options for electric underfloor heating, radiator panels and hydronic convectors. It includes hydronic and electric-resistance systems. It excludes reverse cycle air conditioners, which are a subject of their own and do not radiate heat. Hydronic systems are a lot more expensive to install but a lot cheaper to run and add greater capital value to your home. Electric resistance systems are much cheaper to install but a lot more expensive to run. These systems do not stir up dust, airborne pollen and other allergens. Therefore, they are better for people with breathing issues such as asthma. They can be installed as underfloor radiant systems, radiator panels or fan-coil convectors.

Heat Pump Testimonials

This BLOG lists some interesting electric heating and cooling projects, and testimonials. Hydrosol has been involved with many projects over the years involving many different aspects of electric heating, cooling, ventilation, domestic hot water and pool heating. Attention to reducing heating and cooling load is also an important consideration. Use our knowledge and experience to help develop a tailored approach that’s right for you.

Example of an Galletti ART-U fan coil convector, which provides hydronic heating and effective cooling with chilled water below they dew point.

Heat pump hydronic cooling

The Galletti ART-U can coil convector provides hydronic cooling and heating with a heat pump. The ART-U convector is designed for cooling in summer using chilled water from a reverse cycle heat pump. An internal fan draws air through its coils. Condensation is drained away outside, which gives you latent cooling as well as sensible temperature cooling. In winter, hot water from the heat pump is circulated through the convector.

Hydrosol image showing a timber covered slab absorbing sunshine radiation in winter, which will improve house heat loss.

Reduce house heat loss

This BLOG discusses the causes and suggests steps to improve your house heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. The causes come broadly from 3 areas, about one third each: (1) ceilings, (2) windows and (3) walls, floors and general air leaks. Your choices on what do depend firstly on whether you are building a new house, renovating an existing house or improving the thermal performance of an existing house.

Replace gas boiler with heat pump

Replace your gas boiler with a hydronic heat pump for efficient heating and a cooling option using your solar power. Benefits include lower operating costs, less greenhouse emissions, adding value to your home, and safer appliances with longer operating life. However, you should also work on improving the thermal performance of your home. Also, explore upgrading your power supply. This BLOG discusses the key points.

Factors Affecting HVAC Design

The factors affecting HVAC design should be considered from the outset. Otherwise, it may lead to costly changes through the building process. Therefore, put some time and effort into thinking this through as the first step.

Image of Minitec underfloor heating coils laid over suspended floor

Underfloor heating and cooling on suspended floors

You can enjoy underfloor heating and cooling if you are renovating or building with suspended floors. Use a heat pump as the heat source to have reverse cycle cooling in summer as well. This will absorb heat from your home and expel it outside in reverse cycle mode. You can apply most types of floor coverings over your underfloor heating circuits including tiles timber boards and loose weave carpet.

Image showing an underfloor hydronic heating and cooling system with a heat pump.

Heat pump thermal battery

Great Technology Fusion – Heat pumps, solar power and thermal battery storage are a perfect fusion of technologies:

1) Program your heat pump/s to run during the day with your solar power
2) Store thermal energy in your slab, water and other thermal mass of your home
3) Shift energy release after sundown

Hydrosol image of solar panel installation for solar power case study

Manage Your Solar Power

Understanding the power demand of your home appliances, and timing some of them to run during the day when you are producing power, will reduce your power bills. This BLOG explores ways to reduce your power demand from the grid.

Heat Recovery Ventilation

Reduce heat loss and running costs, and improve air quality with Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV). This BLOG explores HRV and ERV ventilation systems. Homes built years ago were not designed for efficiency and so they leaked air everywhere. Modern homes with 6+ Star rating are much more air tight and require ventilation systems to keep a fresh feel inside without needing open windows in winter and summer. Air leaks and open windows can account for a quarter of your energy costs.

Hydrosol image of underfloor hydronic circuits laid prior to the concrete screed layer with heat pump for heating and reverse cycle cooling.

Heat Pump Hydronic Heating

Heat pumps use water to transfer heat to your home in winter from the outside air and reverse this process in summer to keep your home cool. Water is 3300 times more capable of transferring heat than air so you don’t need large air ducts with heat pumps.

Schematic of a solar power + EV battery system

House battery or EV

This BLOG explores whether a house battery or EV makes more sense for this business owner with home office and garage. It looks at what is currently available in technologies and government policies. A house battery would cost him $8,500 net, supplied and installed. But if this were allocated to the price premium of an EV with a charging system, there would also be business tax advantages, and give him a nicer car to drive with lower operating costs.

Hydrosol image of a multi-split air conditioning system

Air conditioning systems

Choose air conditioning systems that work best with your home design, preferences, and budget. Air conditioning systems are efficient air-to-air heat pumps that convert each 1kW of power into about 4 kW of heating or cooling. Consider a split system for a single room, multi split and ducted systems for multiple rooms.

Home Power Upgrade

Consider a home power upgrade if you plan to add new electrical appliances like heat pumps for heating, cooling, hot water, and pool heating, or electric vehicle charger, induction cooktop, etc. This BLOG explores approaches and pricing. Good power supply ensures that all your electrical appliances will run efficiently with longer life.

Schematic of Montreal Protocol, Kigali HFC phase-down timeline

Heat Pump Refrigerants

Heat pump refrigerants have steadily evolved since 1987, when the Montreal Protocol set the objective of phasing out harmful refrigerants for the environment. All heat pump and air conditioning refrigerants have their pros and cons. Due to urgent action needed now to avoid catastrophic climate change, natural and man-made refrigerants with low GWP are becoming essential. This BLOG discusses man-made and natural refrigerants. The latter are gaining widespread support because of their environmental and performance benefits, which outweigh concerns about flammability (apart from CO2) that can be managed.

Hydrosol image of a Cinier Greenor hydronic fan-coil convector heating & cooling installation in Melbourne Australia

Toorak all-electric house renovation

This all-electric house renovation in Toorak involved going off gas and replacing the old ducted air conditioning system with hydronic heating and cooling. Both form and function of the heating and cooling system were important for this project. New radiator panels, hydronic towel rails and fan-coil convectors were installed, powered by an electric heat pump.

Visualisation of Cinier Greenor hydronic convector heating & cooling system

Cinier Greenor Designer Hydronic Convectors

The Greenor designer range of hydronic fan-coil convectors are manufactured by Cinier in France. They present a fusion of art and leading technology. Greenor convectors are designed for prominent locations in your home, to be admired whilst also providing gentle, silent heating and cooling. They make virtually no noise or air drafts from transferring heat by convection and radiation. The hot or chilled hydronic water flowing to these convectors is produced by electric air-to-water heat pumps.

Day: June 28, 2025