Split System Installation in Norlane

The imported Dutch and French units use wall systems an Australian electrician does not meet anywhere else. Panel construction, different framing spacing and different linings mean a core hole in the usual position may land somewhere it should not, and a bracket fixed by habit may not have structure behind it.

So we confirm rather than assume. That means checking the construction before choosing the head position, then setting the penetration and the bracket fixings to suit what is actually there. It takes ten minutes at the assessment and it avoids a hole in the wrong place forever.

Original installations here were sized for a fraction of a modern household load, and many boards have never been comprehensively replaced. There is usually no spare way for a dedicated circuit and often no residual current protection on the final subcircuits.

Housing of this vintage also frequently has asbestos in sheeting and meter box backing, which changes how a board is removed and by whom. We identify that during the assessment so the method is decided before anyone opens anything.

The estates were laid out as a whole for standardised house types, so the blocks are uniform with wide frontages and clear side access. Compared with the inner Geelong cottages, siting a condenser here is simple: there is room for the unit, room for clearance and room to service it.

That also keeps single head systems available. Where there is space for two or three outdoor units, separate systems run at their best efficiency in each room and one fault costs you one room rather than the house. Multi head solves a space problem Norlane does not have.

Rooms are modest with low to moderate ceiling heights, so the volumes are small, but the envelope was built to 1950s standards. Little or no wall insulation and ceiling batts that have compressed or gone missing mean the losses are higher than the dimensions suggest.

A standard Norlane bedroom usually lands at 3.5kW and a lounge open to a hallway at 5.0kW. Where the ceiling can be re-insulated first, both often come down a size, and the insulation costs less than the capacity increase would.

A lot of these houses still heat with gas. Reverse cycle heats a room for roughly 28 to 36 cents an hour against 50 to 72 cents for ducted gas, about $200 to $450 a year, and more where the house can drop the gas connection and lose the daily supply charge. Victorian Energy Upgrades discounts come off the invoice directly, no income test, property at least two years old, $200 including GST minimum contribution, with the program having changed on 30 September 2026.

Norlane is about 55km from our Altona workshop, among the closest parts of the region. We still book work here in planned blocks with a nominated week, because scheduled work is what keeps the travel out of the price.