{"id":101356,"date":"2026-08-21T06:23:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-20T20:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=101356"},"modified":"2026-08-20T10:24:27","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T00:54:27","slug":"best-air-cons-to-heat-your-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/best-air-cons-to-heat-your-home\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Air Cons To Heat Your Home"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Air<\/p>\n

Choosing a reverse cycle air conditioner can feel overwhelming. There are dozens of brands available, all claiming to offer excellent performance, efficiency and reliability. Given we’re in winter, we’ll focus this article on the best brands for heating, to keep us toasty warm.<\/p>\n

When we first started out at Powrhouse, I spoke to about a dozen different air conditioning companies. It seemed that everyone had a different (and strong) opinion on the best and worst air conditioning brands. I spoke to one company who swore that Daikin was the best brand, and then the next company said that the electronics on Daikin units was found wanting and customer service lacking. It was very difficult to know what to believe.<\/p>\n

At Powrhouse<\/a>, we like to base our opinions on facts and research, so we would cut through the noise and work out which air conditioning brands are the best, and which ones are possibly best avoided.<\/p>\n

Remember: Your Air Conditioner Is Also a Heater<\/h2>\n

One of the biggest misconceptions we see is homeowners using their reverse cycle air conditioner only for cooling.<\/p>\n

Modern reverse cycle systems<\/a> are highly effective heaters and are typically the cheapest way to heat a home.<\/p>\n

This is because reverse cycle air conditioners move heat rather than generate it directly. As a result, they can produce several units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed, making them significantly more efficient than electric resistance and gas heaters.<\/p>\n

If you already have a reverse cycle air conditioner installed, I suggest trying it on heating mode and see how it feels. Hopefully you’ll feel comfortable – your bills certainly will be.<\/p>\n

Our Research<\/h2>\n

A little while ago I started a large spreadsheet<\/a> to compare the main air conditioning brands side-by-side. I looked at a variety of factors include Energy Ratings, Sound Levels, Costs, Online Reviews, Refrigerant, Warranty, Connectivity, Place of Manufacture and VEEC eligibility (for Victorian customers). It was a laborious but informative process.<\/p>\n

Pleasingly, for the purposes of analysing air conditioners for winter, we also broke down the Energy Ratings by Heating and Cooling. The Australian Government Energy Rating Scheme<\/a> is designed to make it easy to compare the energy efficiency of air conditioners.<\/p>\n

There isn’t a huge variation in the heating efficiency of these units. Looking purely at efficiency, the Avanti Plus range from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries tops the table with 3.5 stars. The Lite range from Daikin doesn’t perform as strongly, only rated at 2 stars.<\/p>\n

We should also mention that just because a unit is efficient from a heating perspective, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the most efficient cooling unit. Take Actron Air’s Serene range, it rates as 3 stars for heating but a huge 7 stars for cooling.<\/p>\n

\"Heating

An example of the Zoned Energy Rating Label.<\/p><\/div>\n

Our Recommended Brands<\/h2>\n

The reverse cycle air conditioning market is mature and well established. Most major manufacturers have been producing air conditioners for many years, and the technology is generally reliable.<\/p>\n

That said, some brands have developed stronger reputations for performance, reliability and after-sales support.<\/p>\n

Based on our research, the brands we most commonly recommend are:<\/p>\n