{"id":91734,"date":"2025-06-06T10:05:11","date_gmt":"2025-06-06T00:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?p=91734"},"modified":"2026-02-27T13:22:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T03:52:05","slug":"efficient-rcac-heating-filters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/","title":{"rendered":"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Winter is here, and nobody is more aware of that than Australians with a struggling reverse cycle air conditioner (RVAC). If your system isn’t keeping you warm, here’s what to do to get it humming.<\/p>\n

Reverse cycle systems have plenty of benefits over gas heating<\/a> – they’re cheaper to run, better for the environment, and present fewer health risks. But some people find they don’t feel quite as cozy. I saw such a complaint from a RCAC owner recently which I’ve paraphrased below:<\/p>\n

\n

We live in a cold-climate winter area, and five years ago we replaced our old ducted gas system with reverse cycle air conditioning. We upgraded the ducting too. On paper, the new system ticks all the right boxes \u2014 maybe even oversized slightly \u2014 but in practice, it\u2019s just not as good at heating. The gas used to warm the house in 30\u201345 minutes. Now it takes hours.<\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s probably cheaper to run. But it\u2019s not as comfortable. And while we could improve our insulation, we haven\u2019t changed anything from when we used gas. The comparison between systems is fair in my opinion\u2014 and the reverse cycle is losing. To make things worse, defrost cycles in cold weather fire up like radiator mode and plunder your energy bill. Environmental concerns aside, it feels like we\u2019ve taken a step backwards.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If your reverse-cycle aircon isn’t getting it done for you, there’s a few potential adjustments you can make.<\/p>\n

\"dirty

If your dog camps near the outdoor air con unit, it may be worth cleaning the coil.<\/p><\/div>\n

Have You Cleaned The Filter?<\/h2>\n

Reverse-cycle systems don’t have the brute force of burning gas, but neither do they involve much risk. While poorly maintained gas heaters can kill people with asphyxiation, a RCAC with a grubby filter will just perform poorly.<\/p>\n

It’s something I’ve noticed firsthand with an old “weather wall” air con unit in a rental. Built through the wall of a 1970’s house, this thing was not just badly insulated, it was in itself a massive air leak.<\/p>\n

It was high summer and this piece of junk was noisy and did nothing, so colour me surprised when removing the inside grille revealed the mouldy mess pictured below. The evaporator coil was absolutely caked in soft, dusty, furry muck.<\/p>\n

\"filthy

Obviously, this vile mess wasn’t going to work well. I had to take this image to show my wife what I’m willing to do for the team…<\/p><\/div>\n

Once cleaned, the air conditioning did work, but in reality it was still just an oversized window rattler. Cleaning the filter on a more modern ducted or split system can make just as big a difference.<\/p>\n

With less power comes great responsibility, because increased efficiency means keeping things clean is critical to home comfort.<\/p>\n

\"air

Chalk and cheese, but cleaning filters in the sink is a breeze.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\"Air

Dust is beginning to build up on the intake louvres and the screen.<\/p><\/div>\n

Cleaning A Split System<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Split systems and ducted RCAC systems<\/a> are different beasts, with their own cleaning requirements and challenges.<\/p>\n

\"How

Cleaning your average split system RCAC is very straightforward.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/div>\n
\"before

This is a tangental fan from a high wall split system air conditioner, demonstrating that it pays to make sure the condensate drain is clear.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"air

If your split system is spitting water in summer it may be because the drain line is blocked by grass growth from outside.<\/p><\/div>\n

Ducted Systems Can Be More Complicated<\/h2>\n

Long runs of ductwork lose heat quickly \u2014 especially in the roof space \u2014 and they don\u2019t let you fine-tune room by room. That\u2019s why many energy nerds prefer split systems. They\u2019re more efficient, easier to maintain, and they heat only the spaces you\u2019re actually using.<\/p>\n

\"badly

The truss highlighted in yellow was restrictive in size, hence I watched as the dodgy air contractor stripped the insulation off this section circled to make it fit through. With a flat roof, metal frame and western sun, this will be horrendous.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The

The return air filter for ducted air conditioning. Undo the thumb nut, swing it down and clean it gently with a hose or vacuum cleaner.<\/p><\/div>\n

Reverse Cycle Isn\u2019t Weak \u2013 It\u2019s Different<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nobody\u2019s pretending reverse cycle has more grunt than a gas burner. It doesn\u2019t, and a direct comparison isn’t really fair because these are different systems using different technology.<\/p>\n

To make an analogy, it\u2019s like comparing electric cars to petrol ones \u2014 an EV is a fundamentally more efficient device but you can\u2019t expect it to do precisely<\/em> what a petrol one does because they\u2019re not the same.<\/p>\n

They need a different mindset because you can\u2019t refuel on the highway in 5 minutes, but 20 minutes for a coffee to get you to 80% does pretty much the same, without wasting time on 100% charging<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hold On To Your Heat<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If your car was leaking petrol, you’d fix it in an instant. Heat\u2019s no different \u2014 it’s just invisible without a thermal camera.<\/p>\n

Improving the insulated envelope of your house should be the very first step because it makes things more comfortable, even without turning the RCAC on, plus it improves efficiency too.<\/p>\n

Most Australian homes are built like sieves \u2014 draughty, under-insulated, and full of cheap oversized single-glazed windows in metal frames that bleed heat. Using a gas or wood fire, the flames in some cases can simply overcome the inefficiencies.<\/p>\n

But with RCAC, those problems become more evident. Suddenly you notice the cold air pouring through gaps, the rooms that never feel warm, the whole house<\/em> as a system<\/em>\u00a0is struggling.<\/p>\n

\"thermal

Misplaced insulation batt leaves a cold (dark) patch on the ceiling above this RCAC while it’s heating the room.<\/p><\/div>\n

A Warm Welcome Home<\/h2>\n

For home heating the trick is to program the RCAC to come on earlier in the day, so the house is warmed up before you get home.<\/p>\n

Instead of flogging the heating between 6 & 7pm, give it some time to do the job when the sun is out, which if you have solar means the electricity is basically free. What you’re aiming to do is get the thermal mass of the house under control.<\/p>\n

Once you walk in the door to a pleasantly warm house, you can decide to throttle down or even switch off the heating.<\/p>\n

Thermal Inertia Is A Thing<\/h2>\n

My first house was a 1950ish double brick number, with evaporative air conditioning, leaky sash windows and no insulation in the ceiling whatsoever.<\/p>\n

There were times I would rock home at 6pm, it was cold and dark, and the house was even colder because nobody had been home all day.<\/p>\n

My quick and dirty solution was a 300mm inline fan which sucked air out of the roof space and pushed it inside through the air con ducting (The evap unit was sealed up). There was no fancy thermostat, just a timer which ran the fan from 10am to 3pm.<\/p>\n

On average it was warmer in the roof during the day, and I would find the house warmer inside when I got home.<\/p>\n

By using the warm air from the roof, I got the internal brick walls, the thermal mass in the house, warmed up for free. Then the RCAC didn’t struggle so much because it had a higher base to work from.<\/p>\n

The system I’ve described here is one you could buy as a package from Perth<\/a>. It was featured on the TV and even had a nice temperature “control” panel. Instead of a dumb timer, it measured the temperature in the roof and when it was 5\u00baC hotter above the ceiling, the fan came on to move that heat inside. Sadly, this system is no longer available, but I’ll try to resurrect a DIY guide if I can.<\/p>\n

Defrost: The Silent Comfort Killer<\/strong><\/h2>\n

One of the biggest complaints from cold-climate users, including our RVAC owner at the top of the article, is the dreaded defrost cycle. Just when you need warm air in the early morning, the system shuts down to protect itself \u2014 because frost has built up on the outdoor unit.<\/p>\n

This is normal, but annoying when (assuming they’ve installed the right system to begin with) a resistive element kicks in to consume a lot of power and fend off the frost.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also another reason to run the system early to maintain steady temperatures. If your unit is constantly battling ice, it\u2019s a sign the system is under strain or the outdoor unit isn\u2019t in an ideal spot.<\/p>\n

\"RCAC

RCAC unit frozen over<\/p><\/div>\n

In God We Trust. Everyone Else Brings Data.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you’d like a different perspective, follow Nate the House Whisperer.<\/a> He is very good at making heat pumps work in challenging conditions across a range of climates.<\/p>\n

Careful planning and real-world data means RCAC can work brilliantly \u2014 even when it’s snowing \u2014 but only if you treat it as a system, not a standalone box. That means thinking about your house as a whole: insulation, air sealing, zoning, timing, and yes, maintenance.<\/p>\n

Bottom Line<\/strong><\/h2>\n

People are often unsure of change and see any criticism of RCAC as plenty of reason to stay with pretty expensive and polluting heaters. However once they move to efficient heating, it exposes how much other work needs to be done to overcome the thermal deficiencies.<\/p>\n

RCAC doesn\u2019t always hide the flaws in your home the way burning things does. So if it feels like a downgrade, the solution isn\u2019t necessarily a bigger unit \u2014 it\u2019s a better setup and smarter use.<\/p>\n

And yes \u2014 you\u2019ve got to clean the filters.<\/p>\n

For more, read our detailed guide to air conditioning.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter is here, and nobody is more aware of that than Australians with a struggling reverse cycle air conditioner (RVAC). If your system isn’t keeping you warm, here’s what to do to get it humming.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":92437,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[792],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air-conditioning","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nReverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Before blaming your heating system for poor performance, check the filter. A lack of maintenance could be silently sabotaging it.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Before blaming your heating system for poor performance, check the filter. A lack of maintenance could be silently sabotaging it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SolarQuotes Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-06T00:35:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-27T03:52:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Anthony Bennett\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@solar_quotes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Anthony Bennett\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda68c24a3d87f41fa51e57c03d2ac2d\"},\"headline\":\"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-06T00:35:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-27T03:52:05+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1713,\"commentCount\":31,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/air-con-filters-header.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Air Conditioning\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/\",\"name\":\"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/air-con-filters-header.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-06T00:35:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-27T03:52:05+00:00\",\"description\":\"Before blaming your heating system for poor performance, check the filter. A lack of maintenance could be silently sabotaging it.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/air-con-filters-header.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/air-con-filters-header.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630,\"caption\":\"Created with GIMP\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Blog\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Air Conditioning\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/category\\\/air-conditioning\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes Blog\",\"description\":\"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SolarQuotes\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/05\\\/solarquotes-logo.png\",\"width\":592,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"SolarQuotes\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SolarQuotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/solar_quotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/solarquotes\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/au.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/solarquotes\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/SolarQuotesAustralia\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/eda68c24a3d87f41fa51e57c03d2ac2d\",\"name\":\"Anthony Bennett\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r\",\"caption\":\"Anthony Bennett\"},\"description\":\"Anthony joined the SolarQuotes team in 2022. He\u2019s a licensed electrician, builder, roofer and solar installer who for 14 years did jobs all over SA - residential, commercial, on-grid and off-grid. A true enthusiast with a skillset the typical solar installer might not have, his blogs are typically deep dives that draw on his decades of experience in the industry to educate and entertain. Read Anthony's full bio.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.solarquotes.com.au\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/anthony\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.","description":"Before blaming your heating system for poor performance, check the filter. A lack of maintenance could be silently sabotaging it.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.","og_description":"Before blaming your heating system for poor performance, check the filter. A lack of maintenance could be silently sabotaging it.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/","og_site_name":"SolarQuotes Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","article_published_time":"2025-06-06T00:35:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-27T03:52:05+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Anthony Bennett","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@solar_quotes","twitter_site":"@solar_quotes","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/"},"author":{"name":"Anthony Bennett","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/eda68c24a3d87f41fa51e57c03d2ac2d"},"headline":"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.","datePublished":"2025-06-06T00:35:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-27T03:52:05+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/"},"wordCount":1713,"commentCount":31,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg","articleSection":["Air Conditioning"],"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/","name":"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-06T00:35:11+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-27T03:52:05+00:00","description":"Before blaming your heating system for poor performance, check the filter. A lack of maintenance could be silently sabotaging it.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-AU","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg","width":1200,"height":630,"caption":"Created with GIMP"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/efficient-rcac-heating-filters\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Blog","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Air Conditioning","item":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/air-conditioning\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Reverse Cycle Not Keeping You Warm? Here\u2019s What To Do."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","name":"SolarQuotes Blog","description":"An independent reckoning of the Aussie solar scene","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-AU"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#organization","name":"SolarQuotes","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/solarquotes-logo.png","width":592,"height":600,"caption":"SolarQuotes"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SolarQuotes\/","https:\/\/x.com\/solar_quotes","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/solarquotes\/","https:\/\/au.linkedin.com\/company\/solarquotes","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/SolarQuotesAustralia"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/eda68c24a3d87f41fa51e57c03d2ac2d","name":"Anthony Bennett","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-AU","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/da02d496ba89ce6576480e42da6ad36ea79ea5c1c51d5f7ce5a07774d06a1fb7?s=96&d=monsterid&r=r","caption":"Anthony Bennett"},"description":"Anthony joined the SolarQuotes team in 2022. He\u2019s a licensed electrician, builder, roofer and solar installer who for 14 years did jobs all over SA - residential, commercial, on-grid and off-grid. A true enthusiast with a skillset the typical solar installer might not have, his blogs are typically deep dives that draw on his decades of experience in the industry to educate and entertain. Read Anthony's full bio.","url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/author\/anthony\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/air-con-filters-header.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2FF2s-nRA","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":94798,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioning-evaporative-rcac-mb\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":0},"title":"Evaporative Cooling Vs. Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning","author":"Michael Bloch","date":"December 15, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Like many home improvements, the type of air-conditioning that may be best suited for your house will depend on a number of factors, including if you have solar panels. See the pros and cons of the two main technologies, and other points to consider. There are all sorts of approaches\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Air Conditioning"","block_context":{"text":"Air Conditioning","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/air-conditioning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An Australian family in their air-conditioned home.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rcac-evaporative-aircon.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rcac-evaporative-aircon.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rcac-evaporative-aircon.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rcac-evaporative-aircon.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/rcac-evaporative-aircon.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":52940,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioners-vs-gas-heating\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":1},"title":"Air Conditioners Will Heat Your Home Cheaper Than Gas. Here’s Why.","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"August 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"The best way to heat your home is with a reverse cycle air conditioner.\u00a0 This is true whether your goal is to save money or save the planet.\u00a0 In this article, I'll explain no matter how crap your air conditioner is, you're likely to be financially better off using it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Air Conditioning"","block_context":{"text":"Air Conditioning","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/air-conditioning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reverse cycle air conditioner vs gas heating","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ac-vs-gas.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":91205,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/fact-check-actually-we-can-heat-homes-just-fine-without-efficient-gas\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":2},"title":"Fact Check: Actually, We Can Heat Homes Just Fine Without ‘Efficient’ Gas","author":"Ronald Brakels","date":"April 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The \"Australians for Natural Gas\" group has today been reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for allegedly misleading claims. I've looked into this group and found it is spreading a number of false messages on social media, including that gas is an \"efficient\" source of power and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Getting Off Gas"","block_context":{"text":"Getting Off Gas","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/getting-off-gas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A dial pointing to the right above the word 'false'","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Fact-Check-false.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":94573,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/portable-air-conditioners-suck\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":3},"title":"Portable Air Conditioners Suck (Hot Air Into Your House)","author":"Anthony Bennett","date":"January 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you thinking of a portable air conditioner? Don't. Step back. Put your wallet away. I can't think of a better way to waste time, money and energy than buying a portable air conditioner - although there are a couple of exceptions that have their place. Whether you call it\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Air Conditioning"","block_context":{"text":"Air Conditioning","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/air-conditioning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A portable air con sucking up money","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/portable-aircon-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/portable-aircon-header.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/portable-aircon-header.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/portable-aircon-header.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/portable-aircon-header.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":95016,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/air-conditioner-size-to-breeze-through-summer\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":4},"title":"Don’t Waste Cold Cash On The Wrong Sized Air Conditioner","author":"Max Opray","date":"January 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Sweltering through a heatwave and desperate for a new air conditioner? Don't rush into a decision before working out what size of unit you need - otherwise you\u2019ll be blowing all your cold cash on hot air. Does Air Conditioner Size Matter? If a reverse-cycle air conditioner is too small,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Air Conditioning"","block_context":{"text":"Air Conditioning","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/air-conditioning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"people inspecting an air conditioner","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/air-conditioner-size.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/air-conditioner-size.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/air-conditioner-size.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/air-conditioner-size.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/air-conditioner-size.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":97398,"url":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/what-aircon-installs-cost-in-2026\/","url_meta":{"origin":91734,"position":5},"title":"Aircon Installs: What It Really Costs To Beat The Heat","author":"Max Opray","date":"January 28, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"It wasn't even 11am in my neck of the woods in Adelaide on Tuesday, and the temperature had already reached 42.2C. After several days roasting in the forties, it's fair to say that if I didn't already have air conditioning, I'd have given up one of my kidneys to get\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Air Conditioning"","block_context":{"text":"Air Conditioning","link":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/category\/air-conditioning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"An outdoor aircon unit in the sun","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/aircon-install-costs.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/aircon-install-costs.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/aircon-install-costs.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/aircon-install-costs.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/aircon-install-costs.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91734"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98015,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91734\/revisions\/98015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.solarquotes.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}