In South Australia we have cold winters and many heating options. It’s hard to pick the right one for you. Many people are turning to split system air-conditioning, whilst others prefer the ambience of gas heating. So what’s better for you in SA–Split System or Gas?

To make a direct comparison, we needed to use appliances with similar energy output and that heated the same sort of area.

Our Gas appliance was an Archer 720 Log Fire, whilst we selected a Daikin 85WVMA Split System for the Electrical appliance.

1. Energy Star Ratings – How they Work

The climate they are operating in affects split Systems and Refrigerated Air Conditioners. Because of this, new split systems display the Heating/ Cooling label so that you are aware of how the split system will function in your area. The Average Zone covers most of South Australia, with some areas in the Cold Zone.

Gas Heaters do not require a Zoned rating as they remain unaffected by outside factors, but function the same in all areas. We show an example of the star rating stickers which could appear on a heater below.

2. Gas Heaters vs Split System ACs: Pros and Cons

This list compares the advantages and disadvantages of each heating option.

Notes:

# – Output does not change for gas heater but will alter for split system depending on zone (See 1)

* – Tariffs Basic as at 25/07/23

** – Environmental Concerns: see below

3. Environmental Concerns

So that we can decide whether it’s good for the environment to switch off the gas heater and go electric, we need to consider the entire picture.

Do you know where our electrical power comes from in SA?

Courtesy: Global-Roam

This live feed updates every minute to show current data on where your state’s electricity is coming from. 

Whilst the eastern states use a lot of brown and black coal, in South Australia life is different. We use gas (Red) and wind (Green) to generate electricity at night, and we add small (Gold) and large (Orange) solar power during the day. 

Unless you have solar panels and a solar battery and never receive an electricity bill, you will always use some gas. If you never receive a bill, then you are using clean fuel.

Natural gas is not evil, but converting it to electricity results in a 56% energy loss. Burning extra gas for electrical power when it can be avoided is wasteful.

Is natural gas a clean fuel?

Natural gas is a relatively clean burning fossil fuel. When producing energy, natural gas is cleaner than coal, with far fewer emissions of CO2 and air pollutants.

Your pick for the winner?

1. Cost-wise:

To Buy: The Daikin Split System is cheapest at around $4500 vs the Archer Gas Log Fire at approx. $7000

Running Costs: The Gas Log fire keeps you warmer for less, at $238.56 less per year than the Daikin Split System.

(Please note that these running costs assume that the heater in question (Gas or Split) is running for 7 hours a day. We assumed 7 hours of heater use per day for calculations, despite some using it for less time.)

Overall Cost:    Over 20 years of ownership, the figures come out:

Daikin Split System: $24,010.40

Archer Gas Log Fire: $21,739.20

Don’t forget, these figures don’t consider any maintenance or increase in energy tariffs, but they’ll give you a fairly good estimate. The Split System can last up to 20 years but may require replacement sooner. The Gas Heater, however, should be fine for this period.

2. Efficiency

• With a 5.9 Star Rating, the Gas Heater is the winner in South Australia. It only uses 20mj/h to heat 100 square metres.
• If you’re in South Australia, the Daikin Split System won’t be very effective since it only has a 2 Star Heating Efficiency rating. The 6kw output gets less in cold weather, costing you more money to run.

3. Other Benefits

• To my mind (and this is a personal point) the decorative value of the Archer Gas Log Fire, along with the radiant heat, gives it extra value. It becomes the focal point of the room. Whereas Split systems, including the Daikin, blend in at the top of the wall, rather than be decorative.
• Of course, decorative is good, but heatless decor is not acceptable! Luckily the Archer’s handling the Heat Situation!
• The Gas Heater delivers instant warmth, whilst the Split System takes a long time to heat up the space because of it’s placement in the room.  Although we all know that hot air rises, split systems are installed high for heating because cool air falls. They are a cooler, after all. This means that the entire ceiling of the room needs to get warm before you can.

Summing up: Gas Heating vs Split System AC?

It’s nearly five as I write this and I see on the widget that South Australia is using a lot of gas to make electricity for the state. You don’t need a split system when you’ve got a gas log fire – it’s cost-effective, fuel-efficient, and super cosy.