If I was building in Melbourne, I think I'd be looking at heating coils in the slab. Definitely not worth it for Sydney.
As for a/c, I don't think evaporative is…

Yeah, there are various fireplace and heating showrooms around. Now that we're into winter, I should have better luck.

And yet many disagree. That's why I need to see one in action, so I can decide.
If/when I do, I'll let you know how it turns out.

We don't need heating, just looking at a fireplace for the looks.
We've considered wood, gas and electric. In the end, electric came up best on air quality, maintenance, cost (assuming…

I didn't find any electric fireplaces with radiant heat, only built-in space heaters. However, flat infrared heating panels look promising.
At this point I'm thinking Dimplex Optimyst for the look, and…

I wonder whether I could revive this thread, given various technologies may have advanced in four years, and costs may have changed.
We're building to the SW of Sydney. A big…

Will check it out, thanks.

That's what I'm wondering, do you actually get the radiator effect, or are they just a visual illusion?
Most of the time they'd just be there for the look, whether on…

We've just decided to build a fairly large single-storey house to the (pretty far) southwest of Sydney. Putting in ducted reverse cycle a/c, but also a couple of fireplaces, basically…

Just a note/question. I recently lived in an apartment which had what I now recognise was a multi-head system. I forget the brand. It was a smallish apartment, with interior…