What shapes an install in Melbourne
New homes are all electric
The Victorian Government says all new homes will be built all electric from 1 January 2027. If your build falls after that date, plan an electric system from the first drawings, and confirm current rules with your builder.
Quiet hours apply
EPA Victoria's residential noise rules list hot water systems and heat pumps with other home heating equipment. During set hours, they mustn't be heard in a habitable room of anyone else's home.
Apartments are their own case
At the 2021 Census, 15.6% of Greater Melbourne's occupied homes were flats or apartments. Consumer Affairs Victoria calls centralised building systems common in apartments, and its rental hot water standard exempts them.
A licensed sign-off
Victorian plumbers are registered or licensed for each class of work, and only a licensed plumber can issue a compliance certificate. Ask who will sign your installation off.
Picking the spot on a Melbourne block
Start at the fence line. Under Regulation 114 of the Environment Protection Regulations 2021, the prohibited times for this equipment are weekdays before 7 am and after 10 pm, and weekends and public holidays before 9 am and after 10 pm. Noise in those hours is unreasonable if someone in a habitable room of another home can hear it.
The EPA's definition helps with the layout. Kitchens, pantries, bathrooms, toilets, laundries and storage areas aren't habitable rooms, so a wall that faces next door's laundry is a safer choice than one facing their bedroom. Complaints go to your local council, which investigates residential noise.
Then plan the pipes. A spot near the bathrooms shortens the wait at the tap, and the plumber needs room to reach the valves later. The general steps are on our hot water installation page.
Four kinds of Melbourne install
| What to plan for | What catches people out | |
|---|---|---|
| New home | An electric system if the home is built from 1 January 2027. | Leaving the hot water position until the frame is up. |
| Extension or second system | Where the new bathroom sits in relation to the existing unit. | A long hot run, or a new unit beside a neighbour's bedroom. |
| Moving a unit during a renovation | New pipework, plus power or gas at the new spot. The Government says gas systems can be temporarily removed and reinstalled during renovations. | Assuming a gas unit can be swapped like for like once it fails from 1 March 2027. Check current rules. |
| A rental you own | From 1 March 2027, a system that permanently fails and can't be repaired must be replaced with an efficient heat pump or an electric-boosted solar water heater. | Exemptions exist, including heritage or owners corporation limits and too little space. |
Before you book an installer
- Work out whether your home will be finished before or after 1 January 2027.
- Mark two possible spots, and note which of the neighbours' rooms face each one.
- Ask your electrician early about the circuit an electric or heat pump unit will need.
- If it's a heat pump or solar unit, check the model is on the Clean Energy Regulator's register for STCs.
- Look at the Victorian rebates page: Solar Homes is for owner-occupiers of an existing property.
Questions for the installer
- Which of my spots keeps the unit out of earshot of next door's bedrooms?
- Can it be set so it isn't running before 7 am or after 10 pm?
- Are you licensed for this class of work, and will you issue the compliance certificate?
- Where will the relief valve and any condensate drain discharge?
What we would do
Decide where the system goes before you decide which system. In Melbourne that means looking over the fence as well as at the pipe runs, because a heat pump outside a neighbour's bedroom is a complaint waiting to happen. If you're building, assume all electric from 1 January 2027 and check current rules. Then bring in a plumber whose main work is hot water installation while the pipes can still go anywhere. We can match you with one.