by Jemma Pearson Solve your heating and cooling problems in one hit, by careful planning in and around the home.

An air-conditioner works like a fridge in that a fan draws in hot air from inside the home and forces it over a refrigerant, which cools the air. This cooled air is then pushed back into the home, cooling the rooms. The warmed refrigerant evaporates into a compressor, and the heat exchanger outside your home lets the heat escape outside while the refrigerant is cooled and becomes liquid again. A reverse-cycle air-conditioner reverses the process to warm the room in winter.

When heading off to the air-conditioning retailer, take in a floor plan of your home, noting the size of the rooms and the ceiling heights, and the direction the rooms face. You’ll need to know how much insulation your home has in the walls and ceilings and what the building is made off, such as brick, concrete or weatherboard. And you’ll be asked which rooms you want the units to sit in and what the rooms are use for.

As well as the initial outlay of purchasing and installing the air-con, you’ll need to factor in the running costs. These will depend on the type and size of the system you have, how energy efficient it is, how often and for how long you have the air-con on and what temperature you set it at (keep it around 24 degrees in summer and 20 degrees in winter to make it cost effective). Your home’s construction is also important – how the home is built and what it is built from will dictate how well it retains the cooled air in summer.

Before outlaying any cash, take a look at your home and consider how you can make it more energy efficient. Insulating the ceiling and walls and sealing up draughty windows and doors will make a huge difference. Even if you decide to install a ducted air-con, fixing these elements will help reduce your reliance on the electrical system. Shading your windows will keep the heat out during summer and in during cold snaps. When running your air-con, close all external windows and doors and if you are expecting a hot day, turn on your air-con early – it is much easier for the unit to keep cool air cool rather than trying to cool an already hot interior.

If you are really serious about heating and cooling without the need for a reverse-cycle air-conditioner, it’s imperative to consider the elements of energy-efficient home design. An energy-efficient home starts in the design phase. Its orientation and how it sits on the site is important to maximise cooling breezes, to avoid harsh sun in summer and absorb the warming winter sun. Get a home’s thermal mass and insulation right, and you will be on your way to having a greener building. Getting the internal layout right is also crucial – if the living areas face north they will capture the winter sun. An open-plan layout will allow light and the circulation of air.

Your home's construction is also important - how the home is built and what it is built from will dictate how well it retains the cooled air in summer

Outside, effective landscaping not only provides a pleasant outdoor space, but also impacts the home’s efficiency. The correct layout of shrubs and trees will redirect breezes and control the amount of sun hitting doors and windows. Breezes entering the property will be cooler if they have passed through yards that have shade, pools and plants.

Living in such a warm climate, we often focus our efforts on creating cooler homes and forget about the fact that in winter, even on the Sunshine Coast, our living spaces need to be warmed. Effective cooling and heating options for the home work together – insulation, orientation, effective landscaping and ventilation make your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Even if you do decide to invest in reverse-cycle air-conditioning, the goal is to use it as little as possible.