Why the heat collects up high
A wall-hung split sits near the ceiling, and warm air leaving it is lighter than the air in the room. Unless something pushes it down, it stays up there, leaving a warm band above head height and a cool floor. High or raked ceilings make it worse, and so do draughts. In older brick veneer homes around Altona, Williamstown and Footscray, cold air creeping under doors and through gaps in timber floors pools right where your feet are.
There's a second effect. Many units measure the room temperature at the air intake on top of the indoor unit, where the air is warmest. The unit thinks the room has reached the set temperature, slows down, and the floor never catches up. Some models let the remote sense the temperature where you sit instead; your manual will say if yours can.
Settings that bring the heat down
In heat mode, set the louvres to point down towards the floor, or to the automatic setting, rather than straight out. Run the fan on auto or high while the room warms up. Quiet and low fan speeds are pleasant, but they don't have the push to get warm air down to the floor on the far side of the room.
Pick a sensible set point and leave it there rather than turning it right up. The Victorian Government suggests 18°C to 20°C for heating living areas and says each degree beyond that adds around 10% to running costs. Clean dusty filters too, because a clogged filter cuts airflow and heating performance.
Ceiling fans on winter mode
A ceiling fan set to reverse on its lowest speed eases the warm layer at the ceiling back down the walls without making a breeze. It helps most in rooms with higher ceilings. On most DC fans, reverse is a button on the remote or wall controller. Older AC fans often have a small switch on the motor housing, used only with the fan switched off and stopped.
When a floor console suits the room better
A floor console is a reverse-cycle split with its indoor unit low on the wall. It releases warm air near the floor and lets it rise through the room, so it suits rooms where heating is the priority, rooms with tall ceilings and walls with no good spot up high. Sized properly, it cools well in summer too. If a wall unit is simply too small for the room, no setting will fix that, and a larger unit or a second one is the honest answer.
What you can safely do now
- Set the louvres to point down, or to auto, in heat mode.
- Run the fan on auto or high until the room is warm.
- Clean the indoor unit's filters if they look dusty.
- Close doors to unused rooms and block draughts under external doors.
Services that can help
Read more in our guides
Related questions
- Is it safe to leave the heating on overnight?It depends on the heater.
- Why does my heater smell when I turn it on for the first time in winter?A dusty, slightly burnt smell on the first run of the season is usually dust burning off the heat exchanger, coil or element, and it fades.
- My rental has no fixed heater in the living area. Is that allowed?No.
- What happens if the heater in my rental breaks after March 2027?If it can be repaired, it's repaired as an urgent repair, as it is now.
Sources for this answer
2 sources, with the date each was checked
- 1.Solar Victoria (updated 20 November 2025): To heat a room, try setting the temperature between 18°C to 20°C. Every 1°C higher will add around 10% to your heating bill. Set your air conditioner thermostat for cooling between 24°C and 26°C for living areas – every… Accessed 30 September 2026.
- 2.Energy Rating (GEMS Regulator / DCCEEW): Dirty filters significantly reduce the amount of airflow and the energy efficiency of the unit. It can also impact the effectiveness of its heating. Cleaning clogged filters, or replacing a worn one, can lower the… Accessed 30 September 2026.
General information for homes in Victoria. Every installation is different, so treat this as a starting point. Where this answer refers to Victorian safety or rental rules, the sources above have the current requirements.