Perth has a famous ally on hot days. Your Home, an Australian Government guide to designing homes, explains that a sea breeze forms when the day’s heat warms the land and the warmed air rises, pulling cooler air in off the ocean, and it names “the famous ‘Fremantle Doctor’” as an example. This site is built around that daily clock. Each guide sits at an hour on the dial; the hours are a way to find the guides, not a forecast of when the breeze arrives.
Six guides, read around the clock
Each guide is an hour on the dial. Start with whichever question is in front of you.
- 06:00Licences for air conditioning work in Western Australia
Who may do the electrical and refrigerant work on a WA system, and how to check.
- 10:00Western Australia’s climate zones and cooling
Exmouth to Albany: what each of WA’s building climate zones asks of cooling.
- 14:00Heat and health in Western Australia
What WA Health says about heatwaves, alerts, and when to call triple zero.
- 16:00The Fremantle Doctor and cooling your home
Letting the Fremantle Doctor through the house, and closing up again.
- 19:00Evaporative cooling in Western Australia’s climate
When an evaporative cooler suits a WA home, and what it asks in return.
- 22:00WA energy rebates and air conditioning
WA’s running-cost rebate and other energy help, as at October 2026.
Four things to know first
Two kinds of licence
In WA, all electrical work must be done by someone holding the relevant electrical licence. Handling refrigerant is a separate, national matter: the National Environmental Protection Agency says “only licensed technicians can handle refrigerants.”
Perth is zone 5
Your Home places Perth in climate zone 5, warm temperate, on WA’s coastal strip with Geraldton and Bunbury. Albany sits in zone 6, and the tropical zone 1 begins at Exmouth.
The rebate is for running costs
WA’s Air Conditioning Rebate helps eligible households in very hot areas, which the scheme calls areas of high heat discomfort, with what it costs to run an air conditioner. It is not money off a new unit.
In a heatwave, triple zero first
HealthyWA’s advice: if you have severe symptoms, always call triple zero (000) for an ambulance in a medical emergency.
Questions worth putting to an installer
A few questions follow straight from WA’s rules, and the guides explain the reasoning behind them.
- Which licence covers the electrical side of the job? WA’s restricted licence for refrigeration and air-conditioning mechanics does not authorise installing or altering fixed wiring.
- Do you hold a refrigerant handling licence? The Australian Refrigeration Council’s consumer site suggests asking to see it before work begins.
- Will I receive an electrical safety certificate? WA says that for electrical work other than maintenance and like-for-like replacement, an electrical contractor must give you one within 28 days.
- Does this type of system suit my climate zone and my house? Your Home says “the best heating and cooling system is one that suits your climate, the size of your home, and your lifestyle.”
When you are ready to choose, Your Home notes that installing an air conditioner is a job for a technician with a refrigerant handling licence, who can also advise on the right size for your rooms. A licensed installer who has seen your home is the person to ask.