[nickydwuk]

When we move over we are contemplating getting central heating put into our chosen house. We are softies from the UK after all :o

Has anyone else had this done? Are the workmen in NZ reliable and what is it likely to cost? :)

[willsken]

We looked into it and the system that was suggested would cost about $10,000 -$12,000. It wasn't central heating as we knew it from the UK, it was an air ducted system. (I’m pretty sure you can get the same as the UK but I’m sure most of the companies we looked at were in the South Island – OH looked into it so my info isn’t 100% I’m afraid) Wasn't worth the money for us in Hawke's Bay as the winters aren't cold enough or long enough. From living in a house with no insulation and now living in our house that is fully insulated I would say the insulation side of things is a lot more important.

We fired up our wood burner for the first time last night (newly installed) and the house was too hot. That's not to say there won't be times when we really need the heat, just it's a lot milder here most of the time. Where are you planning on settling? Makes a big difference as to what you need heating wise.

[Milliemoo]

I would say the insulation side of things is a lot more important.



Just what I was going to say. I'd have a budget for good insulation (not just the bare minimum) and possibly double glazing before thinking about any kind of heating system.

Depends where you live of course, but when we eventually buy (Auckland) I think once we've maxed out on the insulation and glazing, we'll probably just get a woodburner for the living area. That said, there's also damp to consider , so we've still got lots of research to do yet.

Milliemoo

[Nicola]

We had a quote done last year for gas central heating, the same type we had in the UK. It was going to be $9500 +. We decided against it as we only need it for about 3 - 4 months of the year. Yet the central heating unit would have to run all the time as it heats the water also. In the hot weather I really do not want to have a gas boiler heating the house as well.

We also considered a heat pump. But the one at work causes my contact lenses to dry out to much so gave up on that.

At the moment we have a log burner in the living room, and hot air ducted from the living room to the bedrooms when we need it. This is OK for most of the time, but we still have streaming windows and on some of the cold frosty mornings I would like a bit more heat. I have considered double glazing to get rid of the condensation, but this can move the condensation to other areas of the house. I would rather it was on the windows where I can see it.

A friend of mine, who lives in a high ceilinged old villa has installed lots of insulation in the walls, floor etc. She has a DVS system blowing air from the attic through the house to dry it out. The heating is one log burner and small fin oil heaters in each room. She reckons this is the most efficient for her home.

Hope this is some use, of course it all depends where you move to. I live in sunny Hawkes Bay, where it is usually quite warm. If I lived in Dunedin, I would have central heating straight away.

[willsken]

I got a couple of dehumidifiers as we also had a problem with condensation. Cured the problem totally.

[incredible hulse]

We had CH put in last year as we had a new baby and the internal temps were dropping to 10-12 degrees. We had various quotes for multiple standalone heatpumps, ducted heat pumps and ducted (ceiling vents) gas system. We discarded standalone heat pumps as we didn't want multiple outdoor units; ducted heat pumps would have been 12-15k so again discarded. We eventually went for the Brivis based system for the downstairs bedrooms and hall way which cost about 6800. If we had gone for the full house it would have been about 8500 (The house exc decking and garage ground floor is 289 sqm).
We've found the system good in that it heats the rooms quickly and we estimate it costs approx 100-120 dollars extra a month when on in the winter (2 hours morning and 3 hours evening) with the lounge gas fire used also (approx 1 hour evening). It is noisier than a typical UK bolier (sited in loft space) and the heat does not distribute as well as rads; the heat does disperse eventually but the room has hot spots initially. Our house is only 5 year old and very well insulated (floor, wall and ceiling) but the main loss of heat (and it does cool down very quickly) is through the windows.

We have just got a heat pump fitted down the other end of the house. This does the job OK but it does not heat adjoining rooms as well as we had hoped - despite being the biggest Fujitsu inverter. We have not had the electric bill in yet so cannot comment on running costs comparisons of the 2 systems but in retrospect I think we would have been better getting gas ducted throughout the whole house.

We also have underfloor heating in the bathrooms and hallway of the house but this hasn't been used since I got my first electric bill on moving in for 450 dollars for 18days of use ! ;)

[nickydwuk]

Where are you planning on settling? Makes a big difference as to what you need heating wise.

We are planning on settling in Dunedin area so I think heating is very important.

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

I would go for the insulation overload first, as this is a one-off cost and reduces the requirement for the power of the heating you might then subsequently decide to purchase on top.

You need to remember when adding insulation/double glazing to ensure there is proper ventilaton around any voids such as under the floor or the roof space otherwise the condensation gathers in there and rots your timbers over time.

From what I've gleaned in my two months here the most efficient way to heat your house is to have a ducted airflow system with a single heat source on one room (usually the loungs). The ducted system ensures airflow is happening throughout the property thus assisting with the elimination of condensation from inside and good ones have chiller units as well so act as air con cooling systems in the summer.

All of this costs cash of course, but personally I would start with insulating and work up from there depending on funds available.

I used to be an architectural technician before i got into IT so I know a bit about this sort of stuff (although it was a few years ago).

[katandbob]

We looked into it and the system that was suggested would cost about $10,000 -$12,000. It wasn't central heating as we knew it from the UK, it was an air ducted system. (I’m pretty sure you can get the same as the UK but I’m sure most of the companies we looked at were in the South Island – OH looked into it so my info isn’t 100% I’m afraid) Wasn't worth the money for us in Hawke's Bay as the winters aren't cold enough or long enough. From living in a house with no insulation and now living in our house that is fully insulated I would say the insulation side of things is a lot more important.

We fired up our wood burner for the first time last night (newly installed) and the house was too hot. That's not to say there won't be times when we really need the heat, just it's a lot milder here most of the time. Where are you planning on settling? Makes a big difference as to what you need heating wise.

we were quoted 12-15,000 for our 5 bed house, and even in the deep south it doesn't get that cold all the time - so its not worth that amount, and our wood burner heats everything eventually - it gets toasty hot near the woodburner - So we are getting a heat transfer kit - then it will be more even around the house....
Central heating in effect ( and I decided to bite the bullet and I cut a square out of the gib board in a closet - and found insulaton:nice1 )

[Super_BQ]

As most have found, installing central heating is expensive. Likewise as re-insulating the exterior walls (remove and refit drywall). Even worse, the end result may not be much better or you will pay heaps on the operating cost of the installed unit.

In a different post, I argued that NZ homes are simply not designed with the mind of having central heating. Even newly constructed homes rate very poorly in energy conservation compared to the N. American and Scandinavian constructed homes built 30 years ago. The use of materials are different, and more emphasis on building the house facing the sun (a greenhouse).

Condensation is only a problem when the house is not built air tight. The condensation should only form in the vapor barrier cavity between the inside wall and the outside wall. But NZ homes aren't built this way. Think of it as a hot water thermos or flask. It does a good job keeping the tea hot because it's air tight with no condensation.

An analogy would be growing vegetables naturally vs. hydroponically. One can simply plant the seed outside and spend the time weeding, watering, and spraying it vs. having the vegetable grown in a fully controlled environment. Hydroponics controls bugs, amount light and water, and the right amount of nutrients for optimal growth.

[Tattie]

I saw this system in use in Cyprus and it looked a very easy retro fit without all the hassle of large radiators. Its called Climaboard and its a fairly new system on the market. We spoke to one of the marketing directors as it's based in Cyprus and he said they had a similar system available in NZ but not so efficient. Franchise opportunity anyone?

http://www.technologymarketingmanagement.com/Index.asp?PageID=200

http://www.plumbingpark.co.uk/plumbing_hvac_article416.html

http://www.plumbingpark.co.uk/plumbing_hvac_article55.html.

check out the skirting heating link at the top of the page too. More info on it

[Super_BQ]

In Canada, we call those "baseboard heaters" and are a thing of the past. The biggest problem with heating along the walls is they're no good if you ie, want your bed against that side of the wall, or anything like a desk or shelving that has to be there.

I remember one winter on a college ski trip we stayed at a motel with baseboard heating. The cleanup lady was foolish enough to leave my guitar case against the wall and by afternoon when we arrived back, the whole side of the guitar case had almost melted through the case - lucky my guitar wasn't damaged.

At over 300 watts/meter, expect a very expensive power bill.