[Phil & Ali Smith]

Does anyone in South Island have heating system, or maybe a rayburn or aga? Do you use oil, electric, bottled gas ? We're trying to decide which fuel would be the most efficient/economic for an aga.
We've got the chance to buy a secondhand/reconditioned one to put in the container.

I've cooked on a (natural gas) aga for most of the last 20 years, and really love it. I know NZ is probably a little warmer than UK, but I'm sure it would still be lovely to wake up to the warmth on those winter mornings.

Any thoughts/suggestions on fuel type, most welcome....

Ali

[Moorf]

I reckon wood would be the way to go here but not sure on what the rules are if you're looking at living in a town/city (with regard to stopping it down etc). New woodburning installations have to be made so that they can't be stopped down at night. An Aga would be a lovely addition to a South Island home - they're expensive here so bringing one is brilliant.. but I'd have thought they would be expensive to run on bottled gas? If you're out in the sticks then you'll find the rules on using solid fuel are less stringent and you can still install and use wood-burning appliances and open fires. We've got a coal stove and it's soooo cheap to run (coal Aga?) that I'd hate to have to get rid of it :(

If you email Jo Seagar's cafe in Oxford (New Zealand) she has a huge Aga there that she teaches people to use (cost around $50,000 I believe and it's the size of a small family car), but I also believe she or her husband deals with Aga's and Rayburns here in NZ.... they may be able to offer advice on the regulations surrounding them.

Their cafe website - http://www.seagarsatoxford.com/ bound to be an email contact on there somewhere.

[Phil & Ali Smith]

Thanks for the link Moorf. :nice1 I wasn't sure whether you could get an aga in NZ, or if there was a distributor. On a google search, not a lot comes up!

From talking to people here, they have suggested that oil may be the way to go.
Do you know anyone using oil to heat their home. I saw a home for sale on trademe that had a diesel fire with wetback. Never heard anyone in UK using diesel at home, but maybe they mean gas-oil.

If anyone is in the heating business perhaps they could clarify? Is there a difference ?