Its so cold .... indoors!

kiwidebs · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 1:46 am Post subject:

Just having a chuckle at all you British folks!! I grew up in the South Island (of NZ, of course) and remember having only one room in the house heated (by open fire!! Eek

) and getting dressed under the blankets in bed cos it was too cold to get up in pj's!! You all don't know how lucky you are with central heating! Along with the shopping it is one of the things I will really miss when we head back down under.
I feel I have been spoilt after 7 years of GCH!! Wink

Debs

Timbo · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 1:53 am Post subject:

I reckon on balance, I would rather be cold in NZ than spoilt in uk.

kiwidebs · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 1:57 am Post subject:

Well put and definately Me too!!

Macs Gold · Posted: Sun Jul 18, 2004 2:19 pm Post subject:

There was an interesting article in the Press last week about the difference in heating solutions between Britain and NZ. Basically it came down to North Sea gas becoming dead cheap about 20-30 years ago, and the British government took the opportunity to push the benefits of central heating (with plenty of funding and VAT exemptions etc). Even now, North Sea gas is a lot cheaper than any comparable fuel in NZ.

But things are looking up, the NZ Govt is doing a bit now to push better insulation, (it has been compulsory in new houses for a while) and there is a bit of money available for insulating old houses.

And more kiwis are starting to think of heating/insulation as being something worth spending money on.

I would recommend if you are buying an older house (which I for one am a fan of), then put some money in the budget for the following big three factors in order to make a healthy home. This is especially the case in the South Island.

The big three are:
- heating
- insulation
- ventilation

And if anyone is interested for each of the above we have selected the following solutions after much research:

heating - http://www.daikin.co.nz/
insulation - http://www.woolbloc.com/
ventilation - http://www.moisturemaster.co.nz

OK - these are probably more expensive than alternative suppliers, but they do show the technology now available.

We now have a warm, dry home.

bigshotla · I'll Hang Around A Little Joined: 17 Nov 2003 Posts: 16

This has been an interesting and eye opening discussion! I had no idea NZ houses were so cold and damp. I remember being in England years ago and missing my Canadian forced air heating desperately.

Our house now in the Los Angeles San Fernando Valley was built in 1940, and until we moved in last year no one had ever put in insulation or heating/cooling. Maybe we're softies, but it was English-style cold and damp in the winter (ahh - that bitter snappy smell of electrical heat in the bathroom), then stiflingly hot in the summer. Needless to say, first came insualtion, then double glazed wood clad windows, then a forced air central heat/cool system. Ahhhhh. Bliss.

So - my point is, maybe it's just evolutionary? Why live in an uncomfortable house if you can change it? We're all getting a little more spoiled and realize some luxuries are worth their weight in credit. You buy a house for $250,000 - what's another $20,000? It is your largest investment, after all, and the place you spend the majority of your time in. I know for us (and this is relative b/c of the ridiculous S. california housing market), every $1 we spent on efficiency improvements will be returned at $1.50 minumum. As long as its technologically possible - I recommend doing it. Quality of life just climbs into the stratosphere.

Q: because there's no gas pipeline in the South Island, does that mean no forced air? Does Central air in England mean something different? I'm thinking that if you had forced air, you might not need radiators + dehumidifiers, no?

So interesting - I loved someone's point about the "green" rep of NZ yet the reliance on wood and fossil fuels....

Liz

nisse · I'll Hang Around A Little Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 31