Central Heating

Everyone loves traditions. They can signify a belief or behaviour with its roots steeped in history of years or people long gone but not forgotten. Unfortunately, one such tradition in New Zealand is leaving around 95% of our population living in cold, draughty homes and suffering from a slew of health related problems. What tradition is this? The one of viewing household heating as a luxury and only heating one room at a time.

If you have grown up in New Zealand or in fact, spent any decent length of time in a New Zealand home built in the 80’s or earlier you will have experienced being indoors with all doors and windows closed in the middle of winter and still feeling a draught around your ankles or shivering as everyone huddles around a heater.

Kiwis are a strong resilient people but sometimes traditions need to be broken. No longer do we have to sit huddled in the lounge everyone trying to get a portion of the heat from a single heat source – be it an open fire, a gas heater or an oil fin heater.

Central heating has long been established in Europe and Canada as being the best form of home heating. Because people and governments have seen the positive impact of having people live in warm, insulated homes the cost of installing central heating has reduced dramatically in these colder climates and it is a given that a home will provide an ambient all year round temperature.

New Zealand on the other hand often has a misconception about it that our temperatures are sub-tropical and we don’t have a need for central heating. The truth is though, that still a large proportion of our homes are not air tight and still remain with poor and inadequate insulation.

We can no longer rely on chopping the nearest tree down to provide fuel for a winter fire as many cities and regions in New Zealand have either phased out open fire places or are in the process of doing so.

What seems to be missing from the New Zealand market is a central heating system that is affordable for the average homeowner, and that is specifically designed with New Zealand’s temperatures and families in mind.

The reality currently faced by many who would like to have central heating in their homes is that they simply cannot afford the $8000 and $15,000 it requires for a central heating system to be purchased and installed to heat their homes.

Central heating has the ability to provide heating throughout your entire home. It is not limited to just heating one area. Because all central heating systems come with a thermostat and a timer the control and convenience is all yours. You can set the system to turn on at set times and to turn off or reduce its use when the family is outside the home following other pursuits like work, school or recreation. Many central heating systems now come with zone control which allows you to control the ambient temperature for certain parts of your home.

What is gaining popularity within New Zealand is the installation of heat pumps. Unless temperatures drop below zero (which can happen but not very often) heat pumps are an energy efficient and economically viable option to keeping your home warm and your family healthy.

If you are worried about your families health and comfort for this coming winter – give one of our consultants at Central Heating a call today. We can arrange a site visit to your home and discuss the options available for your home and area and explain how our products can let your family enjoy winter again in your home. If health issues are paramount in your family – perhaps asthma is a winter nightmare for you or your children then do not hesitate to make contact. With a range of systems and a wealth of experience behind our knowledge Central Heating can custom design a home heating package for you that will fit your budget and your lifestyle.

Summer was more than a tad strange this year! While there were places in New Zealand that basked in the long drawn out hot days of a traditional summer, most of us were left wondering if it would ever truly arrive, and when it did show up for 2 or 3 days at a time, just how long it was going to stay around.

The days are certainly starting to cool off and with the change of Daylight Savings just around the corner, winter is apparent.

Assuming winter won’t come with the same nonchalance that summer did, winter in New Zealand is long, cold, and most definitely wet!

Is your home up to the task of keeping your family warm and healthy during this bleak season? Not only is warmth necessary for a happy family but many places in New Zealand suffer from dampness and the associated growth of mould and mildew.

The beginning of autumn, which is where we currently are, is a great time to consider how you are going to heat your home this winter and by what means. Growing up, we used to all huddle around a single heater that was based in the lounge, or if we were lucky mum or dad would start and then stoke the open fire so that the whole home would feel warm (unless you were one of the unlucky ones with their bedroom at the back of the house!).

In 2017 your heating options are many and varied.  Central heating is becoming more and more popular as a way of keeping your home warm and dry, therefore damp free. It is no longer something only considered by the rich and famous.

Central heating systems warm every room evenly so that the four-seasons-in-one-day weather stays outside, not inside. If you’re looking for a clean, efficient heating system with reasonable running costs, central heating is your answer.

Central heating can be achieved in a number of ways. We can provide you gas, diesel, heat pumps, radiator heating and underfloor heating options.

No matter the size of your home, big or small, or the size of your budget, we can get your home feeling roasty-toasty before winter.

Just imagine coming home from a day out and about to a home that is temperate. No longer do you need to keep extra layers and thick socks and slippers on. You can pad about your home in ultimate comfort.

Don’t let winter 2017 creep up and take you by surprise. Be like a boy scout and be prepared! If you have dismissed central heating before, maybe 2017 is the year you investigate it properly and make comfort a way of life for you and your family.

You suddenly feel the cold snip one morning and decide.. “I want central heating”. Next thing you do is go to your preferred search engine and start searching for a central heating installer or supplier.

The results are overwhelming and most likely not what you were actually looking for.

In principal searching the term “Central Heating” is a good idea, the only problem though, is that not many companies actually specialise in all forms of central heating.

So let’s try to clarify what’s what and differentiate some of these systems readily available in New Zealand.

The term Central Heating itself is a noun and in general refers to one system that is designed to heat a whole house or building. So to clarify, a heat pump or air conditioning unit is not a central heating system because such units are only designed to heat the room or space they are actually installed in.

To classify as a central heating system all areas need to be heated by the same heat source.

So what types of central heating systems is there in New Zealand?

Auckland being the largest city in New Zealand, offers the largest selection of central heating.

Some of which include:

• Ducted Central Heating systems, these systems transfer heat by mass motion of air via a ducting system.
  Available heat sources included: Gas powered and electrical. Ducted Central Heating can be retrofitted into most existing homes.
• Electric Underfloor Heating, (also called under-tile heating) is typically installed in smaller areas such as bathrooms or kitchens. Low profile pre-formed cable mats or cables can be installed under tiles, carpets or wood. In most cases electric underfloor heating is not a desirable total home heating solution due to electrical running costs.
• Hydronic Underfloor Heating, is strongly recommended when building new. The cost to install the pipework into the concrete slab is a fraction of the ROI. These systems can be powered with gas boilers, heatpumps, solar, electricity, wood or thermal energy. Pex pipe is installed above the building mesh (in some cases below) before the concrete is laid. The energy source will heat water which will then circulate in the pipe generating radiant central heating energy. This system will maintain an even spread of heat throughout the home without drafts and is easy to control and manage. Underfloor heating systems are low temperature systems.
• Hydronic Radiator Heating, works the same way as underfloor heating with the difference that you have good looking radiators on the wall (typically positioned under windows) instead of pipes in the concrete slab. A Radiator may vary from steel to slick aluminium and comes in many sizes to suit any situation. Radiator heating can be retro-fitted into existing homes and is currently the most popular form of heating in the Auckland areas due its low installation and running costs. Radiator hydronic heating is the most popular form of heating in Europe and the UK.
  Radiator systems are high temperature systems and cannot be run with heat pumps.

Selecting the one of above systems will fully depend on whether you are building new or not, your circumstances, expectations, site conditions and availability of energy sources. This could be Gas, diesel, wood, solar, wetback or even thermal energy.

Why not speak to the professionals about a key turn solution tailored to your needs.

These days there are many heating systems available which you can choose from to heat your home. Among these is the central heating system.

Firstly, what is a central heating system? Central heating systems are system which typically use hot air, gas or electricity to provide heat to multiple rooms within a building, such as a home or office. Systems such as heat pumps or passive heat (such as solar radiation) can also be used.

What are the benefits of a central heating system? Central heating systems provide many benefits to a living space including:

• Highly efficient heat supply
• Low cost
• Rooms can have individual thermostat control
• One heating unit can be used instead of multiple in separate rooms
• The gas, oil or solid fuel being consumed is removed from the heated space (creating a safer environment)

Central heating systems are incredibly efficient heating systems which can heat your home at very low cost. Talk to us today about a central heating system for your home.