Clare Everest

Ok.. It's getting cold

I am being too lazy to bother with the coonara!!
The options availiable to me are
1) LPG Heaters
2) Reverse cycle air conditioners plus NoBo heaters
3) LPG Hydronic Heating
3) Off peak storage heating - any help on this would be great!!!!!

does anybody have any experience with these and the approx running costs?

Thanks

rudo1ph

I looked into this quite a lot after having spent 2 months freezing when we first moved into our house!!!

My initial thought was that storage heaters would be fab - they are cheap to run etc. However, they are very expensive to buy and not very popular.

We don't have gas here - I could have gone for bottled gas and had gas heaters, but that would only really have sorted out the downstairs. Besides, I have 3 young children and did not want gas fires. Don't know about the Hydronic heating you mentioned.

In the end we went for a reverse cycle ducted system. I have only decided to have it fed down to two of the downstairs rooms and all the bedrooms (got those heat globes in the bathrooms).....did not want to start taking corners off the bedrooms to drop the ducts downstairs. I can happily say that I no longer have to shivver when I get up in the morning!!! It is very efficient at heating the house. However, it was expensive to have installed and I should imagine it will be expensive to run - but hey - I want to be warm!!! What is the NoBo thing you mentioned??!!!

If you want to PM me for some more info then please do - there's all sorts of stuff about sizing of systems that I looked into - it is important not to undersize you system - some installers do this to make their quote seem cheaper when infact it will not do the job.

ABCDiamond

When we were in NSW, I tried a Gas fire, but it didn't work that well. To much heat close up to the fire, but not enough spread around the house.

In the next house we had Reverse cycle air conditioners, 2 of them, 1 at each end of the house, and they worked very well keeping most of the areas warm. Our Electric bills in this house averaged $175 -$350 per quarter, so I would estimate about $50-$75 per month on heating ?

Up here in QLD we just have one small Reverse cycle air conditioner upstairs to keep the bedrooms warm, that seemed sufficient last winter. Haven't needed it yet we've only just turned off the ceiling fans !

Off peak storage we used to have in the UK, but I never liked it then, maybe it is better these days ?

bondipom

I try insisting to the wife that gas central heating in bed is all we need and that we should have curry and eggs for dinner. Still haven't convinced her and I wonder why.

wombat42

Many People in the UK think its hot every day in Australia but if you are going to be living in Victoria, Tasmania or NSW, the winters can be just as cold as the Uk and you need heating.

ABCDiamond

Absolutely. Daytime temperatures can vary between -0 and 30, on the same day, depending where you are.

It even gets cold in QLD !
They sell electric heaters up here too

jayr

He He. Hydronic heating is what you would have had in the UK. i.e wall mounted radiators with hot water running through them.

rudo1ph

Duh!!! Thank you!!! OOOO I do miss my radiators!!!! Where am I going to dry my washing this winter

bondipom

The jumper went on last night. I guess I will get used to it. Nice and sunny now though.

hevs

Yeah, but they cost more. I got a rough quote of a thousand bucks PER rad

My coonaras been on for a week now

rudo1ph

This is a whole new language!!! What's a coonara??!!!!!

And what about the NoBo's from the original post!!!

jayr

Ok, i might know what hydronic heating is but what is a coonara?

rudo1ph

This is a whole new language!!! What's a coonara??!!!!!

And what about the NoBo's from the original post!!!

EDIT!!! Glad I'm not the only ignoramous around here

rudo1ph

This is a whole new language!!! What's a coonara??!!!!!

And what about the NoBo's from the original post!!!

hevs

Its THE generic wood burning stove. It also has a fan that blows the heat around madley