pcmay10

hi again,thinking of bringing a complete central heating system over(new),i can fit it,when we move,any ideas as to wether good or bad idea,thanks

fairburnings

Bringing your own central heating system and fitting it yourself is a great idea. Central heating here is unusual and Kiwi builders query the need for it, and are not used to fitting it.

It is expensive here. We have been quoted $25,000 or $30,000 or $32,000 for a 250 square metre 3 bed room house using an air source heat pump to power hot water radiators.

SLH

don't bother with the valves....as NZ copper is slightly different in size (and eye-wateringly expensive).. a good website is www.waterware.co.nz....for you to compare prices. It will also depend where you are as to whether you will use LPG or natural. I used the pexal system for piping and armaflexed it....I would highly recommend it (think of it as an investment) and as you will be new here (NZ) and open to suggestion, don't listen to anyone who tells you that heat pumps/log burners/oil or panel heaters are the business...(they are for heating spaces....not rooms/houses)...hope this helps

Stormer999

Wet back system is what I think they call it here. I fitted a complete combi system to my last house in the UK so simple and would have a use over here but what fuel?

selondon

OK. firstly, piped gas hare is pretty rare, so you would have to make sure you were buying a place in an area that had it. You wouldn't want to run an electric c/heating system as it would ruin you financialy. The only workable c/heating system i've seen here is run from a wood fed aga.

Genesis

7 years ago got a big house with 16 rads and a euro boiler all retro fitted for a shade over $9k. Go to www.savonna.co.nz

concretepump

in the bay of plenty, bay heating are doing a deal gas boiler and six radiators fully installed for $12,999 0800-229432

Justcol

boiler and fittings might not be suitable for nz gas supply, may also not meet nz appliance standards
so you could end up with an expensive pile of scrap in your garden.

Personally i think its the daftest idea i've heard on here. this is nz, its hot and warm
for 9 months of the year and there are good alternatives

Woodlea

Hear, hear, a waste of money and very expensive to run. Even here in Canterbury central heating would be nice for maybe 4 months of the year the rest of the time it would just be a waste of space. Heat pumps are cheap to install and run and are efficient as long as you have a well insulated modern house. Plus they will cool you down in summer

Jan n Neil

For an example, we have 330 sq m house (though some is garage) and we have two heat pumps, a log burner and one storage heater. We rarely run the log burner but it heats the whole house if we do. Once you get here, you are bound to find "cheap" sources of wood - we have, from a mate who sells it as a sideline.

We do live rural and log burners are allowed here the're not allowed everywhere.

I also know Brits who have installed NZ central heating and wouldn't be without it. But I think the payback for us, after considering installation costs, would not be worth it.

NZ building consent is riddled with regulation and I think that bringing an overseas system may indeed leave you with a pile of scrap.

Jan

theghostofdustybin

sort the house insulation out before you worry about how to heat it...

Persephone

I agree, it makes a big difference.
We haven't needed to use the heating yet this year. We have a gas fire in the living room and a heat pump in the dining/kitchen which we never use. The heatpump, not the kitchen! We only need to use the gas fire for 3-4 months of the year.
An extra blanket on the bed, a good excuse to snuggle into Mr S and the bedroom is fine during winter

kenpom

We had central heating in our house in Dunedin and we had it powered by gas via a Rinnai commercial external wall mounted boiler. We had our hot water separately on a Rheem.
I think it cost about 9 grand for the central heatng circa 2007/8.
The heating was fab BUT it cost a packet to run and drank gas bottles in the winter (45Kg) at an alarming rate
The hot water via the Rheem was fantastic

If I was doing it again I would go for wood and a back boiler

pcmay10

thanks again folks,will not bother with plan A...

sparkie down under

I'm a bit late on this one, but isn't Bevs better half a plumber (?) I'm sure he can advise better than any of us here. But from what I see plumbers here have the home owner doing own work bit sewn up, so you would find it hard to do a self install.

Me I'd have central heating at the drop of a hat but I'd choose to run it from a woodburner. I know of another ex-pat who installed a gas run system and within a year it was on trademe for a fraction of the cost. She was going through a 80Kg bottle of gas a week!