Hothouse

Hi all

Looking forward in time, i've been checking out some potential rental properties and it appears as though most just have a wood burner as a form of heating.

I've a chance of buying some good sized oiled filled rads in the UK, question is, apart from the plugs, are there any reasons why i shouldn't buy the rads in the UK.

cheers

lapsed kiwi

They're not exactly expensive here so unless you have room in the container that you're desperate to fill there's probably not much point - you might save $20 per radiator

Am Loolah

I'd buy here if I were you, try TradeMe.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Home-living...-201691127.htm

harrogate girl

Have to say Sold one home last year in a place called Burwood it had gas c/heating built by a brit and it cost the vendor just over $22000. dollars was run of LPG gas Heat pumps are the way to go and I understand you will soon be able to run c/heating from them.
Lin

BEVS

Yes. Wood burners are the norm here. More modern homes will mostly have heat pumps fitted & some older homes will also have heat pumps retro fitted..

There is no reason why you shouldn't buy the rads in the UK if that is what you want to do. Youi can buy all manner of room heater here in NZ too.

It's normal for a home which has just a wood burner in the living area to also be liberally sprinkled with oil filled rads in the bedrooms etc.

Rental properties come in all shapes and sizes and in all conditions. Many rental properties are basic to say the least but perfectly livable for a short period.

Have to say that the best way with a rental property is to actually check it over with your own eyes . Some rental properties have no form of integral heating at all.

Hothouse

Thanks for the replies and links. Probably save the space and wait to see whats available.

SarahB

We found oil filled rads expensive to run. Before we knew this our electricity bills were sky high!!

harrogate girl

YES we found that out!!!! and with under floor heating!!!!
Hope this will help you.

www.meridianenergy.co.nz Energy the cost savings start here (Thats NZ for you)

www.hometech.co.nz Tell you all you need to know on Heatpumps

www.centralheating.co.nz gives you lots of info

Hope this will help still unable to understand why with a log fire that has a wetback we have not come up with running a central heating at the same time???
Lin

jammybrit

Yes, I thought that with the addition of a pump, a wet back could supply hot water to radiators as well.
I recall the old Yorkshire Range my parents had.( bit like a poor man's Aga) It did every thing- 2 ovens at the side to cook in, a boiler behind to heat hot water- and a tiny little oven to warm Pa's slippers in! But oh the scorch marks you got on your legs from sitting too close to the open fire! Also every other room in the house was like Siberia! We used to make up fantastic stories from the fantastic artwork Jack Frost left on our windows.
Another drawback was that it could not be or was not used in summer. THE EMERSION heater came into its on.

Sorry to all you youngsters for harping on about the 'old' days- its just a point of reference for me- Paul the weatherman 'LOOK NORTH' has just forecast -5 for tonight. eeh thaat's naat to wen I wus a bairn! -12 many a night , 'n thaat wus in me bedroom, naa in me bed!

Yes , well back to todays problems associated with heating my house in NZ.
I like the idea of the Heat pump which acts as an air conditioner in summer.
I think excessive heat can be as uncomfortable as excessive cold.
The one thing I do not want is dampness for all the associated health problems, therefore Double glazing to cut out condensation will be a prerequisite. I'm aware that all new builds have to have DG but so many new builds are on 'estate' developments or small sections within subdivided older sections.
I'm not a fan of PVC DG even though I have some here in UK. Much prefer wood. I note many houses have aluminium joinery. How does this fair in salt ladened seaside climate?
What would be the average cost of replacing windows in a 4 bedroom single storey house?

I'm sure whatever we find, we will make homely and cosy and will overcome any problems one way or another. I just know we will be happier.
Certainly no colder!!!!

Daren't tell anyone in case it doesn't happen(because I've told someone????)
but Visa Officer says we should know this week!

My granddaughter is 2 today and she's lovely and beautiful just like her grandmama!
jennie

jennifer45

To anyone who is confused at the re-appearance of my pseudo name- Jammybrit ONLY CREATED OUT OF NECESSITY WHEN I HAD 'FORGOTTEN' MY PASSWORD I was welcomed to the forum tonight as Jammy again.
I looked but I couldn't find me!
Is this the start of Dementia I ask myself.
I have now located me- reset my password and banished Jammy from whence she came. Please don't consider me a 2 faced/ 2 person poster. Bevs will confirm that I lack not only the mental ability but also the desire.
Coping with one of me is quite enough.
Anyways this post is just to claim responsibility of 'Jammybrit's' post
Jennie

The Weezer

We just had a quote to retro fit our timber windows with double glazing. The gentleman told us he recently did an entire house and it costs $16,000. Replacing the timber windows with new aluminum units would cost much more.


I have never felt colder than living in Auckland, and that's that I grew up in a place that's generally as cold and colder than the extreme weather Britain has been getting recently. Until you upgrade your windows and install heat pumps, I can assure you, your house will feel uncomfortably cold in winter unless you turn on all your radiators to full blast (which will prove very expensive). On the coldest days, even that isn't enough to keep it warm inside. All the heat goes out through the uninsulated windows.

It's been extremely humid lately. Thank goodness we have several heat pumps!

Justcol

we've just had some quotes for heating.
the best for a "good" ducted system that will do the whole house was $10000
The best for Good full gas central heating system with 8 rads and an ariston(european) boiler was $12000.
this will run on mains gas not lpg.
Heat pumps are not good. they are noisey(i dont care what anyone says, they are)
they simply cause a warm draft in the room and unless ducted will only
do one room unless you want to leave all the doors in your house open.
I've got two teenage boys who would definately have something to say about that.
Once you turn a heat pump off the heat stops straight away. with radiators they will retain the heat and continue to heat a room.
radiators are more flexible, they are quieter and while gas may be a little more exensive i believe it is a far supirior system
Two thirds of the globe choose central heating to heat their homes, surely thay says something.
the kiwi's have a "harden the **** up" attitude but personally a dont see anything hard in having cheap, poorly maintained electrical
convector heaters and old fasioned oil filled rads littering your home piled high with damp washing for 3 months of the year.

BEVS

Because it is illegal. In any case a wetback would only perhaps supply enough hot water for maybe one small rad and a towel rail.

Hothouse

Once again, many thanks for all the info. and links that have been put on. From what i've seen and heard there are a lot of very poorly insulated homes in NZ and the associated cost of heating those houses are an issue for many people.

BEVS

I confirm.

edit here.....

Poop just lost the last edit.

Just read the bit about windows Jen. I'll share about our house .

We live in a 30/40 year old , two storey, cedar built house. It has insulation in the walls, small roof space and the underhouse where part of the house is on piles. There is no damp in the house anywhere. We do get condensation on the windows in the mornings during the winter months . There is one log burner in the lounge. It has a wetback which heats the hot water cylinder enough for showers/ a bath. In other months the cylinder is heated via immersion.
The windows are single glaze aluminium Jenn and have stood the test of time. They are not damaged by salt nor the UV light from the sun. We live just minutes from the sea.

My issue for this particular house wouldn't be damp or cold. It would be having ambient heat throughout the house during the winter evenings when it gets somewhat parky. Conversely , it would be lovely to have something to cool the interior in the summer months when it can be blasting hot inside at night.

My other issues would be the waste of heat through the single glazing and how to reduce fuel costs, not just for our budget but because we would prefer to be more 'green' than this house currently allows us to be.

We live at the top of the south island which enjoys a goodly amount of sunshine hours. I wouldn't describe the weather as being like that of the UK. During the winter months , I am still able to open my ranch sliders and windows during the day. Depending on which room & the sun it can feel colder inside some rooms than outside but that is fine for me as I like the fresh air. Mind you I am throwing open the doors and windows here in my Dad's house here in the UK at the moment as I like to air the place I am living in. That's a personal preference of course. I only really want ambient heat of an evening. Others will be different.
Of course if I am stuck in our office during the day. Then I have to utilise some form of plug in heater like an oil filled rad. or a halogen heater.

For our house, I would be looking to invest in double glazing. We have considered inverted heat pumps but I am concerned with the noise/hum. It would get on my nerves. Friends of ours have two heat pumps in their new built house and seem to be forever fiddling with the controls. That is probably just their way though and perhaps they should be settling on a level of heat/cooling and leave it at that. By fiddling with the controls they are burning fuel and making the unit work harder.
Still, I think we may end up with an inverted heat pump for the convenience.

We will be looking at ducting within the house. I've seen old french houses utilising this method to warm other rooms via the living area where the open fires are located. I think we may do the same.
We will install solar hot water tubes to the roof for our hot water.

Because of the style of our house, we only really need to find a way to bring ambient heat into three rooms during the colder months. Two downstairs bedrooms and the downstairs shower. Most likely under floor heating will do the shower when we refurb. I think the ducting will fix the downstairs bedrooms.