shirl

New Zealand is catching up with the rest of the world, you don't have to be cold and damp, get building yourself using a SIPS panel and you will be lovely and warm and toastie!

Bo-Jangles

If we had all stayed living in the types of house we grew up in over the past forty years in the the UK; gas or coal fires and single glazed, wooden framed windows, with piles of blankets on the beds we wouldn't be the chilly little bunnies that we are today I am sure.

However, when God invented double glazing and central heating our parents latched onto it as fast as the Everest double glazing man could say 'sign here'. During the 1970s the deed was done, we were all spoiled. Once you've been there it is very hard to go back to living like it's 1971 and the feeling of being 'not as bad as this thread implies' is all relative to wherever it is you've been living in recent years and not where we were 40 years ago.

Moving to NZ, at times in terms of housing standards, dampness, heating, insulation and attitudes to the same are probably similar to UK Circa 1972, where a few folks are getting interested in improving their homes and health and wellbeing of their families. Government here is only just pressing the need and offering grants to people to improve the health of their homes and there's still a long way to go before most of them come up to recommended World Health Organisation standards. Thankfully the Government has fairly recently brought in legislation and building code so that new houses will be built with double glazing.

So yeah, no worries, pull on another Jersey harden up and she'll be right, eh? Cos that's the way it's always been. It's no coincidence that I have never worked among a more 'sick' bunch of folks as I have here, alway off work with sore throats, coughs, chest infections, colds and sniffles and all I ever hear is how bad for you double glazing and central heating are.

Woodlea

I agree with your post and we forget how it was in England, my parents only got central heating in the late 70s and double glazing in the 80s, but w.r.t. the above, double glazing has been in the code for at least 10 years here.

The main difference DerekZoolander should appreciate is the warmth in the sun in NZ, having lived north of Aberdeen for many years I really notice the difference here when the sun is out. It is blissful!

Am Loolah

Hmm ... I know the point you are trying to make, but I must add something.

In December 1992 I left my house in West London to spend Christmas with my first born and her dad at his mum's in Birmingham. I left my radiators and spent 2 weeks in a house with a 2 bar gas heater in the living room and a flame thrower gas heater in the bedroom. In a hole in the wall. It was freezing and grim.

I left my 250 year old farmhouse in Cornwall (yuk) to move here 4 years ago. It had an oil fired aga and 14 radiators. I have never been as cold here as I was in Birmingham or spent as much on heating as I did in Cornwall. I guess it's all relevant.

ExKiwilass

All that stuff about warm Auckland is fine, but the OP is moving to Wellington. Wellington is COLD in winter and not that warm the rest of the year.

coffeeaddict

Can i have more info please

shirl

I have sent you a PM regarding this but lots of info can be found in my link in my signature!

Woodlea

Relative?

DerekZoolander

Nah, we just look alike.

shirl

Good one rofl!!!

Margaret Parkinson

My daughter and family live in the North Island (Tauranga area). We have visited them often but only in their "summer" Its now equivalent to our December and looking at the weather its still 16-17 degrees against our 12-13 degrees and its June and raining. I have noticed all the houses have lots of windows so even in winter they get lots of sunshine during the day shining through but it does go cold at night. So what they have done is follow the kiwi lead and have a fire in the lounge and a portable heater for the rest of the house. As they have said the weather in the 5 years they have been there has never been as cold as it had been here in the past. They did not feel it was worth the expense of central heating - air-conditioning yes. They are in a new build and it does have double glazing.

That's my opinion anyway.

June

Am Loolah

Ahh, yes, my mistake, thanks so much for pointing it out.

Woodlea

My pleasure

scrubbedexpat094

Yep! What on earth would he want to move there for??????

DC10

I think it's worth pointing out that the main reason NZ homes are "cold" is that they are generally much bigger than their UK equivalents, and also you do not have neighbours living on every side to help with insulation/drive you insane.

To some extent it's a question of quantity over quality when it comes to warmth and homes in NZ.