Hibiscusmatters 16 April 2014 | 17

Winterheating

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R1500 Wood Stacker• 14 kW heat output• 6mm radiant cook top• Handy wood storage

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Peninsula Mowers & Heating Centre611 Whangaparaoa Road

Hibisicus Coast. Ph: 09 424 3104

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It is well-known that many New Zealand homes are far colder than they should be.One way of raising the temperature is to double-glaze your windows and doors. But it’s important to consider other measures as well, says Murray Wyllie, of Composite Joinery of Rodney.Murray has been in the business all his working life, and says changes to the Building Code, introduced in 2007, have definitely resulted in much warmer homes. While the new code does not specifically require double-glazing, it does require measures that means it makes sense for most people to include it in their plans, he says.While double-glazing is almost a given in new homes, older homes can benefit from it as well.“When people are replacing older joinery they are generally going for double-glazing to better insulate their home,” he says. “But you shouldn’t really do just one thing. If you’re doing double-glazing, you should really put more insulation in the walls and floor and ceiling as well. And if you do the walls, floor and ceiling but don’t do the joinery, you can put in thermal drapes, but it’s not the total answer.”Murray suggests doing just one room

Seeing double worth the trouble

at a time if cost is an issue.Gail McDowell, from Rodney company Elite Windows, agrees, and says she has noticed a big increase in double-glazing over the past decade.“Generally speaking, double-glazing will add about a quarter to the cost of a building project but it’s definitely worth it,” she says.There are many different types of double-glazing, such as using argon gas between the panes, or using different tints on the glass. Some glass is also particularly good at blocking out noise.A house on a noisy road may need double-glazing only on a bedroom, while a house near the water may need tinted glass only on one side.

If the house is shaded by bush, tinting is not a good idea as it will make the house too dark, she says.Both firms say retro-glazing is also popular, but Gail notes that it is usually not worth retro-glazing if you have older aluminium joinery.“It can be almost as expensive as getting completely new joinery, so we tend to say to people that unless you’re doing just one room, it’s better to get new joinery,” she says.And yes, triple-glazing is now common in parts of Europe, but not yet in New Zealand.“New Zealand simply isn’t cold enough, and the frames we use are not big enough to accommodate so much glass,” Murray says.

Double glazing makes it possible to have your view, without losing heat from the room.

Pump cleaning Those with wood burners or open fires generally know they need to have an annual visit from the chimney sweep, but according to Neil Duff of Heat Pump Cleaning, owners of heat pumps are often unaware of the need for regular maintenance of the unit. Neil started Heat Pump Cleaning a year ago and offers his services Auckland-wide from his Stanmore Bay base. He says people know they should clean the filters of their heat pumps, but very few know that full maintenance is required annually. This prevents issues such as dust build up in the coils which drain the efficiency of heat pumps and can increase power consumption significantly. Info: visit www.heatpumpclean.co.nz or phone 0800 225 327.

Safe fire useAs people head indoors and activate their home heating, the local fire brigade has some tips to keep you safe: y Chimneys and flues should be cleaned before your first fire of the season. Birds and rodents are known to build nests here and soot can also build up.

y Don’t use your fireplace for burning rubbish, especially batteries and aerosol cans.

y When cleaning out the ashes, remember they can take up to five days to cool down.

y Have your electric blanket tested before you use it. Electric blankets can be dropped at 100 Percent Eddie Law stores, where staff forward them for testing.

| Hibiscusmatters 16 April 201418

Winter heating feature

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SAVE!How you use the rooms that you want to heat often determines the types of heater that you should be considering, says the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA).For rooms that you use regularly, it is well worth investing in suitable, fixed heaters that enable you to heat them effectively and cheaply, it says. Clean, effective forms of heating include modern wood and wood-pellet burners, Energy Star-qualified heat pumps and high star-rated, flued gas heaters. But for rooms that only get used occasionally, for short periods of time, cheap electric heaters can often be sufficient.

Heat pumps Good for: low running costs when used properly; producing instant heat; convenience - you can control the temperature and timing with the thermostat and timer controls.Be aware that: they must be sized correctly, for the space and the climate, to work well; some are a lot more efficient than others; they won’t work during a power cut.

Modern woodburnersGood for: low running costs, especially if you have access to free or cheap firewood; they produce very little pollution and use renewable wood energy as a fuel; heating large spaces; heating hot water in winter through a wetback system.Be aware that: firewood must be dry to burn most efficiently so you need to plan ahead and store it undercover, ideally for at least 12 months; building consent approval for installation is needed and, unless your property is larger than two hectares, you need to use a woodburner on the Ministry for the Environment’s list of approved wood burners.

Wood pellet burnersGood for: the environment (the pellets are made from waste products and burn very cleanly); heat control

What type of heating suits your home best?

(better than a wood burner); heating large spaces; heating hot water in winter through a wetback system.Be aware that: they won’t work if your electricity isn’t working; building consent is needed for installation; in areas with air quality issues only authorised burners can be installed.

Flued gas (natural or LPG) heaters or fireplacesGood for: you can control the temperature and timing with the thermostat and timer controls; heating larger areas for longer periods.Be aware that: you may have to pay a fixed charge for reticulated gas supply; EECA recommends choosing an Energy Star qualified model; gas heaters must always be installed by a registered gas fitter.

Electric heatersGood for: heating a small room infrequently and for short periods only; very cheap to buy.Be aware that: they are more expensive to run than most other heating options; there are different types but they all have the same efficiency; there are different types that deliver heat in different ways; many have built-in thermostats, but generally they aren’t very accurate.

Central heatingGood for: providing whole-of-house heating; you can control the temperature and timing with the thermostat and timer controls; many are zone-controlled so you can control the temperature in different parts of the home.Be aware that: heat can be supplied by a gas or wood pellet heating system, or a heat pump; it is worth choosing a system that has an individual thermostat for each room; they can be very expensive to run if your house isn’t well insulated, or is draughty.

Unflued gas (natural or LPG)Good for: back-up heating during power cuts, if your normal heating relies on electricity to operate.Be aware that: unflued LPG heaters are the most expensive form of heating (except for some open fires); it will pollute air with toxic gases and large amounts of water vapour, so you must keep at least one window open when it is in use and never use it in bedrooms; they can make your home damp; portable LPG heaters can be a fire risk, as anything too close can catch fire quickly.Info: bit.ly/1dRA3gl.

Hibiscusmatters 16 April 2014 | 19

If you’re in chopping up the firewood mode, be aware that the local Stihl Shop in Silverdale is part of Stihl’s national Chainsaw Safety Awareness week, April 28–May 4. Stihl’s Chainsaw Safety Awareness initiative targets “the Kiwi weekend warrior”, an occasional chainsaw user who may not give proper consideration to keeping themselves safe. With this in mind, Stihl Shop in Silverdale has released the company’s special edition Chainsaw Safety Packs consisting of chaps, earmuffs and glasses. The packs are valued at $242, however for Chainsaw Safety Week they will be priced at $158. This year, Chainsaw Safety Awareness Week is being run in association with St John and a portion of all proceeds from safety pack sales will be donated to that organisation.

Winter heating feature

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STIHL SHOP SILVERDALE6 Flexman Place, Silverdale | Phone 426 5414Mon–Fri: 8am–5pm; Sat: 8am–1pm; Sun 10am–4pm

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Stay safe in your backyardSTIHL Chainsaw Safety

Awareness Week in association with St John

April 28 – May 4, 2014

The comfort of a wood fire has been appreciated since man first rubbed two sticks (or stones) together and made a spark.These days it’s seen as technology that could be on the way out due to clean air legislation, however there are still many ways to enjoy the inimitable crackle of a home fire without polluting the atmosphere – principally with a modern wood burner.Steve and Viv Castle of Peninsula Mowers and Heating in Whangaparaoa sell both wood and gas fires and say the ambience of a wood fire is still popular on the Coast.

“As the cost of power continues to go up, people are looking to wood burners as a cheaper option, and one that can dry and warm the whole home,” Viv says.She says all new wood burners must meet emission standards set by the Ministry for the Environment, that they are energy efficient and have multiple functions.“They can be used for water heating and cooking, making it a smart solution in a power cut,” Viv says. All wood burners operate at their peak using dry, split, well seasoned firewood.

Making fire without smoke

Composite Joinery LtdVisit our showroom at7 Glenmore Drive, Warkworth

Phone 09 425 7510sales@compositejoinery.co.nz

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