Flued Gas or Heat Pump to heat living and bedroom areas?

Filed under Choosing a heating appliance, Space Heating.

July 7th, 2010

I have plucked up the courage to ask our landlord to install better heating. We have an unflued gas heater (runs off gas mains)which heats the lounge but is approx 15 years old and also a gas fire (flued I guess, has flames etc and was pricey to buy and install)which can heat the dining area if on a pretty high setting. We don’t use the flame effect heater as we spend most time in the lounge area and I am guessing it’s not very efficient or cheap to run. So, we need cheap heat in our living areas and preferably in our 2 year old son’s bedroom. He has an electric convection heater on a timer. Will a flued gas heater or a heat pump do the trick? I’d be grateful for any feedback, as I’d like to be as knowledgeable as possible before going “cap in hand” to the landlord.

2 Comments

Sally, July 8th, 2010 on 4:22 am

Hi there – its always hard in rented properties. Sounds like you have a number of different areas to heat and there are probably a few things to weigh up. Firstly, consider whether you can do away with the un-flued gas heater. They emit a lot of moisture and gas (including carbon monoxide) into the living environment. Bad for your health and the excess moisture will actually make the house harder to heat. There is more information about them here: http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/unflued-gas-heaters-may05.

If your house was built before 2000 the landlord will be eligible for a subsidy for heating and insulation, but it has to be insulated first. You can check out EECA’s EnergyWise site for more information on that http://www.energywsie.govt.nz

A heatpump could be a good option for the main living area as they use electricity very efficiently. However, get a few quotes and ensure its is sized correctly for the room. The heat pump won’t be able to heat a bedroom as well as the living area so you probably need something else there. It will depend on the size of the room but a plug in electric heater may do the trick.

I can recommend talking to someone at the Home Energy Advice Centre, they will talk you through it all and their advice is free and impartial.

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GeothermalHeatPumps, July 24th, 2010 on 3:45 am

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