Pumping up the heat at home

Staying snug in winter is all about comfort and cost - but experts say we're going the wrong way about it.

A Herald on Sunday test found the most cost-effective way to heat a traditional villa is with a heat pump, but experts say most Kiwis use less efficient electric radiators and fan heaters because of cheaper set-up costs.

We tested how long it took to warm a room in a villa to a cosy 20C using four heating methods.

The heat pump was the most effective, followed by a medium-sized gas heater and electric radiator, and our fan heater failed to heat the room to the desired temperature.

The 2kw heat pump warmed the lounge to 20C within 40 minutes, at a cost of eight cents.

An average-sized gas heater took 35 minutes, costing about 10 cents, and a 2.4kw radiator 80 minutes, costing about five times that.

The 2kw fan heater cost about 36 cents an hour to run and failed to heat the room efficiently.

Robert Tromop, research manager for the Government's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, said the Herald on Sunday results underlined the importance of choosing the right heater.

Although heat pumps cost between $2500 and $10,000 to install, they save householders money in the long run if you live in a well-insulated home.

A housing, heating and healthy study by Professor Philippa Howden-Chapman at Otago University's Wellington campus found many New Zealanders chose the cheapest, but least energy-efficient methods to heat their homes.

Most people use two-bar electric heaters, open fires or unflued gas heaters, but to stay healthy and warm they should use wood pellet burners, heat pumps and flued gas heaters.

"These three options have higher capital costs but they are the most sustainable and have much lower operating costs," she said. "Open fires might look pretty but they are extremely inefficient."

Howden-Chapman said that efficient heating was pointless without proper insulation and estimated about 900,000 New Zealand homes had poor or no insulation.

This week's Budget extended a scheme offering subsidies to insulate homes.

People who own poorly insulated homes built before 2000 may qualify for a $1300 grant as part of a $323 million package to upgrade 180,000 properties by 2013.

Howden-Chapman said it costs about $3700 to insulate a typical 120sq m home, but the long-term savings would be worth double that.

"We spend about 90 per cent of our time indoors so insulation is really important.

"Having no insulation and using a heater is like going outside with no clothes on."

INSULATION JUST WHAT DOCTOR ORDERED

When Shirley Schuring moved into her home in the 1950s, it was "freezing". The floors and ceiling had no insulation and the windows often dripped condensation.

This week, the 74-year-old received a free home-insulation package from Energy Smart, a charitable trust that works with councils to provide free or heavily subsidised home heating.

It took less than a day to install in her Lower Hutt home, and now Shirley is kept warm by ceiling and underfloor insulation.

The gas fire in her lounge and the oil radiator in her hallway won't be getting as much of a workout this winter, and she won't have to perch in front of them both to get toasty.

"I'll still use them but now that the house is insulated it doesn't take so long to get warm," she said. She struggled with pneumonia as a child and often has shortness of breath but reckons the insulation will help her stay healthy.