Winter Heating
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Category: General Chat
Forum Name: General Chat
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URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=14857
Printed Date: 26 October 2025 at 7:07pm
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Topic: Winter Heating
Posted By: Henna79
Subject: Winter Heating
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 11:54am
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because of the huge problems in the power industry I was wondering how everyone heats their house. We do gas at the mo hoping to put a woodburner in before next winter. I can't help but wonder how all these people who were forced to put heat pumps in because of the greenie bollocks are going to keep warm this year because we are in for some serious blackouts if we don't get some more thermal generation.
I don't wanna offend anyone everyone is entitled to their own opinions. 
Plus I have an insider in the industry and the govt is seriously not telling people the truth about just how bad it is. |
Replies:
Posted By: EmDee
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 11:58am
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Hmmm well wouldn't you know it, we took out our gas heating and put in a heat pump! May have to find the old portable gas heater. Be interesting to see what happens and what is said about it. ------------- DS 8 DD 6 DS 4 DD 2 |
Posted By: CuriousG
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 12:21pm
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We took out our woodburner and put in a heat pump too. I love it to bits.
Not too worried about the winter dramas with power shortages. Not gonna stress and will deal with it if it happens. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: ginger
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 12:23pm
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We've just had insulation pumped into all our external walls to give things a hand, and we also have a fireplace. We have a little fan heater but it does evil things to the power bill so I don't use it unless I'm desperate ------------- Cuinn Lachlan 23.1.09 - 22:00 Antonia Helene 4.8.11 - 09:41 |
Posted By: CuriousG
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 12:26pm
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And anyway, heat pumps are supposed to be more efficient using less power. So I don't really see an issue. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: BellaBoo
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 12:38pm
We also took our gas out and put in a heatpump....and I love it!!! We had a $300 gas bill one time and that was the end of that. We dont even notice the difference in our power bill now
I cant stand woodburners. and if there is a blackout we will worry when it comes (if it does). ------------- http://lilypie.com">   http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 12:40pm
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I have a fire and I LOOOVVVEEE it. It does help that we have free firewood so our heating doesn't cost us anything. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: shaz
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 1:26pm
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We just put in a heat pump last winter. And I LOVE it. NO mess no wood chopping and even has dehumidifies if need as well !!!!
It doesn't seem to affect our power much at all. OH and I have used it on aircon during the really hot summer days too. Love it love it love it. ------------- Mum to Natasha Aroha 9/12/1995, Alexandra Makareta Waimarie 22/4/1998 and....Alyssa Frances Hopaea 18/03/2007 
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Posted By: Millie1976
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 1:36pm
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We have a heat pump and a fireplace as we have quite a large area to heat up. ------------- Sebastien 2 years old Olivier 3 3/4 years old |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 2:16pm
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*stamps feet* I want a heat pump! More for cooling in summer than heating tho lol!
We run an oil fin heater in the gremlins room and will do the same in baby's room, Maya just puts on extra layers coz she's old enough to know if she is too cold/too warm and I have an electric blanket which I only ever use on my side of the bed coz Willie hates it. We also have a gas heater but I don't think it will get much use this year coz it's too dangerous with the gremlins running around. -------------  Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
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Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 2:19pm
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We have a fire that really only heats the mat that is in front of it - find it very hopeless, we have a convection heater in the kitchen as it's quite a big area and another convection that goes into our room.
Our landlord has given us the ok to get a heat pump installed, so excited. We did have a gas heater but I don't trust them, in fact I hate them. I made Dh throw ours away in the last inorganic collection. Without the regulator of course. ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
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Posted By: Bel
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 2:23pm
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We have a woodburning fire and I LOVE IT!! FIL is sawmiller, so we get plenty of firewood, which is a help. I had started thinking that we would get a heatpump, with Luke around as the fire may be more trouble than it is worth... We are borrowing fireguard from my parents, so that will help this winter.
Also, a great way to dry clothes over winter rainy days ------------- Mum to two beautiful kids
Luke (09.11.2007) Amy (01.04.2009) |
Posted By: caraMel
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 2:28pm
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We have a woodburner and it does a great job. DH and FIL cut down a big tree in the garden this summer and it is all chopped up and drying out for winter. Woohoo! ------------- Mel, Mummy to E: 6, B: 4 and: 
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Posted By: MummyFreckle
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 2:52pm
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We have a fireplace, but after 2 1/2 years of waiting for the landlord to fix it so its safe to use, I am not holding my breath for this winter. We have an oil fin radiator for the munchkins room, and electric convection heaters in the lounge and our room. Our power bill goes through the roof in winter, but I really dislike gas heaters and I find that they aggrevate my asthma.
------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: lucky3rdtime
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 3:20pm
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We are in Chch and have a heat pump in the hallway, more for the bedrooms than living area and a woodburner in the lounge. Cos of the ECan greenie thing down here we will have to get our woodburner replaced, but we have an assessment in a month and just want to get a new low emission woodburner as we love having a woodburner and we are hoping to get underfloor insulation as well. Hopefully we can get it all paid for by the council, if we can get a community services card which we should be able to qualify since i am now not working and DH isn't on a great wage.
We put in the heat pump about 3 years ago and beefed up the insulation in the ceiling and put polythene down under the house, (which we did pay for ourselves) we have an old villa style house so it was cold and drafty and all the measures we have taken so far have helped the house heaps. The heat pump is great, we only really need the logburner in the middle of winter now. But we love having two sources of heating as well, so we are not totally reliant only on electricity or wood. ------------- http://lilypie.com">  
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Posted By: hooper
Date Posted: 28 February 2008 at 3:21pm
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we have just put in new eco friendly fire,
theres no way i would have a heat pump, just love having a fire.  ------------- Desiree 
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Posted By: yummymummy
Date Posted: 29 February 2008 at 8:00am
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heat pump here and we love it. can also be used in summer to cool the house so even better ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 29 February 2008 at 8:09am
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We have 2 heatpumps, one in the lounge and one in the back hallway that combined with a heat transfer system heats the bedrooms.
Coming from somewhere that has central heating I find the heating situation in this country pretty shocking, it might be ok up north but I have spoken to many deluded new zealanders who seem to think it doesn't get cold out here  Hello, if there is snow on the ground it is cold and you need heating and insulation, not to mention that fact that a lot of asthma etc is caused by the appaling state of some houses where bedrooms are freezing when they should be kept at 16 degrees at least to stop mould and mildew. I would never ever buy a fire to put in my house unless it was a pellet fire but then they are hooked into the electric system so would still be buggered in a black out.
(we have a gas fire in the stored in the garage for an emergency) ------------- 
 
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Posted By: CuriousG
Date Posted: 29 February 2008 at 8:39am
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I know what you mean Cuppatea - I grew up in Newlands, in the clouds in Wellington. We had no form of central heating, and while we lived in a nice house, it really affected my asthma. It was shocking while growing up.
When I moved to the City and into a dryer house, it virtually went away! Then, we moved up the Coast and into a house with a woodburner. This was so ineffective - in fact the only thing it really gave me was.....yep....bad asthma. Hence us ripping it out and investing in a heat pump. I have noticed since having it that we have no condensation, no mould on our windows sills and again, I have no asthma. Because of my history (as well as the family history of it), I didn't want to expose Charlotte to any factors that could trigger it. I heart my heat pump and we are looking at getting another down the end of the hall. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Shezamumof3
Date Posted: 29 February 2008 at 8:43am
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we use a gas heater because its the cheapest option for us and it warms up our little flat nicely! I used to use the little electric one but thats a power guzzler!
We dont have a fireplace or anything. ------------- |
Posted By: AuntieSarah
Date Posted: 29 February 2008 at 8:45am
At the moment we have an oil column heater, a little fan heater and that's it! There were some really old hideous panel heaters on the walls when we moved in but they were just too ugly to remain  We live in a little house though so it doesn't take much heating. When we build our new house we'll definitely have a heat pump. I do love having a fire - always had one when I was growing up - but think a heat pump will be much easier
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Posted By: Jennz
Date Posted: 29 February 2008 at 8:54am
Central heating rocks! I so agree cuppatea- NZ houses just aren't equipped for the climate. I've only ever lived in one house (in NZ) that didn't have mould/mildew/consdensation problems 
So with the power shortages, natural gas being a finite natural resource, as is wood- what do you do? Solar powered heat pumps? Not many average NZers are going to be able to afford that! ------------- Jen, Charlotte 7 & Kate 3 
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Posted By: Redbedrock
Date Posted: 29 February 2008 at 9:38am
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My first winter here, i thought I had moved to a third world country, I couldn't beleive the idea of living in a country that has cold winters and surviving with no insulation, double glazing and central heating. We live in Central Wellington and thankfully don't get too much in the way of cold days, no frost to speak of, but still. Our house is 4 years old, but still has no heating and only single pane windows, but it has an elctric garage door, and modern kitchen, someones priorities were round the wrong way i think when it was built.
Don't get me wriong i love NZ but it's not a hot country we need heating!!! BTW we use oil filled radiators and a big duvet to heat our house, and if there are power cuts we shall just move under the duvet and cook on the camp gas stove  ------------- http://www.babysfirstsite.com"> 
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Posted By: Bubbaloo
Date Posted: 29 February 2008 at 9:57am
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We have a heat pump and have a gas heater too just incase the power does go out I do agree that houses aren't well equipped here for heating I remember living in a flat when the frost would go on the insides of the windows too and there was mold everywhere can't be to good for you health thats for sure. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  Was danni-chick Mum to James My Angel 28/07/08 |
Posted By: Glow
Date Posted: 29 February 2008 at 10:18am
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Fire & heatpump here ------------- Mummy of Two Boys B: 2004 K: 2007 |