Clean Heating and Insulation

Insulation

Generating heating is only half the story of keeping warm. Keeping the heat in is just as important. Insulation works by creating a layer of still air. The insulation value is given in R-value, the higher the R-value the higher the insulation value of the insulation. This enables you to compare different types of insulation.

Ceiling and underfloor insulation are the most practical types of insulation when retrofitting insulation in an existing home. The most common types of materials used for ceiling insulation are fibreglass, polyester or wool.

Underfloor insulation is only useful and possible in homes with floorboards. Homes with a concrete slab don’t need underfloor insulation. Underfloor insulation comes in a variety of products. To be able to install underfloor insulation you will need to have enough clearance under your house.

Wall insulation can be installed when renovating and/or relining. Double-glazing can also be usefull. An average home can lose more heat through double-glazed windows than through an uninsulated wall.

Low-emission Woodburners

Modern low-emission woodburners use less wood than older high-emission models. Some models require smaller pieces of wood than you may be used to. There are low-emission woodburners on the market with a water booster for hot water and with cooking facilities. Low-emission woodburners are available as in-built or freestanding models.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are very efficient electric heaters. In general they may generate 3-4 kW of heat for every kW of power. Conventional electric heaters such as oil column heaters, fan heaters and bar heaters provide 1 kW of heat for every kW of power. The efficiency of heat pumps can vary with the outside temperature and you need to assess the efficiency of a heat pump at Canterbury winter temperatures.

Every heat pump has an indoor unit and an outdoor unit. Some outdoor units can have more than one indoor unit (e.g. in separate rooms) attached to them.

                  Outdoor Heat Pump Unit                                                Wall Mounted Heat Pump Unit

Heat pumps are available in floor standing models which can be fitted over or in hearths or stand anywhere in the room and in wall-mounted models.

           Wall Mounted Heat Pump                        Floor Mounted Heat Pump

Environmentally friendly heat pumps use a refrigerant that is not chlorine-based and therefore more friendly to the ozone layer. Ozone depleting refrigerants are being phased out.

Find out more about choosing a heat pump.

Pellet Fires

Pellet fires use wood pellets as fuel and due to their very efficient combustion may have practically no particulate emissions. Pellet fires operate a fan that requires a small amount of electricity.

Nightstore Heaters

Nightstore heaters operate on the cheaper night rate tariff to store heat that is then released during the day. They may be useful for people who are at home a lot during the day and have night rate on their power meter. If you do need have night rate, you can get it installed by your power company but there is usually a cost involved.