The NZS.com Heaters NZ article contains information on fan heaters, radiant heaters, convection heaters, oil column heaters, night store heaters, heat pumps and LPG gas heaters in NZ.
Buying the right heater for you and your home
Decided it is time for a new heater for your home but not sure where to start? Oil Column or Fan? Night Store or Radiant? Find out about the types of heaters in NZ and which will work best for you.
It's a cold winter's night as you have pulled out the old heater from the garage for the first time this year... if it is dusty and smells when you turn it on, it is probably time to pop down to an electronics store and pick yourself up a new one. But what to take home? There are so many choices in home heating today. If you do not have a permanent heating fixture (a fireplace of any kind, central heating) then you will need to decide which specific type of heating appliance will work best for your house.
Electric heaters are generally the cheapest home heating appliance you can buy. However, overuse can be very expensive on the power bill. When selecting an electric heater, look at the total kilowatts it will use. Multiply this by 20, and you will have the approximate amount in New Zealand cents that an average electric heater will cost to run for an hour.
Remember most capacities will be displayed in watts not kilowatts, and there are 1000 watts in a kilowatt. For example, a 2000 watt heater (2 kw) will cost you 40 cents per hour of use.
Types of electric heaters include:
- Fan Heaters (approx. $50, cheaper for discount brands)
Fan heaters produce a small amount of heat instantly, to objects or people placed directly in front of them. Once a fan heater is turned off, the heat almost instantly disappears. Fan heaters are expensive to run, and are only useful when you need to quickly heat yourself or a very small area, such as the kitchen in the morning, or the bathroom after a shower.
- Radiant Heaters ($70-$150)
Radiant heaters are the familiar ‘bar' heater. They provide near-instant heat for fast and effective heating. Useful in large rooms where you only need the heat in one area - as they heat the space (and people) in front of them, not the air around them. Radiant heaters however can be a fire risk, and are very dangerous for children and animals.
- Convection Heaters ($130-$180)
Convection heaters warm the air, rather than the space in front of them like radiant heaters. Their surface temperatures are low, making them a safer option around kids. They heat the air with an element and a fan by convection, and can keep a medium-sized room steadily warm.
- Oil Column Heaters (approx. $150, depending on size)
Oil column heaters are best used in small rooms (such as bedrooms), and are good if you want to keep an enclosed space warm after the heater is turned off. These heaters consist of hollow columns which are filled with oil - and this oil is heated by an element. The oil will continue to emit heat even after the element is turned off. Most oil column heaters can work intermittedly with a timer, so can work economically if used for an ‘hour on, hour off' power saving plan.
Alternatives to standard electric heaters:
- Night Store Heaters (approx. $800)
Night stores heat the bricks inside them from cheaper, off-peak power at night, and slowly release heat during the day when needed. They are an economical option if you are at home during the day, and want your home continually heated (so are a great option for a house with younger children), however they are not suitable for houses only occupied early in the morning and in the evenings.
- Heat Pumps (approx. $4000, but prices are dropping every year)
If you are willing to make a larger investment in your home heating, consider a heat pump. Heat pumps reverse the air from outside your home and transfer it inside using a sophisticated compressor. The colder the air is outside, the harder a heat pump has to work (and therefore more energy consuming). However, a good heat pump will work up to 5 times more efficiently in terms of electricity conversion to heat than an electric heater. They can heat a large room, even several rooms in minutes, and you can completely control the temperature to the degree. While the base price and installation costs are hindering for many, they are a great investment for future winters, and are also a very desirable chattel when it comes to selling your home.
- Portable LPG Heaters (approx. $250)
LPG gas heaters are an economical heating solution and are a good option if you do not want unexpected surprises with your power bill every month. You simply fill up with LPG at a petrol station, and refill when empty. LPG heaters warm the immediate area in front of them quickly, and because they do not need to be plugged in, they can be easily moved anywhere in your home. However, you need to take extreme care when heating your home with LPG heaters, and make sure the room they are in is always ventilated with an open window to carry away harmful chemical emissions from the gas.
Looking for a specific type of heater in NZ? Check out the NZS.com directory.
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