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Warm up your home Hints and Tips
- EECA energywise - warm up New Zealand campaign
Under the government's current Warm up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme, home owners can get funding to help insulate their homes and install clean and efficient heating.
The programme aims to help 188,500 homes in New Zealand become easier and cheaper to heat - making them warmer and healthier as a result. They have committed to spending $347 million on this programme.
Refresh have built up a network of reliable trade specialists who have the best rates. Accessing the government grants can be confusing. Refresh can identify what grants are available and help you to access them. If you would like a Refresh team member to contact you, please click here.
- Design Standard for New Wood Burners
The National Environmental Standards (NES) regulations provide that the wood burner standard comes into force on 1st September 2005.
Design Standard:
- The design standard for a wood burner is a discharge of less than 1.5 grams of particles for each kilogram of dry wood burnt (g/kg).
- The discharge must be measured in accordance with the method specified in the Australian / New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 4013:1999 – Domestic solid fuel burning appliances – Method for determination of flue gas emissions:
Thermal Efficiency Standard:
- The thermal efficiency standard for a wood burner -
(a) is the ratio of useable heat energy output to energy input (thermal efficiency) and;
(b) must be not less than 65%. - The thermal efficiency must be calculated in accordance with the method specified in the Australian / New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 4012:1999 – Domestic solid fuel burning appliances – Method for determination of power output and efficiency.
What does it apply to?
Under the regulation a wood burner is defined as:-- A domestic heating appliance that burns wood; but
- does not include –
(a) an open fire; or
(b) a multifuel heater, a pellet heater, or a coal burning heater; or
(c) a stove that is –
(i) designed and used for cooking; and
(ii) heated by burning wood.
Where does it apply?
Regulations state that the standard applies to woodburners installed in certain properties:
Discharge from woodburners installed in certain properties after 1 September 2005 prohibited- The discharge of particles to air from a woodburner installed after 1 September 2005 in a building or property with an allotment size of less than 2 hectares is prohibited.
- Subclause (1) does not apply if the discharge from the woodburner complies with the design standard and the thermal efficiency standard.
The woodburner standard applies to all new woodburners installed in urban areas in New Zealand after 1st September 2005. For the purpose of this standard an urban area is defined as a property with a lot size of 2 hectares or less (20,000 m2). Information on the size of a lot is available from the property title or Land Information Memoranda (LIM) report.
NOTE: This means that wood burners that do not comply with the standard can still be sold and installed into homes on a property with a lot size of over 2 hectares, unless their regional plan prevents this.
The Standard does not apply to existing wood burners – unless they are reinstalled into a property.
People will still be able to operate or install open fires, multi fuel burners, pellet fires, and wood/coal stoves designed for the primary purpose of cooking, and coal burners, unless their regional plan prevents this.
Implementation
From 1st September 2005, all wood burners installed into a house or dwelling, on a lot size less than 2 hectares, must meet the design (emissions) and thermal efficiency standards outlined above. This includes reconditioned and/or second-hand woodburners.
This information and images was supplied by The Fireplace. The Fireplace has been radiating warmth and style into New Zealand homes for over 25 years. They are the exclusive New Zealand supplier of leading international brands, Jetmaster, Heat & Glo and Gazco fires.
- Save money by insulating when you reclad your home
Re-cladding your house is a surprisingly viable option which can significantly increase the value of your home. Additionaly while the cladding is off, you will have the opportunity to address other aspects of a renovation, (such as insulation, wiring, plumbing etc) in a much more cost effective way. The savings you made on the other sub-trades because you've got the cladding off go a long way towards covering the cost of re-cladding.
- General considerations
New Zealand homes are notoriously cold, damp and expensive to heat. It's hard to untangle all the conflicting information as different suppliers claim their product is the answer. The reality is that there is a complex set of tradeoffs between passive systems (like insulation and double glazing) and active systems (like heating and ventilation). In a renovation it is further complicated by what is already there and your budget constraints.
