When it comes to warming. there's a wide choice

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 636, 14 May 1996, Page 8

When it comes to warming. there's a wide choice

The charm and romance of an open fire is hard to beat during cold Waimarino winter nights. For many people gathering wood is not a chore but an enjoyable family pastime. For some it is a form of exercise, living the maxim "he who chops his own wood gets warm twice." Some also like to be self-reliant — not too tied to the energy companies. If you rely on wood for your winter heating the best advice is to ensure the wood you burn is dry . It really doesn' t matter too much which wood you use butit must be dry. The best way to do that is get it early, preferably in summer, and stack it so the air can circulate freely. With some timbers you will need to get it in even earlier — manuka takes up to two years to dry. Pine may be ready in as little as six months. Some types of wood, such as macrocarpa, need to be stacked during the summer months to dry sufficiently. Firewood such as pine is an inexpensive source of fuel, especially in the Waimarino where access to the forest is cheap and usually easy, requiring a permit and payment of a small fee. Pine is cheap if you have the resources to fell and cut your own used with

balanced amounts of coal makes a good basic fuel for open fires. Pine leaves a distinct residue which means regular chimney cleaning at least once a year. Those with wood burners should check that the resin content of the wood is low to avoid clogging flues. While there are many varieties of wood burners on the market, there is no type which can easily handle gum-saturated wood. Open fires should be guarded. For the sake of children' s' safety and to prevent occasional sparks from burning carpets, a metal fire-screen is recommended. While providing protection, they do not prevent heat from entering air space. Here are a few pointers to assist good seasoning of winter wood • Split larger pieces so that the wood structure is exposed to the air for faster drying. • Store fire logs loose so air can circulate freely. • Store wood under cover, in a breezy place. • Select sound solid logs.

• Avoid storing rotten or insect-infested wood. Wood is basically stored solar energy and is renewable. It releases no more carbon dioxide when it is burnt than if it was left on the forest floor to rot. Electric alternatives There are a number of heating options besides open fires and Kent-style heating: In-concrete floor heating A popular form of heating in new homes, this form of heating can be connected to the night-rate tariff and makes a very effective method of comfortable background heating. Heating wires can be laid in the concrete at the time it is poured. Effective thermostatic control is achieved by measuring the temperature of the concrete. Care must be exercised however, when designing slab heating as excessive overnight heating can result in a hot house during the day when warmth may not be required. When first switched on at the start of winter, concrete takes about three days to heat evenly. As in under-carpet heating, insulating underneath the concrete slab is essential. Another method is to pump hot water through pipes laid in the concrete. The temperature of the water in the pipes can be as low as 40 degrees Celsius, ideally heating a room to around 21 degrees Celsius. As with the heating wire system, the floor is used as a heat store.

Thermostats Thermostats and time switches enable the user to achieve optimum comfort levels for the least amount of money. Goodinsulation is essential. Time switches allow heaters to be pre-set so that one may have a different heating programme for every day of the week. Programming is as simple as setting an alarm clock. Clock thermostats have a permanent time and temperature set point display plus an area temperature indicator. Fan forced Although fans are generally regarded as cooling devices, a low speed, reversible fan can help provide comfort in winter. One of the problems of providing constant warmth in a room is the natural movement of heat. In any warm room the air will be hottest at the ceiling. A ceiling fan on reverse rotation will move the warm air across the ceiling and down the walls. There is no draught associated with this method and, if doors are opened, the heat will move to other rooms. Because of the efficiency of this system there is a considerable saving in fuel use and power costs. The ceiling fan uses about 40 watts and will only use one unit of electricity every 25 hours of running. Night-store Night-store heating is most suitable for low stud buildings but, by with a reverse cycle fan on a high stud ceiling, heat can be circulated downwards for very little cost. Often it is the cheapest system to run as the power is available at economy off peak rates. They are thermostatically controlled so that the temperature can be set to a preferred level. Night-store heating creates a comfortable environment which is easily controlled and la-bour-free. The internal temperature of block storage heaters can easily reach 700 degrees Gelsiusbutthe outside case temperature is kept at a safe temperature by insulation. Energy use A recent analysis of weekly domestic energy use by New Zealanders showed that of the $18.40 spent by the average household on domestic fuel and power, $16.30 went to power companies. An average household spent 90 cents on reticulated natural gas, with wood, coal and LPG contributing a further 30 cents. National domestic expenditure on all energy forms amounts to $1,088 million, with electricity 's portion making up $957 million, or around 88% of the total.