WHEN temperatures drop, rain falls and the wind blows it is easy to succumb to turning up heaters, tossing laundry in the dryer and switching on electric blankets. No matter how many flame-red cushions are thrown on the couch, on a really cold day it takes more than a bright colour to transform a home into a tropical oasis.
The days of New Zealand households burning up precious resources with casual abandon are long gone. The land of plenty has opened its eyes to the harsh reality that inefficiency is tarnishing the nation’s clean green image. So if people are to remain warm during the chilly months, what are the options available to them?
Old timber homes, famous for wallpapered scrim that huffed and puffed when the wind blew, can be draughty and poorly insulated. New walls could be lined with Gib but it is unlikely these nostalgic properties are insulated and so much heat escapes from them they may well be contributing to global warming.
The latest Government scheme to raise temperatures in Kiwi homes is a $323 million insulation and heating programme. Over the next four years, many homeowners can get assistance to make their homes warmer, drier and healthier.
The Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart programme enables people on any income level to receive partial funding for insulation. Installation of ceiling and under-floor insulation must be done with approved products and by a provider registered to take part in the scheme to ensure performance and safety.
Once the heat can’t escape there is also Government funding for a clean, efficient heating device such as an approved wood or pellet burner, an ENERGY STAR ® heat pump or a 4-star AGA-rated flued gas heater in the primary living area.
Community services card holders, and landlords with tenants who hold community services cards, can receive higher levels of funding.
For more information and to find out local advisers about warming up homes, visit www.energywise.govt.nz.
A dry home is a warm home
Unobtrusive showerdome. It’s all very well insulating, sealing and heating homes but if they are damp it is difficult to effectively heat them. There are numerous ventilation systems that help dry out interiors, or people could always throw open windows but this is rather mad when the rain is pelting down.
Like the health of all living organisms - prevention is better than cure when maintaining a healthy home. Running extractor fans over cooking areas and correctly venting clothes dryers helps to prevent moisture indoors.
Bathrooms are super-soggy areas, which can become a biological hazard-zone. A reasonably new product on the market, Showerdome, eliminates shower steam from bathrooms. This means no more misting mirrors, dripping windows, paint damage, mould and mildew, and airborne moisture floating into adjacent rooms causing damp furnishings and other problems.
Showerdome clear acrylic shower tops fit most modern shower units and they only take an approved installer about 90 minutes to fit.
What’s more they look okay too. In many bathrooms they are unobtrusive and people may be oblivious to them - that is until they step into the shower. Homeowners who have them say that without any draughts the shower temperature stays warmer and it may reduce the amount of hot water they use.
Inventor Ken Evans came up with the idea when waiting for his kettle to boil. He observed steam coming out of the nozzle of the electric glass kettle, but noticed no steam inside the kettle above the water line. It suddenly occurred to him that steam is not created until the moist, hot air collides with the cooler air outside the kettle and thought, “this must apply to the problem of steam in my bathroom too”.
A Showerdome costs from as little as $270, plus installation. For more information, retail display sites or a distributor near you, phone (09) 835-9797 or visit www.showerdome.co.nz.
