Intro: Smarter Home Heating for Queenstown Series

One of the most significant decisions in building a new house is how you’re going to heat it. The heating choices you make will contribute to your enjoyment of the home, may have a significant impact on the health of the occupants, and will play a big part in the ongoing running costs.

Choosing the right style of space heating and water heating for the project comes down to multiple factors including how you want to live in the house, the climate you’re building for, your budget, and set up vs. running costs. In this Queenstown Home Heating series, we’ll take a look at the pros and cons of the most common heating options in Queenstown and how to choose the best one(s) for your project. Keep in mind that you will likely want a primary source of heat and a secondary or back-up heat source.

1. Intro

2. Mixed Heat: Modern Wood Burners

3. Radiant Heat: Electric Underfloor & Undertile Underfloor Heating

4. Radiant Heat: Hydronic Underfloor Heating

5. Convection Heat - Gas Fireplaces and Gas Heaters

6. Convection Heat - Heat Pumps 

7. Water Heating - Electric, Solar and Wetbacks 

Radiant Heat vs Convection

The two main types of heat are radiant, where objects in a room are heated, or convective heat transfer (also known as convection), where the air is heated and often transferred by fans. We’ll have a look at radiant heat first. 

The sun is our most common source of radiant heat. Although Queenstown doesn’t top the charts for sunshine hours in New Zealand, many local sites enjoy long sunshine hours year round so building smart to take advantage of the sun’s natural heat, while being careful to not overheat in the warmer months, is a must for any new build. There are lots of ways to incorporate passive house principles without adding a cent to the bottom line, such as siting and orienting your building to capture winter and summer sun effectively. So in the first instance, make a note to discuss passive solar gain with your architect or designer early in the planning stage.

We’ll cover how best to retain the heat that you’ve generated in our upcoming series on home insulation options.

This was Part 1 of the Smarter Home Heating for Queenstown series. Read Part 2: Modern Wood Burners.