# Heat pump?



## simply me (Sep 17, 2013)

Is this like central heating? Is there central heating in some NZ property?


----------



## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

simply me said:


> Is this like central heating? Is there central heating in some NZ property?


Nope. 
It's usually a high up wall mounted heater that forces warm air out in to the room where it is situated. They can be set by temperature and usually have a timer and a series of fan settings. They are fairly efficient and cost little to run.
Some can also act as air conditioning in summer.
You can also get ones that stand on the floor but are still fixed to the wall.

Very few houses here have central heating as in a boiler and radiators.
We've only come across a couple in wellington when we were there and only because they had been built by english owners.

You do get a lot that have ducted hot air systems but in all honesty they're rubbish, however it's all dependent on the quality of the home insulation and windows etc. The one we had was useless as the quality of the new build house was rubbish. It may have well been built from Lego. 
These systems usually have a roof space mounted boiler that force hot air into a series of ducts that terminate at a ceiling vent in the rooms where you want the heat.


----------



## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

simply me said:


> Is this like central heating? Is there central heating in some NZ property?


As E2NZ described above, they will be nothing like what you might have seen before (at least not in the US). The best I can describe them as, is as a giant space heater that is mounted high (usually) on the wall. It has components that stretch to an outside unit (similar to a very small US style AC/Heat system), which is where the guts do their thing to produce heat (and/or AC). The unit we have is probably horizontally about 3 feet long, and about 1 foot in height. It sticks out from the wall about 6 inches. So, I suppose it might look similar to what a window swamp cooler looks like, sticking out of the wall/window, although these units are long horizontal length, and short from top to bottom -- long rectangle. They come in different sizes, efficiency and strengths. It won't heat your house anything even near what central hvac does, *unless* you have several throughout the house (which means each one has it's own separate "unit" outside whatever wall it is attached to--kind of odd and inefficient to me, but what do I know!).
It'll do a fine job in heating the room it is in, and perhaps even attached rooms, if it is big enough. But, they are very rarely seen in bedrooms or hallways. So, what I've found is that generally the main common room/s, will have this type of heating source, and other rooms will either be freezing cold (seriously), or, heated with ceramic wall panel heaters, small space heaters, or (to my worry and surprise), lpg gas heaters (the American in me has heard too many stories of people in the US succumbing to fumes, for me to be completely comfortable with this type, but that's MY issue, as I don't hear too often of kiwis being overcome with toxic fumes). 
Like E2NZ said, insulation and weatherization will really play a large part of how well the interior of your home weather's the weather! 

Good luck!


----------



## simply me (Sep 17, 2013)

Oh :/ ok. So I better ask the Real estate agent about this. I'll tell her or him.., listen, I don't want to freeze or suffocate from fumes. So find me a place that does that!!! 

Now I'm worried since we are going in July.. Winter time. 

Thanks
ES2nZ and Kimbella.


----------

