Keeping Warm and Cutting Costs without Central Heat | Surviving NZ Winter
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My List of Tricks For Staying Warm In NZ Winter
The thermometer read 11c in my bedroom last night.
Always a different inspiration to getting started writing. This one was necessity. I need to review all of the tools I have for keeping warm indoors in the winter here in New Zealand, where we have no central heat. The temperature both inside and out have plummeted for the season and without the central heat I grew up with, it's time for me to adapt once again. If you're living in similar circumstances, I hope you can find a new trick here to keep warm.
Photo Credit: © Jeff Albom 2008
Always a different inspiration to getting started writing. This one was necessity. I need to review all of the tools I have for keeping warm indoors in the winter here in New Zealand, where we have no central heat. The temperature both inside and out have plummeted for the season and without the central heat I grew up with, it's time for me to adapt once again. If you're living in similar circumstances, I hope you can find a new trick here to keep warm.
Photo Credit: © Jeff Albom 2008
First the Very Short Version of My Story
From Chicago to New Zealand
I was born and raised in Chicago and grew up in a home with central heat and central air conditioning. The indoor temperature fluctuated only a few degrees from day to day, centering around 70F (21C). If the heat were to go out during the winter, we would have stayed in a hotel. In my late 20's I shifted to San Francisco, and while I lived in several different apartments and homes during the next 15 years, they all had central heat. Plus it was California, so winter was much warmer outdoors than in Chicago. I got used to it. I liked it. I was totally unprepared for what came next.
New Zealand - beautiful, clean, green, relaxed, casual . . . I could go on with wonderful adjective for quite a while.
So, my new life involves living on the North Island in the summer where we open the windows and enjoy the fresh air. Sometimes it gets too hot, but not that often, and we are surrounded by the sea, so it is easy to cool off. In winter we pack up and move south - remember we are in the Southern Hemisphere, so we are heading in the general direction of Antarctica.
The winter overnight outside temperatures generally sit between -6 and 0C (21-32F). Not too bad until you add in:
* No central heat
* Single pane glass windows
* Minimal insulation
* Built on concrete slab without an insulating layer
* Expensive electricity
New Zealand - beautiful, clean, green, relaxed, casual . . . I could go on with wonderful adjective for quite a while.
Kaikoura Range, South Island, New Zealand Photographic Print
Pearson, Doug
Click Here for Information or to Buy at AllPosters.com
So, my new life involves living on the North Island in the summer where we open the windows and enjoy the fresh air. Sometimes it gets too hot, but not that often, and we are surrounded by the sea, so it is easy to cool off. In winter we pack up and move south - remember we are in the Southern Hemisphere, so we are heading in the general direction of Antarctica.
The winter overnight outside temperatures generally sit between -6 and 0C (21-32F). Not too bad until you add in:
* No central heat
* Single pane glass windows
* Minimal insulation
* Built on concrete slab without an insulating layer
* Expensive electricity
This Is Our Winter Heat Source
If it doesn't look very big, that's because it's not!
Tip #1: Use the Woodburner or Fireplace Effectively
- Start the day by lighting a fire, even before coffee.
- Keep the fire stoked and burning, but choke down the air inlet. This prevents the room temperature from dropping.
- If you go out, close down the air inlet which stalls the fire. Fire needs oxygen as well as heat and fuel (wood) to burn. When you come home, if the box is still warm inside, just opening the air inlet may be enough to start the fire right back up.
- If you need to rearrange the wood because it is burning against the glass, open the door only a tiny crack and have a tool in your other hand to push the burning wood back deeper into the box. Should you open the door while the fire is a blaze, and a burning log falls out - it can be put out quickly with a glass of water. (I only made that mistake once!)
- Fill up the wood burner with logs before bed. Get it burning nicely, then close the air inlet a bit. Otherwise, the fire will burn all the way out and it is really cold in the morning.
- Should you awaken during the night, add wood to the fire.
- Have the flue cleaned annually to prevent creosote build up which can cause a chimney fire. As a clean flue makes for an easier to light fire and maintain fire.
How About a Warm Cozy Fire Picture
Available on a product from Zazzle
All available from Zazzle. Click on the any item to visit the artist's page, or click here to see my Zazzle store. Or, click here to go to Zazzle.com and start creating your own products
Tip #2: Dress Appropriately
I know this seems rather obvious, but it wasn't to me. Coming from the states, if I was going to be indoors on a cold day I might wear a shirt and sweater, along with one pair of pants and socks.Now I have found socks and beanies to be essential items. And not just one. On a cold day I will start with a pair of anklets, then a pair of wool socks, followed by low cut socks and then a pair of house slippers. It's not just the temperature, it is the cold floor. With the floor built directly on the concrete slab, even the carpeted floors are cold. I have found that keeping my feet warm keeps my body warm. I have also been seen wearing a wool beanie in the evenings.
As for the rest of my body - thermals are layer one, followed by sweat pants on the bottom and 2-3 shirts on top.
Now I am ready to face a day at the computer. I will add a jacket when I venture outdoors - which warms up nicely in the afternoons.
Finally, I Have Happy Feet!
Here are the products I wrote about above.
Yes, I really wear all of these on my feet at once, and what a difference it has made. The trick is to remember to buy the no-show socks and slippers in a larger size, so they fit over the other layers.
Tip #3: Pre-Warm the Sheets
Red Bedroom with Pink Bed Art Print
Click Here for Information or to Buy at AllPosters.com
Another one which now seems fairly obvious, but we never needed it before. As the bedrooms themselves are quite cool (mine was actually 11C (52F) last night, a new record cold for me), we preheat the sheets. The two best ways to do this are either electric blankets or hot water bottles.
We had always heard that you should not sleep with an electric blanket, but maybe that only applies to the type we have which sit directly on the mattress under the sheets. We use them only to pre-warm our girls' beds. Once they are in bed, we turn the blankets off for the night and put an oil column heater in the room to take the chill off. (The blanket from Amazon is a top layer.)
Again, admitting my ignorance, I had no idea what to do with a hot water bottle. First of all, here in NZ they are not recommended for use by those under the age of 12. As we find considerably fewer age warnings on products now that we no longer live in the states, we tend to follow the warnings. I was surprised to see that Amazon markets one for children. I sleep with two hot water bottles. One down at my feet, the other by my middle.
To use: fill about 1/2 way with hot water from the tap, and the other half with nearly boiling water. Be sure to seal the lid tight and not to drip when you fill. Then place them in the layer of the bed in which you will sleep. About 15 minutes later, crawl into bed and move the hot water bottles over to keep warm. Be careful not to get burned if they are extremely hot. I like to use a cozy.
Tip #4: Cover the Bedroom Windows
We use a clear plastic or clear polythene (called polyethylene in the states) drop cloth purchased at a building supply store or paint shop. We cover the single pane windows for the season as soon as the temperature drops. We use a masking or painters tape which is ok for painted walls and tape around the plastic along the outer edges of the window frames. Then we close the curtains.
The windows leak a lot of cold into the room and the plastic catches it. We can see it clearly as the plastic will bow out as it fills with air. To protect your paint, use a hair dryer to warm the tape before removing it at the end of the season.
The windows leak a lot of cold into the room and the plastic catches it. We can see it clearly as the plastic will bow out as it fills with air. To protect your paint, use a hair dryer to warm the tape before removing it at the end of the season.
Tip #5: Electric Heaters Take the Chill Off
There are many types of electric heaters, but in New Zealand, all are expensive to run, as the winter electric rates are quite high. When we first arrived, we stocked up on heaters.
Oil column heaters are very popular here. In a large room they only take the chill off and are slow to feel a difference. They are great for overnight as long as you are climbing into a nice warm bed. It is a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning, if the oil heater ran all night! Don't forget to close the door and keep in the heat.
Fan forced heaters are great when you are in a hurry to get warm. Many a time the family has crowded around our little heater when we first get home, before the fire is ablaze.
Electric wall heaters or underfloor heating - some of the homes here have electric wall heaters, we are not amongst the lucky ones. If you do have these, just turn them on and warm up. Of course, they are expensive to operate and heat only a single room, so remember to close the doors.
I have added samples of heaters, however, they are different than the NZ heaters as our power voltage and available wattage are different from items on Amazon.
Oil column heaters are very popular here. In a large room they only take the chill off and are slow to feel a difference. They are great for overnight as long as you are climbing into a nice warm bed. It is a lot easier to get out of bed in the morning, if the oil heater ran all night! Don't forget to close the door and keep in the heat.
Fan forced heaters are great when you are in a hurry to get warm. Many a time the family has crowded around our little heater when we first get home, before the fire is ablaze.
Electric wall heaters or underfloor heating - some of the homes here have electric wall heaters, we are not amongst the lucky ones. If you do have these, just turn them on and warm up. Of course, they are expensive to operate and heat only a single room, so remember to close the doors.
I have added samples of heaters, however, they are different than the NZ heaters as our power voltage and available wattage are different from items on Amazon.
Tip #6: Invest in a Heat Pump
Many homes, including the one we live in also have a heat pump. While it is quite expensive to install, it is much more energy efficient than an electric heater, but it also only heats one room. A heat pump has two separate parts, an outside unit with a compressor, and an indoor unit with a fan. The compressor from the outside unit operates similar to a refrigerator in reverse, by drawing in warmth from the air which is transferred via a refrigerant process to your indoor fan. In summer it can be used to cool.
Tip #7: Use The Sun!
If you don't have access to a solar heater, the sun can still be a primary heat source. We open the North facing curtains early in the morning, and let the sun beam in. This is a Southern Hemiphere trick. If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, it is your south facing windows which will keep you warm. At about 4.30, when the sun dips down, we close the curtain to keep in our new heat. On a bright sunny day, I can actually let the fire go out and still stay warm, but I do still close the doors. Tip #8: Close the Doors of The Rooms You are Not Using
Regardless of which method of heating you choose, these are two very important house rules you may want to institute if you are living without central heat:
1. Assuming you are heating the room you are in, close the door to keep the heat where you want it.
2. Close the door of all other rooms to stop wasting the power trying to heat the rooms you don't use. Not only will you use less energy to stay warm where you are, a woodburner like we have would never heat the entire house, and by allowing so much of the heat to leave the main room, it may never get warm enough.
Our total winter heating bill has dropped by nearly $1,000 for the season by following all of these tips.
1. Assuming you are heating the room you are in, close the door to keep the heat where you want it.
2. Close the door of all other rooms to stop wasting the power trying to heat the rooms you don't use. Not only will you use less energy to stay warm where you are, a woodburner like we have would never heat the entire house, and by allowing so much of the heat to leave the main room, it may never get warm enough.
Our total winter heating bill has dropped by nearly $1,000 for the season by following all of these tips.
Tip #9: Stop That Breeze that Sneaks Under the Door or Windows
and this one is a double, so even better!
A simple and inexpensive idea. A draft stopper sits on the ground, flush against the door and stops the draft from coming in.
Frost King DDS1 Double Draft Stop, Brown
Amazon Price: $5.13 (as of 05/27/2012)
List Price: $14.99
Usually ships in 2-3 business days
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MrNixt
May 12, 2012 @ 4:10 am | delete
- OK, then...
We've lived here in NZ for two years now, and we came here from Florida.
Grew up in upstate NY, though, where there are *real* winters.
I am colder here on a daily basis than I was growing up with snow on the ground seven months a year!
While I love SO much about my new home, the insanity of the "I don't need to heat or insulate my house" mentality here is just baffling and frustrating.
What you describe (tactics to beat the cold) in this blog post is exactly what my grandmother describes of life in the early 1930s in New York winters - wrapping stuff around windows, six layers of clothing while indoors, burning wood for heat, many space heaters etc etc. Ghastly and primitive living, IMO.
We rent, so we can't do terribly much about the source of heat in our house. One chimney fire already because the chimney is too low and too long. No more woodfires here, too dangerous. We now just have to suck it up and pay the 400 to 600/month electric bills just to keep the *upper* floor at 65 degrees.
I can't wait until we recover from the moving expenses/debt well enough to build our own home here - one with a damn central heater and real insulation.
Sorry to rant, but wow you describe life here so well in winter...
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Cinnamonbite
Oct 6, 2011 @ 4:23 pm | delete
- Our electric bill is over $600.00 in the winter just from the heater. Our neighbors are over $1000.00 so thanks for this, I'll be buying more layers. I hate wearing so many clothes and I hate having to cover windows but I'm just not going to bleed cash for our power company anymore.
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Betty Jarvis
Oct 4, 2011 @ 12:08 pm | delete
- We just moved into a brand new home in Dallas, Texas. As the cold weather set in, we started having trouble with the heating system repaired. My neighbor had used Reliant Air Conditioning to install their a/c and, therefore, recommended we call them when our system wasn't heating properly. It may be hot in Texas, but the winters are equally as cold! We used some of the tips suggested above, like, closing the doors when we are using the heater which helped out tremendously. Thanks for the post! I'll be coming back to these tips once it starts to really get cold here!
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doreenssquid
Jul 4, 2011 @ 6:23 am | delete
- Some very useful tips and equally as useful here in the UK
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Stuart
Jun 1, 2011 @ 6:03 pm | delete
- I am a New Zealander living in America. My wife is a Floridian. We were planning on going to Kiwiland for a couple of years -- until she read your column. LOL. I *think* I can save the marriage. Thanks for the info. I know from experience that it is all accurate.
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StephenC
Jan 2, 2011 @ 4:22 pm | delete
- The time is perfect for this lens! Great job.
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mbgphoto Sep 11, 2010 @ 7:38 am | delete
- This certainly is a different way of life. A very interesting lens. Blessed.
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OneFootPutt
Sep 11, 2010 @ 12:15 am | delete
- I currently live in the Chicago area and we don't turn the air conditioning or heat on everytime it gets really hot or cold. We actually may not turn the heat on until the end of October of November.
Your ideas are great and I am always amazed at what life is like in different places in the world.
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mulberry
Aug 30, 2010 @ 11:12 am | delete
- I think there are a lot of people who could benefit from living a winter season without central heating. People here run around in shorts and short sleeve T-shirts and so forth in below freezing temperatures. Seriously, they drive 10 or 15 miles to the store and that's how they're dressed.
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Treasures-By-Brenda
Jan 23, 2010 @ 4:47 pm | delete
- Great resource. In Canada, at least where I am, we have central heating and air conditioning and we have warm parks, hats, mitts (warmer than gloves), Sorel boots, scarves...lined jeans!
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Pukeko
Jan 23, 2010 @ 4:52 pm | delete
- Ohhh, I sure could use a pair of lined jeans - never heard of these before. I do love my Sorels.
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MeltedRachel
Jan 20, 2010 @ 4:51 pm | delete
- Do you find you have trouble with damp if you use the clear polythene over the windows? We've had a lot of trouble with that - lots of condensation and mould :/ Great lens - wonderful tips although I'm sure it doesn't get as cold here as it does there!
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Pukeko
Jan 21, 2010 @ 5:36 am | delete
- We have never had trouble with dampness or mould. Maybe it is more humid where you are.
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MeltedRachel
Jan 21, 2010 @ 6:01 am | delete
- It probably has something to do with the stream running along the front of our cottage ;)
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ElizabethJeanAllen
Jul 23, 2009 @ 6:33 am | delete
- Reminds me of growing up in Minnesota. The cold can cut right through you.
Thanks for sharing
Lizzy
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Keeping Warm in NZ Winter by Pukeko
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Keep Warm with an Electric Blanket
Sunbeam Royal Nights Heated Blanket, Twin, Navy
Amazon Price: $27.95 (as of 05/27/2012)
Keep Warm with a Heat Pump
Soleus KC-35H 12000 BTU Heat Pump Window Air Conditioner
Amazon Price: (as of 05/27/2012)
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PajamaCity Penguins and Snowflakes Print Footed Pajamas For Teens and Adults
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