Heating RSS Feed - Tasman District Council

Home Energy Efficiency

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:08:41 +1200

Home Energy Efficiency

This page identifies ways to improve new house design to ensure a house uses the heat from the sun more effectively.

All New Zealand houses are heated by the sun to some degree, but some are better at using the sun's heat than others.

Designing your new house to include passive solar design principles will:

keep your home warmer in winter and cooler in summer;
help improve insulation;
reduce dampness and condensation;
save you money on power bills;
reduce air pollution locally.

Design Principles

There are three key principles to consider when designing your house to utilise the sun's energy:

to encourage the sun's solar heat into the building;
to store the sun's heat;
to prevent the heat escaping out again.

Invite the Sun into Your House

Position your building so it is orientated to use the sun (eg have the main living areas facing the northern sun, place morning rooms such as the kitchen to the east, and have rooms needing less sun on the southern side).

Have larger windows on the northern sunny side to let the sun's heat into the house, smaller windows on the southern side to reduce heat losses.

Use shading to reduce overheating from the northern and western (afternoon sun) windows in summer, while still allowing the winter sun in.

Store the Sun's Heat in the Building

Once you have the sun streaming in through your northern facing windows, you need to store that heat. This requires using materials that create thermal mass.

Heavyweight materials such as concrete, terracotta and ceramic tiles, brick, mud or clay, all have inherent thermal mass. When exposed to direct sunlight during the day, these materials will slowly warm up and store the heat during the day, then slowly release that heat during the evening.

Thermal mass works best where the floors and walls receive direct sunlight (eg having a concrete slab floor, with tile finish, in north facing windowed rooms).

Thermal mass walls must be insulated on their outside surface, to stop the heat escaping. (the trick is to allow the sun to heat the wall inside the heat trap created by the insulation).

Carpet and textile flooring reduce the ability of the mass to absorb heat, so should be restricted to areas not being used for thermal heat storage.

The total area of northern windows needs to be balanced with the amount of mass available to absorb the heat. (eg. too much mass or too little solar admittance can make a house difficult to warm up).

Prevent the Heat Escaping

The sun is streaming in warming your north-facing living room with its thermal walls and floors, now you need to make sure that heat isn't lost back outside when the day cools.

You need to insulate all your exterior surfaces - under the floor, outside walls, roof and windows - to reduce heat loss.

The NZ Building code specifies only the minimum level of insulation required. More is usually better, resulting in a warmer more comfortable home and lower energy bills. (eg. doubling the insulation will halve the building's lifetime energy costs. Instead of needing an expensive woodburner, all you may need are a few cheaper electric heaters).

Insulate your windows using double glazing or properly fitted heavy curtains. Double glazing will reduce heat loss through windows by nearly 50% in winter, as well as reducing noise and condensation.

Other Ideas to Consider

Most architects should be able to design for these basic passive thermal principles. Many can go a step further.
There are many 'environmentally friendly' construction materials and products on the market now that you may wish to consider.
Alternative energy options, like solar panels, solar water heating, wind or hydro, can save on electricity bills.
Having a well designed, energy efficient house will mean you should NOT need to install a large heating system like a fire or woodburner, as small controlled appliances are probably all you will need.

Costs of Energy Efficiency

The cost of adding passive solar design into a home is highly variable, depending on the size of house, construction materials, site variables, and many other factors. The factors will affect the payback period. However, in general, over an average house life of 80 years the additional cost will be saved many times over.

Passive solar design is easiest, and cheapest, to incorporate during new construction. However, some measures to increase thermal performance (such as increasing insulation) can be retrofitted to most buildings.

If only the economic cost of some thermal measures (eg double glazing) are compared to other traditional methods, the cost can be quite high. However, the potential energy savings and other benefits that may also result (eg. warmth, less condensation, noise reduction) should be included as part of the cost-effectiveness assessment.

Heat Pumps

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:21:00 +1200

Neighbourly Installation of Heat Pumps

With the increasing number of heat pumps being installed, neighbours notice an increase in noise in their neighbourhood. If installed inappropriately, they can cause sleep and amenity disturbance.

Where to Install Heat Pumps

The inappropriate location of heat pumps close to, and facing, neighbouring bedrooms and living areas can cause noise disturbance. Before installing a heat pump you should consider the effects noise from the outdoor unit may have on yourself and your neighbours.

Heat pumps should be as far away from your own and your neighbours' bedrooms as possible. The fan unit should face the boundary of the property furthest away from the adjoining residences, not towards windows or outdoor living areas of a neighbouring residence.

Try to avoid mounting the pump on a wall and in particular at a high level, as this can result in unimpeded transmission of noise to neighbouring properties. If possible mount the heat pump at ground level and on a solid base, preferably a concrete pad or block. Use rubber pads between the unit and the base to eliminate vibration.

Ensure that where refrigeration lines pass through walls, they have adequate clearance and insulation. Vibration from within walls can magnify noise levels beyond acceptable levels.

Make use of fences and walls between you and your neighbour's home as these can help reduce the transmission of noise. If a nuisance eventuates, you may need to investigate other options such as acoustic barriers or acoustic treatment.

Selecting a Heat Pump

Ask for advice on the most appropriate size of unit for the area to be heated. Select the pump that is most suitable to prevent excessive operation times or load on the unit.

Choose a heat pump with a low sound power level. The exterior sound power level will be specified on the side of the unit and will give you an indication on how noisy the heat pump will be outside your house. The higher the number the louder the heat pump unit will be. The sound power level is different from the sound pressure level.

Heat Pump Maintenance

Tonal type sounds, or sounds with a narrow frequency range, are common from rotating parts in units, such as fans and motors. These noises can greatly increase if you do not maintain your heat pump regularly to replace worn bearings or limited life parts before they fail. Loose screws in a metal casing are a common source of buzzing or rattling noises.

When you have your pump installed, ask the installer to provide you with an appropriate maintenance schedule.

Solar Water Heaters

Fri, 29 Jun 2012 15:23:03 +1200

Solar Water Heaters

If you are installing solar water heating within the Tasman District, you will need to apply to the Council for a Building Consent. The application form is attached below:

Solar Water Heater Subsidy

A subsidy for installing a new solar water heater may be available from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority.

More information about the EnergyWise subsidy for solar water heating

Fees

The overall cost of a building consent for solar water heating is calculated including processing time, inspection fees, and fees for issuing a code compliance certificate once the building work has been inspected.

Building Consent Fees

Warm Tasman - Insulation and Heating Rates Repayment

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:03:50 +1200

Woodburners and Solid Fuel Heaters

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:14:00 +1200

Woodburners and Solid Fuel Heaters

This page will give you information about Tasman District Council's requirements for woodburners and tell you how to apply for a woodburner Building Consent.

Rules for Woodburners

All wood burners installed indoors after 1 September 2005, on a property less than 2 hectares anywhere in the District, must comply with the Ministry for the Environment's National Environment Standards for Air Quality (NES). This NES requires woodburners to meet an emission limit of less than 1.5 g/kg (grams of particulate per kilogram of wood burnt) and an efficiency of greater than 65 percent.

Ministry for the Environment: List of Authorised Woodburners

Special Rules for Woodburners in the Richmond Airshed

As part of a project to combat poor air quality in Richmond over winter there a stricter requirements for woodburners installed in Richmond properties.

Information about Woodburners in the Richmond Airshed.

Applying for a Building Consent

To help speed up the time taken to get your woodburner consent issued, please supply all of the following information with your application.

Two complete copies of the manufacturer’s installation instructions for your chosen woodburner.
Two copies of the manufacturer’s installation instructions for the flue kit to be used – this should show both the roof and ceiling penetration details.
Two copies of the roof flashing system to be used – please note, Tasman District Council requires both Boot and Soaker type flashing to be used for all roof penetrations.
Two copies of a floor plan. This can be a sketch, but needs to name all of the rooms, and clearly show where the woodburner is to be located, along with the location of all smoke detectors.

If you are having problems finding the information, your installer should be able to help you.

Heating RSS Feed - Tasman District Council

Home Energy Efficiency

Home Energy Efficiency

Design Principles

Invite the Sun into Your House

Store the Sun's Heat in the Building

Prevent the Heat Escaping

Other Ideas to Consider

Costs of Energy Efficiency

Related Links

Heat Pumps

Neighbourly Installation of Heat Pumps

Where to Install Heat Pumps

Selecting a Heat Pump

Heat Pump Maintenance

Solar Water Heaters

Solar Water Heaters

Solar Water Heater Subsidy

Fees

Warm Tasman - Insulation and Heating Rates Repayment

Woodburners and Solid Fuel Heaters

Woodburners and Solid Fuel Heaters

Rules for Woodburners

Special Rules for Woodburners in the Richmond Airshed

Applying for a Building Consent

Related Links