The Pommy Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 You see, ours in Melbourne didn't have individual room controls, so in the home theatre room it would get roasting but because the house was open plan the rest of the house would still be cold. That is the one advantage with radiators in smaller rooms. You can have TRVs on the rads to stop a room overheating. I have seen zoned systems in Australia, and I suspect that's what a more modern house would have. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Pommy Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 I always assume - but I may be mistaken :rolleyes:- that when Poms use the term central heating they mean a hydronic system in which heated water is pumped to wall radiators. We had one in an old farmhouse we used to live in and I'm seriously thinking of installing it in this house. I think the term comes from the days where you had to individually heat rooms with a coal or gas fire, and most rooms were not heated. So a single heat source and a distribution system is central heating. I have seen the forced air/ducted type in the UK, and electric (including storage heaters) are also common in certain types of property. But most is hydronic, and it can work very well. But as has been mentioned, it's better suited to smaller rooms, and radiators need to have TRVs on them now in the UK. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 I find that the only days I stay inside in Melbourne is when its very hot and a northerly is blowing. The rest of the year is fine. Winter I love winter. Can get out into the garden and get stuck in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sustain Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 Central heating is not a term we use here so I don't really know what it means.But most systems are temperature controlled anyway. I don't switch it off. I just set it to the desired temp usually about 23 degrees and leave it on all the time when home. It switches itself on and off to maintain the programmed temperature. Although I can program it for different settings for different periods eg Wake, Leave, Home and Sleep. But all computer controlled along with the Air con. Radiators are only suitable for small rooms and take forever to heat up too. https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/hydronic-heating I think these guys have confused central heating with hydronic heating (in that its not a difference its the same thing) Like their understanding of heat pumps?? https://www.consumer.org.nz/products/heat-pumps/overview#whats-a-heat-pump My understanding is that you drill down into the earth and across lay down pipes to collect the heat from the earth, then bring it back up to heat the house in the winter months? So quite surprised to not find any piping going in to the basement or earth Very far behind NZ/Australia, so best take up the opportunity while all around waste money on heating/cooling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buzzy--bee Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 Are you able to spend more time outdoors than you would in the UK? Yes. The only days when we really can't go out are when it exceeds 40 degrees - 1 or 2 days a year, and then in the evening we walk down to the beach and watch the sun set while lying in the sea. I love Melbourne weather because of the seasons, we don't get frost (down by the bay) so I can grow tropical plants, summer, autumn and spring are well into the 20s - 30s and winter is a pleasant change and much shorter than UK winter. Often in winter we get sunny days into the high teens or even 20. One thing that is very different about Melbourne from the UK is the hottest time of day. In the UK this was always around lunchtime, whereas in Melbourne it tends to be late afternoon or early evening. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 Like their understanding of heat pumps?? https://www.consumer.org.nz/products/heat-pumps/overview#whats-a-heat-pump My understanding is that you drill down into the earth and across lay down pipes to collect the heat from the earth, then bring it back up to heat the house in the winter months? So quite surprised to not find any piping going in to the basement or earth They are geothermal/ground source heat pumps - and are described further down in that article. But in general use around here the term "heat pump" means the type which extracts heat from the air. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith and Linda Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 Central heating is - one heat source - from which the heat produced is distributed to other area's. The one heat source can be varied in the fuel it uses and how it produces heat and also in how the produced heat is then transferred to other area's. All of which forms a 'Central Heating System' A ducted air con System is a form of central cooling, and if reverse cycle, then central heating too. The electric storage heaters (if they still exist) are not a central heating system. Just need to decide on a system that best suits the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parley Posted March 7, 2016 Share Posted March 7, 2016 Central heating is - one heat source - from which the heat produced is distributed to other area's. The one heat source can be varied in the fuel it uses and how it produces heat and also in how the produced heat is then transferred to other area's. All of which forms a 'Central Heating System' A ducted air con System is a form of central cooling, and if reverse cycle, then central heating too. The electric storage heaters (if they still exist) are not a central heating system. Just need to decide on a system that best suits the situation. Yes so our gas ducted heating is central heating also. The gas furnace in the roof pumps the heat out through ducts in each room. Central heating as a term is not very helpful as virtually all the different types of installations used are central heating of one sort or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith and Linda Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Yes so our gas ducted heating is central heating also.The gas furnace in the roof pumps the heat out through ducts in each room. Central heating as a term is not very helpful as virtually all the different types of installations used are central heating of one sort or another. Yep! we had one similar to that once, have to say we found it very efficient, we then went from that to storage heaters and what a load of crap they were. The Term 'central heating' is a bit of a cover all, a little like the term 'hoover' is used for vacuum cleaners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 Probably not parley ...but once again ,and at risk of repeating myself ...NO DAYS BELOW ZERO AND NO SNOW AGAIN THIS WINTER ....Very pleasurable Were you a day or so too early with that post mate. We had a photo from the wifes Sister showing us the snow she had woken up to and the frozen over pond. Mind you she lives near Stockport and I know you live close to Stratford Upon Heaven so it's probably 25 degrees where you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul1Perth Posted March 8, 2016 Share Posted March 8, 2016 https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/hydronic-heating I think these guys have confused central heating with hydronic heating (in that its not a difference its the same thing) Like their understanding of heat pumps?? https://www.consumer.org.nz/products/heat-pumps/overview#whats-a-heat-pump My understanding is that you drill down into the earth and across lay down pipes to collect the heat from the earth, then bring it back up to heat the house in the winter months? So quite surprised to not find any piping going in to the basement or earth Very far behind NZ/Australia, so best take up the opportunity while all around waste money on heating/cooling Far behind? We have a few 50m outdoor pools in Perth using geo-thermal heating. Bit expensive for individual houses I would think though. Mind you the amount we spend on heating in Perth is minimal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Radiators are only suitable for small rooms and take forever to heat up too. The small oil filled electric plug in rads only put out about 1kW max and do take ages to heat up. "Central heating" hydronic systems that pump hot water around rads are a totally different kettle of fish - they will be up to max temp in about 5 minutes and pump out 3kW from an average rad, even big rooms only need a couple and they'll warm it up quickly. It (hydronic central heating) works really well in applications where you want to heat most of the house to at least some degree for fairly lengthy periods - eg in the UK for the winter months - and I presume it would also be attractive in a climate like that in Tassie, no surprise it is used more frequently there. It is much more efficient than gas warm air heating, primarily because the boiler doesn't have to work as hard for so long to keep the temperature inside where you want it Reverse cycle aircon is reasonably efficient because like any heat pump (an aircon is just an airsource heat pump, using the outside atmosphere as the heat sink) it has a multiplier effect - you get more energy out in terms of cooling or heating than you have to put in to the pump. But it works on electricity which from a cost efficiency PoV is less good as electricity is about 3 times the price of gas for the equivalent energy input. Ground source heat pumps act in exactly the same way but are more efficient again because the ground is at a fairly steady temperature so you're not fighting against it being cold outside when you want heating, and hot outside when you want cooling Whatever you use then insulation makes a massive, massive difference, both to cost and comfort levels. Spending lots of money to chuck hot/cold air out of the window or through the roof is a bit silly. It is relatively easy with modern technology to build a house that requires very little energy input for climate control, but retrofitting can be quite hard - and prohibitively expensive if you're talking about trying to retrofit double glazing if you have big windows. Shading in summer to keep the sun off the glass, and blinds/curtains/whatever you like in winter to get some insulative effect and stop the window acting as a reverse radiator (big cold panel) is about as good as most of us can achieve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dxboz Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Never found better than the gas ducted heating I had in Melbourne - loved it!! Heated up so quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNC FABS Posted March 9, 2016 Share Posted March 9, 2016 Speaking from a ventilation industry background. Any ducted system should be 'balanced' with dampers and duct size difference. To achieve an even flow rate and temperature across the house. So I would hope that is something installers do ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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