Gas heating
Gas for heating your home can include natural gas piped into your house from gas mains, or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) bottled gas.
You usually pay a charge for gas (either a lines/pipe charge or initial charge and bottle hire) regardless of how much you use, just like you do for electricity. It’s therefore most economic to put as many appliances as possible (heating, water heating, stove top, oven, etc) onto gas rather than just one or two.
When choosing a gas heater, ask about condensing gas heaters. These are much more efficient than normal gas heaters, and will help reduce your energy bills.
Although burning natural gas and LPG obviously emits more carbon dixoide than using a fully renewable energy source, they emits less than burning coal or oil. With Carbon dioxide emission close to that of the average electricity generated in New Zealand gas is the cleanest fossil fuel to use.
Gas heating options
Natural gas and LPG heaters have an energy efficiency range of 25% – 92%. This means that they give 25 cents to 92 cents worth of heating for each dollar of gas used.
Flued gas heaters
There is a range of flued natural gas or LPG heaters available including modern flame effect fires and more traditional models. As a rule, having a flame effect makes a fire less efficient than a similar model without a flame effect.
Gas fires can be fitted into existing fireplaces or be freestanding. In many cases no hearth is required for the freestanding models.
Heater flues for gas fires can be run out of the house in any direction, horizontally and vertically. This means that gas heaters don’t need to be on an outside wall and can be installed almost anywhere in the home.
It’s better to use flued gas heaters with a vent to the outside than unflued gas heaters.
Unflued gas heaters and portable LPG heaters
Unflued gas heaters, including portable LPG heaters, have no vent or chimney to carry away emissions.
Emissions include water vapour, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide. These are all released directly into the room. This can make your house damp and harm your health if there isn't enough fresh air ventilation.
Keep at least one window open to allow fresh air to enter the room and waste gases to escape.
To learn more about safe use of unflued gas heaters, go to the resources listed under ‘More information’ below.
Decorative heaters
Some ‘flame effect’ fires are primarily designed to ‘look nice’ rather than be a source of heat. As a result they can have heating efficiencies as low as 5% to 25% as the majority of the heat is lost straight up the chimney flue.
Make sure you ask what the efficiency is of any flame effect gas fire you are thinking of buying if you really need it to provide heat.
Installation requirements
Gas heaters and other gas appliances should always be installed by a licensed gas fitter.
More information
- For information on using gas safely refer to the Energy Safety website
- For information on best safe practice go to Unflued Gas Heaters and Your Health on the Ministry of Health website
- For consumer information about gas cylinders and servicing go to the LPG Association’s website.
