Previously I have covered DVS, ‘HRV’ and Moisture Master heat recovery and dehumidifying systems, but this week it is the turn of the best form of heating and cooling system in NZ today.
In Europe you have a central heating system that comprises of a gas boiler, metres and metres of copper pipe and big radiators. The heating side of the system is only good on cold days and so does nothing on hot summer days. The radiators take up wall space, so limiting where furniture can be placed. The system is all automatic though: this means that you could set when the system turns on and off including different times for the weekends and you can control the output by a thermostat.
What you can have in the houses in New Zealand is a heat pump, which pumps hot or cooled air into a room. These can be located inside the house at floor or ceiling level. Sometimes there is a compromise on where these can be placed.
The system I am going to now talk about is one that can heat or cool as many rooms as you like, takes up no internal wall space and is almost unnoticeable. The system consists of an external heat pump unit much like the ones a lot of people already have, but the internal unit is in the loft or under the house instead of on the wall. The heated or cooled air is pumped into each room where you want it and the outlet on the ceiling looks similar to a DVS/HRV outlet.
So this system gives you all the benefits and economies of a heat pump and a European central heating system and be almost invisible instead of big ugly radiators or internal heap pump units on the walls.
The one of the disadvantages, if you could call it that, is that you are not recovering heat from the loft/attic space like a DVS/HRV/Moisture Master system.
I love the idea that I can warm or cool the whole house not just the living space(s). No change to my interior furnishings or walls and it is as economic as a heat pump, as that is what it is.
The ducted air conditioning systems are available from Daikin and Fujitsu.
And what is their power source? Because if we have electricity blackouts how comfortable will your home be?
You can what if forever.
What if you had a flood? How wet would your logs be?
The answer to the power cut is always a generator.
As heat rises, is this the ceiling the best place to be heating your home.
What is the cost of these systems.
I made some enquiries and it can range from $3,500 to $7,000.
We are about to extend and renovate a house with good underfloor space but no ceiling space at all. It will have 2 bedrooms, an open plan lounge, dining, kitchen with a conservatory and two bathrooms (in the Bay of Plenty). I like the sound of the units you described. Do you think it would be suitable. We have an ordinary heat pump in our current home and like the heated air system but as the new place is quite small floor ducting sounds better to me. What are the floor ducts like? Appreciate your thoughts.