Published: 13 April, 2020

8 tips for heating your home efficiently

It’s important to keep our homes warm so we can stay healthy—but many Kiwi homes can be hard to heat due to their low-quality construction and lack of insulation.

Here are some tips on how to make savings while keeping warm and being efficient with your budget.

1. Set your heaters to a minimum of 18°C.

18°C is the minimum temperature to set your heater to for warmth and energy efficiency, the lowest temperature recommended by the World Health Organisation to keep warm and healthy. If you’re living with young children or seniors you might like to set your heater up to 21°C, but setting it higher wastes power.

2. Only heat spaces you’re using.

If you’re not using a room regularly throughout the day don’t waste electricity heating it. If you leave a room or your house to go for a walk, it is cheaper to turn off your heater while you’re out and then turn them on when you get back. Only heat rooms and areas of your home you’ll be spending a lot of time in. Shut doors between rooms and corridors to keep heat trapped in the rooms you’re using.

3. Block draughts to keep the heat in.

Heat can leave room through gaps in doors and around windows. Make a DIY draught stopper by stuffing a rugby sock with newspaper, or rolling up a towel. Set it snugly against gaps at the bottom of doors and windows to prevent heat from escaping.

Shut your curtains just before the sun sets—but keep them open during the day to let heat from the sun in.

4. Heat pumps are the most efficient type of heater.

Heat pumps are three times more efficient than plug-in electric heaters. Unlike plug-in electric heaters, heat pumps produce more energy than they use, which means you’re getting more heat for your electricity than with any other kind of heater.

Set your heat pump between 18-21°C. Use the “Heat” mode rather than the “Auto” mode. Set the fan to “Auto”.

Make sure to clean your heat pump filters regularly—at least once every three months. Check the heat pump’s instruction manual for directions on cleaning the filters, or check for instructions online, like on EECA’s Energywise. Keep the heat pump’s external unit clear from plants, debris, and other obstructions to help it run more efficiently.

Under COVID-19 Alert Level 4, you won’t be able to have a heat pump installed—but if you’ve already got one, it’ll provide you with the cheapest possible heating.

Wood burners are more efficient than plug-in electric heaters, so are a great option too—especially if you’ve got access to free or cheap, dry firewood. Under COVID-19 Alert Level 4, firewood is an essential service, so you can order firewood—but you won’t be able to have a wood burner installed if you don’t already have one.

5. Choose a plug-in electric heater that’s right for your needs.

Under COVID-19 Alert Level 4, heaters are essential items and can be purchased from online retailers.

Plug-in electric heaters can useful in smaller spaces like bedrooms, but they aren’t as effective at warming large rooms as a heat pump or a wood burner.

All plug-in heaters are equally efficient, so no one type produces more heat than any other—but some types, like heaters with a fan, may be better at circulating heat around the room.

Each plug-in electric heater has a wattage that can help you choose what size heater is right for the room you want to heat. For a bedroom, generally a heater between 1000-1500 W is suitable. For a medium-sized living space, the maximum wattage available, 2400 W, is suitable. Tenancy.govt.nz’s Heating Assessment Tool can give you an accurate understanding of your heating needs.

If you’re purchasing a new heater look for a model that has a thermostat—it’ll turn off automatically when your space reaches the set temperature, meaning you’re not using more power than needed.

You can find out more about different types of heaters at EECA’s Energywise.

6. Figure out how much your plug-in electric heater costs to run.

You can use your plug-in electric heater’s wattage to calculate how much the heater will cost to run. The wattage can be found on the heater’s packaging or on the heater itself, usually on a label near the heater’s power cable.

250 W = 7 cents an hour
500 W = 14 cents an hour
1000 W = 29 cents an hour
1500 W = 43 cents an hour
2000 W = 58 cents an hour
2400 W = 69 cents an hour

These costings assume a cost of $0.29 per unit of electricity, the average across New Zealand, and that the heater is running continuously for an hour—if your heater has a thermostat, it’ll turn off from time to time when your space reaches the set temperature, so it may not cost as much.

7. Don't use an unflued gas heater.

Unflued gas heaters are gas heaters that aren’t connected to a pipe or chimney which takes exhaust gases outside your home. They produce dangerous pollutants that can harm your health, and water vapour that can make your home damp. Read more about the risks with unflued gas heaters at the Ministry of Health’s website.

8. Call your power company if you’re worried about your bill.

Keeping warm is vital to health, especially in winter. Talk to your power company if you’re having trouble paying your bill—they’re here to help, especially in tough times, and can connect you with assistance from the government and community services if you need it.

Changing your payment schedule or power plan to one better suited to your circumstances can make a big difference, and your power company will be able to talk you through the best plan to support your needs.

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