New heat pump.

[JeffinNZ]

Here in Christchurch solid fuel burners are restricted due the smog levels we get in the winter when the weather is calm. I hate being 100% dependent on eletricity but have light choice. Gas is very costly and of course so is 'dinosaur juice' (diesel).

The existing heat pump in the house when we bought it 5 years ago was an older 4.85kW model. It worked hard and produced squat. Yesterday our new Misti 8kW was installed. What a difference! It has a long reach feature that is great in our long living/kitchen area.

Next is a heap more insulation in the ceiling and retro fit double glazing.

[Roosters]

I’m starting to look forward to building a fire season, also have gas and heat pump. The resent storms have left me with plenty of wood to cut this winter. Here we have 4 definite seasons by the end of each I look forward to the change. Guess my favorites are Spring & Fall. I remember this spring you posted a big snow there. How’s the rest been so far ?

[Mk42gunner]

Jeff,

It has been so hot here for so long that it is hard to believe that other parts of the world are actually having winter like conditions.

More insulation always helps. New windows help too, if only because the new ones fit and seal better than the old ones after the house has settled.

I don't know if they are available in New Zealand or not, but I have been heating with a corn/wood pellet stove the last few years. Not as much smoke as a wood stove; but you still need electricity to run it. It can be ran from a UPS or car battery and inverter when the power goes out.

Robert

[JeffinNZ]

Not even allowed a pellet fire Mk42. When the power goes off we'll sit round a candle. When it gets REALLY cold.......I'll light it...........LOL.

[a.squibload]

You will really appreciate the double-pane windows.

I tried to use a UPS power supply on my previous
pellet stove, it wouldn't kick on when the power dropped.
Got a new stove 2 years ago, will try again.
Thanks, I forgot all about that!

[Blacksmith]

Jeff,

The best return for the money is caulking. Seal all the openings where cold air can get in and heat can get out. Until you get your double glazing clear plastic film covering the windows, held on with tape will make a difference. Instead of a candle get an oil lamp for better light and if you make an insulated metal box with a hole in the bottom and vent holes on top and support it on a tripod over the lamp you can heat water or cook simple things in the box.
http://www.lehmans.com/store/Lights___Oil_Lamps___Table_Lamps___Ellipse_Clear_O il_Lamp___1154465?Args=

A couple other links.
Chimney Heaters:
http://www.thelampworks.com/lw_chimneys_02.htm

Lamp stoves:
http://www.thelampworks.com/lw_lamp-stoves.htm

[DCM]

Big +1 on what Blacksmith said. Sealing air leaks will give you the best bang for your buck.
An infrared camera will help an awful lot with this and will also tell you exactly where you should add more insulation first. It may also show some other issues you may not be aware of.
Many home inspectors in this area offer this service, shop around it is well worth the money rather than throwing money where you think you may need it.
The windows are a great help too but not as much as the air leaks.

For the windows I would recommend getting ones that are made to fit in the existing openings, Kolbe &Kolbe make some excellent ones that we installed in our house, but they may not be feasible for your neck of the planet.
The ones that will fit exactly in the existing openings will cost more per unit than ones that are almost right, but they will save tons of headache and $$ on the need to rework the interior and exterior finishes.

EDIT: I forgot to mention something my brother that is a Glazer taught me, do not get the vinyl framed windows. The vinyl transfers more heat/cold than wood and also distorts more than wood often times breaking the seal between the 2 pieces of glass in the Thermopane.

Sounds like the power company has a monopoly on making the smog for you.:-(

[Roosters]

If you can add insulation to the attic will help too. Have a 24x48 garage that had no insulation, just put 3 1/2 inches in the attic and was surprised at the difference. It made it a lot warmer in winter and cooler in the summer.
And I would freeze if I didn’t burn wood.. It will warm you twice, once cutting & splitting and again burning. . . .

[JeffinNZ]

We looked at the uPVC window frames and decided against them purely and simply because of the ultra harsh UV we get in this part of the world. I don't care how they manufacturer says they have been tested our aluminum frames will still be good in 50 years. I will bet a penny to a pound that the uPVC will go belly up long before then.

[44man]

I use wood. My oil burner has never been used since I moved here.
Electric is a myth. It needs fuel to generate it and costs more. All it does is move the pollution to another location.
In cold climates you need back up electric baseboard heaters. More money!
Electric cars do not save a dime in the end. They brag about not buying gas but never mention the electric bill.
Wind and solar energy sounds good but you need to carpet the country with machines and panels that cost more. You pay more.
The best right now are natural gas turbines but you can't drill. If you do, the EPA regs increase costs.
There is no easy solution.
Solar on the house is tricky. A friend spent $30,000 but when a power failure hit he had to shut it off. It back feeds the lines and creates a danger to line workers. There is no way to keep his just in the house.
The government is full of stupid people that think we harness lightning.

[popper]

Solar rechargeable out side patio lights work great inside. Use house paint on the vinyl, will eliminate the UV problem. Vinyl is better than alum, heat wise.

[runfiverun]

come on you guy's..
i have been sealing/caulking/repairing the wood work,and windows, and painting my house for a couple of weeks now.
painting the plastic window frames does protect them from the u.v. you have to paint the caulk too.
i come here to chill and you remind me i should be dangling from the ladder 28' up in the air.
yes it is taking me a long time.
it's scary up there, the house is 115 years old,with a rediculously steep roof pitch.

[44man]

come on you guy's..
i have been sealing/caulking/repairing the wood work,and windows, and painting my house for a couple of weeks now.
painting the plastic window frames does protect them from the u.v. you have to paint the caulk too.
i come here to chill and you remind me i should be dangling from the ladder 28' up in the air.
yes it is taking me a long time.
it's scary up there, the house is 115 years old,with a rediculously steep roof pitch.
You are doing good. Anything to save from paying more. Yet you are still working and spending.
I have only door frames to maintain, no house painting, no window frames. Everything else on my house is covered with vinyl or aluminum.
It gets COLD but some years I only use a few ricks of wood. I have firewood left from the original owner from 30 years ago.
A friend says it the alien spacecraft under my house. [smilie=l:

[DCM]

I did forget to mention that I got the aluminum clad wood frames on my Kolbe & kolbe windows as I hate the thought of all the maintenance on the exterior.
One of the reasons I have Al. siding too, but I would rather have masonry.

[Lloyd Smale]

I put argon filled tripple pain windows all through my house and just that cut my heating bill in half and i live where its COLD. It also is much cooler in the summer and i rarely need my ac anymore. I see now they have 4 pain windows.

[44man]

I put argon filled tripple pain windows all through my house and just that cut my heating bill in half and i live where its COLD. It also is much cooler in the summer and i rarely need my ac anymore. I see now they have 4 pain windows.
Wonderful, I wish they would have been here when I changed my windows.

[DCM]

These are the ones we used. http://www.kolbe-kolbe.com/products/index.cfm?pcID=4&pID=51&pCat=3&pSubCat=20&pSeries=1&pl=118
They have other models with triple panes.

[leadman]

Jeff, you are correct about the vinyl. I live in Arizona and everything made of some type of plastic will not last long.
The car interiors are mostly shot in 10 years or less. you can peel off chunks of the door panels and dash with your fingernails.
I had a new travel trailer I bought in 2005, by 2007 the weatherstripping was all shot. Replaced it twice and then painted it with latex house paint and it didn't rot again.