B8 Controlling the temperature of the living environment
B8.5 Active heating of houses 
An active heating system uses energy to heat the house. Some examples of active heating systems include wood heaters, gas heaters, electric fan heaters, radiators and reverse cycle air conditioners. Active heating systems can consume large amounts of energy and money. Standard plug-in electrical heaters, typical in many communities, can cost over $27 a day to heat an average house. Wood heaters can consume up to 28 kilograms of wood a day. A well designed house will reduce the need for active heating and an efficient heating system can also reduce running costs to residents.
Heated houses can quickly become stuffy and a lack of fresh air entering the house can cause problems for people with asthma and may contribute to the spread of respiratory disease. Government regulations prevent the use of gas heaters in bedrooms. Gas heaters without a flue can produce harmful gases inside the house.
Survey data show that relatively few houses were subject to cold conditions, with only 147 houses recording an ambient temperature of less than 15ºC at time of survey. Surveys occur during daylight/work hours and the coldest temperatures would generally be recorded at night or very early in the morning.
Design and specification
Ensure:
- the house has been designed and built or upgraded for cold conditions
- the rooms to be heated can be sealed against cold draughts.
Consider:
- installing efficient slow combustion wood heaters where fire wood is available and constructing a small covered area for the storage of firewood
- venting the fire place to improve the efficiency of the fire
- providing built-in gas heaters with a flue where gas is readily available and affordable
- if using electric heaters, providing built-in ceramic heaters or electric panel heaters or energy efficient heating systems in the living areas and bedrooms
- in very cold climates, using in-slab heating systems
- locating the heater near surfaces with high thermal mass such as concrete slab floors and stone or masonry walls to store excess heat and re-radiate it when the heater has been turned off
- installing convection ducting or mechanical systems such as heat shifting fans to distribute heat from the heated area to other rooms in the house
- installing low volume air-exchange fans to draw some fresh air into the room.
Quality control
During construction and before making the final payment, check that:
- heaters are supplied and installed according to the manufacturers requirements and according to building regulations (gas heaters will require a certificate from a licensed gas fitter)
- wood heaters are located the minimum required distance from walls and flammable materials and are placed on a non-flammable hearth
- vents through the floor, wall and roof for wood and gas heaters are sealed against vermin and flashed to prevent water penetration.
Maintenance
As part of cyclical maintenance, check that:
- heaters are working efficiently and safely
- the doors on wood heaters close and seal properly
- there are no cracks in the glass face of gas or wood heaters
- non-flammable materials around a wood heater are intact
- flues or chimneys are cleaned regularly.
To reduce running and maintenance costs:
- consider developing timber wood lots using waste water and use the harvested timber for fire places
- monitor the temperature in houses and the cost of heating to identify more energy efficient housing designs and heating systems.
| Heating | Percentage of houses, or temperature, or number of windows | Total houses surveyed | Change since 2003* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum winter temperature regularly less than 0°C | 20% | 3,661 | + |
| Minimum winter temperature 0°C –10ºC | 54% | 3,661 | ++ |
| Minimum winter temperature greater than 10°C | 26% | 3,661 | |
| House performance in cold conditions | |||
| Houses where outdoor temperature was less than 15ºC at time of survey (ambient shaded air temperature) | 4% | 3,653 | |
| Houses that provided no improvement on the outside air temperature | 23% | 147 | |
| Average improvement in all houses surveyed, when outdoor temperature was less than 15ºC at time of survey | 3.2ºC | (147) | |
| Houses that provided 0°C–5ºC improvement | 58% | 147 | |
| Houses that provided 0°C–10ºC improvement or better | 77% | 147 | |
| Outside the house | |||
| Wind break planting in the yard | 22% | 3,662 | |
| Verandah on three sides of the house | 10% | 3,661 | |
| Verandah on four sides of the house | 8% | 3,661 | |
| Insulation | |||
| Roof insulated | 34% | 3,660 | |
| No roof insulation or unknown | 66% | 3,660 | |
| Walls insulated | 22% | 2,788 | |
| No wall insulation or unknown | 78% | 2,788 | |
| Windows | |||
| Total windows―all houses | 49,888 | 3,662 | |
| Windows—average number per house | 13.8 | 3,662 | |
| Windows not functioning OK | 24,209 | 3,662 | |
| Windows—average number not OK per house | 6.7 | 3,662 | |
| Houses with all windows OK | 18% | 3,662 | |
| Heating systems | |||
| Some heating system | 48% | 3,660 | ++ |
| Combustion heater (wood or solid fuel) | 31% | 3,660 | << |
| Plug-in electric heaters | 5% | 3,660 | << |
| Gas heating not ducted | 5% | 3,660 | |
| Open fire | 4% | 3,660 | << |
| Reverse cycle heating not ducted | 3% | 3,660 | << |
| Ducted reverse cycle heating | 1% | 3,660 | |
| Ducted gas heating | 0% | 3,660 |
* See ‘Changes in the conditions of houses’ for an explanation of the symbols used in this column.
Standards and references
AS1691 – 1985 Domestic oil fired appliances – Installation – Amdt 1 Sept 1985
AS/NZS2918 – 2001 Domestic solid fuel burning appliances – Installation
AS/NZS1200 – 2000 Pressure equipment
Australian Council of Building Design Professionals, BDP Environment Design Guide, Royal Australian Institute of Architects.
Building Code of Australia, Part 2.3.3 Heating appliances; Part 3.7.3 Heating appliances; Part 3.12.3.1 Chimneys and flues; Part 3.12.5 Services
Lane, A. House warming, Bush Tech #16, Centre for Appropriate Technology, Alice Springs
Pholeros, P. & South Australian Aboriginal Housing Unit 1998, Temperature Control and Health, pp. 1-4.
Hollo, N 1997, Warm house cool house: inspirational designs for low-energy housing, Choice Books, Marrickville, New South Wales.
Pholeros, P 1997, Energy and Water Use Required for Health in Housing on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands North West of South Australia, for UPK Nganampa Health Council Inc., Alice Springs, pp. 9-10.