Clean heat alternatives

While cheap to purchase, electric heaters tend to be inefficient to run. And, although they may be OK to heat a small room, they’re often not the best option to heat your whole house. They don’t produce smoke, but their inefficiency means they still aren’t great for the environment.

While solar PV can’t heat your home on its own, it can provide emission-free renewable energy to keep your heat pumps or other electric heating sources going, avoiding reliance on energy from the grid.

While we’re lucky in New Zealand to get over 80 per cent of our electricity from renewable sources, coal and natural gas still contribute to the energy mix that powers our homes.

Under the right conditions, solar panels can pay themselves off in around 8 years, then deliver free energy for the next 20.

In recent years, their efficiency has continued to increase and the cost of installation has fallen dramatically, making them and increasingly appealing option for those that can afford the initial upfront investment of around $10,000 or a ‘rental’ option (paying nothing up front but being locked into a long term contract).

Solar thermal is different to solar PV as it can only be used to heat up your water and not for generating electricity. It’s a much more efficient way of getting hot water but also comes with higher maintenance costs and a shorter lifespan.

Pellet burners burn compressed wood pellets made from recycled sawmill waste and produce very low emissions compared to regular wood burners.

Gas is clean burning, but make sure you choose flued gas – unflued can fill your house with nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide as well as water vapour which can make your house damp.

Modern wood burners that meet the NES emissions requirements are also available. The type, dryness and size of the wood, along with the way the burner is operated and maintained, can all affect the burner’s emissions and efficiency.