Elaine Marriott and her husband David installed gas central heating into their home in Hawke’s Bay over 2 years ago. We talked to Elaine about why she loves having central heating in her home.
Disappointment over the performance of their compliant fireplace was the final tipping point that made the Marriotts move to central heating.
“When we built our house 28 years ago we installed a fire. When we came to replace it we had to install a compliant fire. That just didn’t do the job so after 2 years we took that out and decided that we would try central heating.
I think we went to 3 places for quotes and Sean stood out from anyone else. He knew his stuff. We compared prices but the main thing was to go with someone who was going to do a good job so we chose East Coast Plumbing and Gas.”
Although Elaine’s husband is British and grew up with the benefits of central heating, the Marriotts weren’t that knowledgeable about the options. When Elaine met David she was living in a house with classic kiwi heating – a roasting living room heated by a wood fire and freezing cold bedrooms and bathroom.
It might have taken her a while to come around to the idea of central heating but now she’s got it she could never go back. Elaine says that once they were ready for Central Heating; she found that talking to Sean Patrick at East Coast Plumbing and Gas gave them all the information they needed to make a good decision.
“We didn’t know a lot about it but Sean was so good at explaining it all. He was very patient in answering all our questions and we went through a lot of detail.
I remember him coming around at the end of the working day and spending as much time as we wanted with him while he explained all the options and why he would put this radiator here or there and where he would recommend putting them and how they would operate.”
With Sean’s support, Elaine found it easy to choose a single style of radiator that worked for the whole house. Next came the decision on how the Central Heating system would be fuelled.
“We talked through the different energy options but we liked gas because we knew it was a common way of heating water so we were comfortable with that as a solution. We didn’t have gas in the house at the time or a gas supply down the street so now we run our heating from gas cylinders.”
Each house is different and part of the service you get from East Coast Plumbing and Gas is matching the right central heating system to your home.That helps you to make sure you get maximum performance from your investment. The Marriott’s home has a large floor plan an L-shaped structure: that was partly what made it hard to heat with a fireplace.
“The trouble with the [wood] fire was that it’s a big house and it’s a funny shape. It’s a big L-shaped house and we had a heat transfer system but it just didn’t take the heat down to the other end of the house. With this [central heating] system and a radiator in each room you get heat all through the house.“
Elaine chose East Coast Plumbing and Gas because of their professionalism and that carried through from Sean’s time explaining the options to the installation of the new system in their home.
“When it came to the installation they didn’t disappoint. It was a big job because it’s a big house so there’s lots of radiators. The install went really smoothly. They were a great team, they were very respectful and tidy and it had all been well planned.”
The Marriotts have been enjoying living with their central heating system for a couple of years, so we wanted to know – did it make the difference they hoped for?
“It was May when we got it installed so it was starting to get cold. I still get the same thrill when I get home because we used to have to come home, set the fire, clean out the ashes, bring the firewood in. David would spend the whole night carting firewood in from the garage.
Now we come home and the house is already warm and I haven’t had to do anything and every single room is warm and I can’t speak highly enough of it. It’s a lovely heat. Fires are very drying and heat pumps can be noisy. This is a very comfortable heat.”
The thermostatic control of central heating gives the Marriotts complete control of the temperature of their home. This isn’t just a more comfortable way to heat your home, it’s also more efficient and supports better sleep and health.
“It’s not healthy being cold, it just isn’t good for you. We find it so nice being able to have the temperature you want in the house all the time.
We’ve split the house into two zones and each zone is separately thermostatically controlled. We don’t like sleeping in warmth so the bedroom zone is set at a lower temperature to the thermostat in the living area. It’s a nice feeling to know you’re not sleeping in a hot bedroom and then there’s that extra bit of warmth in your dining room or sitting room.”
The comfortable level of heat has definitely made a difference to Elaine and David’s home – giving them the ability to enjoy every room in every season, no matter what the weather’s doing outside.
“It’s made us realise how important it is to heat your house properly. If I’m asked whether I recommend Central Heating I say definitely. It heats your house with a quiet, effortless heat and we love it.”