House warming

Winter is here and if your existing heating is leaving you cold, it may be time to upgrade to a new flame.

FIREPLACES

Jocasta Bronwasser, director of Jetmaster Fireplaces WA, said fireplaces were not only a heating source, but also added a lifestyle element to a home.

“Everyone loves the radiant heat of a wood-fuelled open fireplace — it is the cosy heat that warms your hands and your cheeks that we remember from our childhoods,” Ms Bronwasser said.

There are different types of fireplaces available depending on your requirements, including gas, wood, electric and ethanol-fuelled.

Gas was a convenient option that offered instant heat but, with gas prices rising, Ms Bronwasser said the popularity of wood fireplaces was increasing. Electric and ethanol-fuelled fireplaces were popular options for apartments, where fluing options could be limited.

As well as a heating source, fireplaces also double as a decorative feature.

GAS HEATERS

The Good Guys seasonal appliance expert Andrew Foard said a key benefit of gas heaters was that the heat produced was comfortable and spread evenly throughout the space.

Mr Foard said gas heaters also emitted less greenhouse gases than electric heaters and were ideal to heat big spaces, such as lounges and living areas.

Although WA’s gas heating choices were mostly portable and unflued, convection heaters were a popular choice because of their energy- efficiency.

Energy Saver gas heaters (with a minimum 4.3 stars energy-efficiency rating) were the most sought-after, and Mr Foard said these were an ideal choice for those susceptible to allergies or respiratory problems.

“They are a fixed appliance that require installation, and the power flue system in many models expels the combustion products outside, leaving the air inside fresh and healthy,” he said.

BIOETHANOL

As well as the style factor, bioethanol-fuelled fires offer versatility, with no hard connections and no chimney or flue requirements, enabling them to be installed in many spaces including apartments, so long as allowances are made for ventilation, according to Michelle Farnan, director of Enviroflames.

Ms Farnan said they could also pack a punch when it came to heat output.

“There is a misconception that the fires are for ambience only and give no heat, this is definitely not the case,” she said. “The kilowatt (kW) heat output starts at around 2.5kW and goes up to a whopping 9kW.

“The beauty of a bioethanol fire — unlike a fire that needs flues and chimneys where you lose a large percentage of the heat up the chimney — is all the heat is retained in the room.”

ELECTRIC

To heat a small area with little initial outlay, electric heating is a good option, according to Harvey Norman electrical franchisee Lindsay Griffiths.

Mr Griffiths said column heaters were ideal for bedrooms as they were more efficient and safe around children.

Panel heaters were an option for bigger rooms, as they could heat up to 24sqm and could be hung on a wall or easily wheeled around.

Mr Griffiths said the latest trend in electrical heating was ceramic tower heaters, which were suitable to heat areas up to 24sqm — for example, the innovative Dyson Hot + Cool Fan heater, with precise temperature control and design that features no blades or grilles.

Reverse-cycle split systems — which could heat or cool depending on the setting — were also a popular home heating option, Mr Griffiths said.

“They are very efficient,” he said.

Warmth by design

Heating has become a design feature in its own right, though Philip Griffiths, WA chapter president of the Australian Institute of Architects, said this trend was nothing new, with heat sources in buildings prior to World War II designed to impress.

“Heating always was a feature of house design from the most primitive early dwellings to the present,” he said. “The heating source in some of the earliest remaining buildings to the time of World War II were clearly intended to be a feature and to provide more than warmth. They were designed to impress, and to provide a sense of home.”

Mr Griffith said there was now a move back to the traditional notion of hearth and home.

“Even though many homes are air-conditioned, or are environmentally engineered so as not to require a standalone heater, many homeowners choose to have a visible and well-designed heat source,” he said.

“Though we have moved away from the traditional fireplace in every room, most new houses will have at least one prominent fireplace, or its equivalent.”

What’s hot

Tim Stokes, heating manager at Subiaco Restoration in Subiaco, said there were now so many heating options to choose from, proving vital warmth could also be a way of adding style and cutting-edge design to your interiors.

“Wide, landscape-style gas fires are extremely popular this year due to the trend of mounting a TV of a similar width above the fireplace,” he said.

“Fireplaces are available up to 1800mm wide but, if the aesthetic balance between the fire surround and the TV is important to you, you’re sure to find a size to suit.”

Low-gas consumption fires were also in demand among discerning customers mindful of running costs.

“Glass-fronted fires are often capable of being the primary source of heat for large open-plan living areas in winter, which means reverse-cycle heating can be turned off and only used for cooling in summer.”