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Post by kokonutwoman on Jun 3, 2009 9:43:07 GMT 12
By KEITH LYNCH - The Press
Last updated 05:00 03/06/2009
The cold snap has forced a freezing Christchurch family of five to move into their lounge.
Father of three David Price, 42, has taken the extreme measure of moving the whole family downstairs. He says it is too cold to go upstairs at night.
Price, who is unemployed after being made redundant in November, said he could not afford another heater for the upstairs rooms of his Housing New Zealand home at Digby Place in Bromley.
The house has a heat pump, which Price said was not enough.
Daughter Chrystal, 5, moved into the lounge over a month ago after she fell ill following the onset of the cold weather.
"My daughter started getting sick ... She was getting very chesty and not really sleeping at night. Chrystal has been in there for about two months," Price said.
The rest of the family joined Chrystal over four weeks ago. Price and his wife, Lisa, 22, are in a double bed brought down from the main bedroom. Daughters Chrystal and Amelia, 2, are on the couch while new baby Connor sleeps in a cot.
"It is uncomfortable," Price said. "I can't socialise with my wife. We're at each other's throats."
The family are spending $9 a day on the heat pump and cannot afford another heater, Price said.
A Housing New Zealand spokesman said the house had underfloor insulation and a heat pump.
"We've had several visits to the house and we're working with him [Price] as much as we are able," he said.
A spokeswoman for Meridian, which provides power at the house, said its customers should contact its call centre if they were having trouble paying bills.
"Meridian encourages all its customers who are having issues with regards to payment to contact us at the earliest instance."
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Post by sparrow on Jun 3, 2009 10:28:48 GMT 12
That's really sad. I'm glad to see the Govt. are doing something about insulation in the budget, but I think it needs to go further. I have never been so cold as living in ChCh. I lived in England on and off for some time and I have never been as cold there, as I am here. NZ houses aren't well insulated and in colder climates (like ChCh) it's rudimentary combined with expensive power prices. I feel for this family.
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Post by maire on Jun 4, 2009 6:53:26 GMT 12
While I feel for them too, I'm wondering why we have got so 'soft'?
That same house would have been lived in, in the past, by people just as poor. They would have had an open fire and maybe a kerosene heater for heating the house. They would have slept upstairs in unheated rooms with a hot water bottle for warmth and not worried about the cold.
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Post by sparrow on Jun 4, 2009 10:47:10 GMT 12
While I feel for them too, I'm wondering why we have got so 'soft'? That same house would have been lived in, in the past, by people just as poor. They would have had an open fire and maybe a kerosene heater for heating the house. They would have slept upstairs in unheated rooms with a hot water bottle for warmth and not worried about the cold. Yep or a coal fire, chippy etc - all things that are being outlawed in ChCh and making it more expensive for people to keep warm. We were one of the first people to get a heat pump in our circle of friends and after having one for years, and years, neither my husband or I would give up a fire. We have both. Our fire is a woodburner and we've kept it for when the heat pump gives up the ghost when the temps fall to -2. The heat pump is supposed to work at -10, but it doesn't. Lol. Also heat pumps can be darned expensive and for whatever reason, power in the South Island costs more than in the North Island (probably because we need it more in winter than elsewhere), but I was stunned at the power prices when we moved here from Auckland. |
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Post by maire on Jun 4, 2009 21:18:46 GMT 12
Graham wants to get one (a heatpump) but I've seen too many negative reports regarding their efficiency in an older home. Ours is circa 1930 with batts only in the ceiling & floorboards with no underfloor insulation, so a heatpump would not be ideal.
We have a logburner which is great, but we're nearly three quarters the way through 2 cords of firewood in only 2 months!!! I admit to being really 'soft' when it comes to the cold and like to keep the house warm.
It must be very hard for those on low incomes down there Sparrow and something more should be done to help. Perhaps colder areas should be allocated more for insulation?
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Post by Lux on Jun 5, 2009 15:31:03 GMT 12
While I feel for them too, I'm wondering why we have got so 'soft'? That same house would have been lived in, in the past, by people just as poor. They would have had an open fire and maybe a kerosene heater for heating the house. They would have slept upstairs in unheated rooms with a hot water bottle for warmth and not worried about the cold. That question you ask made me really think about an answer...A few things popped in upstairs LoL... 1. Remember woollens? Not a lot of kids are wearing real wool these days, though that could be different in the south island, I see loads of kids every day but not alot of woollens...I think this is because the art of knitting is slowly dying with our mums and nannies - cheap synthentics dry fast and are easier to wash and dry. But they don't keep out the moisture, they don't breathe, and they are not as warm, come to think of it you don't see a lot of adults in woollens in my part of the country either. Mostly the guys who work outdoors for a living. 2. More virulent bugs ones that like hanging around and traveling from person to person, multicultural societies thru-out the world now, all sharing a bit of this and a bit of that especially in the cold months. 3. Change in diet our kids aren't as robust as we were, 37 percent of children in NZ are lacking in iron thats interesting isn't it...remember those mutton stews and lamb roasts, mutton and lamb chops, mutton slow roast on a Sunday that fed a BIG family? In ours the youngest was given the knuckle...a tradition we've tried to carry on but we don't have as many roasts as we were used to as kids... Some thoughts anyway. |
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Post by sparrow on Jun 5, 2009 16:45:22 GMT 12
Graham wants to get one (a heatpump) but I've seen too many negative reports regarding their efficiency in an older home. Ours is circa 1930 with batts only in the ceiling & floorboards with no underfloor insulation, so a heatpump would not be ideal. We have a logburner which is great, but we're nearly three quarters the way through 2 cords of firewood in only 2 months!!! I admit to being really 'soft' when it comes to the cold and like to keep the house warm. It must be very hard for those on low incomes down there Sparrow and something more should be done to help. Perhaps colder areas should be allocated more for insulation? Our house is a 1960s bungalow and I hear ya! 1930s though - wow. I'd keep the logburner and if possible, get a heat transfer system. That circulates the heat, but an old fashion ceiling fan would do a good a job as any. Lol. We've put batts in too. No underfloor heating, but that's on the to do list. We got new carpets and that has made a big difference. |
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Post by maire on Jun 5, 2009 18:59:24 GMT 12
While I feel for them too, I'm wondering why we have got so 'soft'? That same house would have been lived in, in the past, by people just as poor. They would have had an open fire and maybe a kerosene heater for heating the house. They would have slept upstairs in unheated rooms with a hot water bottle for warmth and not worried about the cold. That question you ask made me really think about an answer...A few things popped in upstairs LoL... 1. Remember woollens? Not a lot of kids are wearing real wool these days, though that could be different in the south island, I see loads of kids every day but not alot of woollens...I think this is because the art of knitting is slowly dying with our mums and nannies - cheap synthentics dry fast and are easier to wash and dry. But they don't keep out the moisture, they don't breathe, and they are not as warm, come to think of it you don't see a lot of adults in woollens in my part of the country either. Mostly the guys who work outdoors for a living. 2. More virulent bugs ones that like hanging around and traveling from person to person, multicultural societies thru-out the world now, all sharing a bit of this and a bit of that especially in the cold months. 3. Change in diet our kids aren't as robust as we were, 37 percent of children in NZ are lacking in iron thats interesting isn't it...remember those mutton stews and lamb roasts, mutton and lamb chops, mutton slow roast on a Sunday that fed a BIG family? In ours the youngest was given the knuckle...a tradition we've tried to carry on but we don't have as many roasts as we were used to as kids... Some thoughts anyway. And good thoughts they are too Lux, one's that would definitely be relevant to todays families. Re #3 (has to be addressed first ;D) Mmm yum I remember us fighting over the knuckle!!! I still cook a leg of hogget or very rarely mutton, from frozen in a very slow oven all day. Delicious  it's so tender it falls apart. #2 A good point Lux, I didn't think about the multi cultural travel aspect with subsequent virii etc being more prevalent. So logical though and the more travellers coming in from other countries, will of course increase the risk of infectious diseases. There are certain areas in NZ too where asthma and allergy complaints are high, the Hutt Valley being one (which you would know). #1 Woollen clothing does seem to be redundant now with the mass production of synthetic clothing. I remember well dressing my daughter (in 1977) in a beautiful outfit made of synthetic 'wool' and the results of that. We had been into Wgtn hosp to visit my dad after heart surgery, she was getting redder and redder and her clothes were wet!!. Synthetic wool was quite new then, but it didn't take us long to realise it wasn't better. I didn't put that outfit on her again. |
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Post by maire on Jun 5, 2009 19:08:12 GMT 12
Graham wants to get one (a heatpump) but I've seen too many negative reports regarding their efficiency in an older home. Ours is circa 1930 with batts only in the ceiling & floorboards with no underfloor insulation, so a heatpump would not be ideal. We have a logburner which is great, but we're nearly three quarters the way through 2 cords of firewood in only 2 months!!! I admit to being really 'soft' when it comes to the cold and like to keep the house warm. It must be very hard for those on low incomes down there Sparrow and something more should be done to help. Perhaps colder areas should be allocated more for insulation? Our house is a 1960s bungalow and I hear ya! 1930s though - wow. I'd keep the logburner and if possible, get a heat transfer system. That circulates the heat, but an old fashion ceiling fan would do a good a job as any. Lol. We've put batts in too. No underfloor heating, but that's on the to do list. We got new carpets and that has made a big difference. I've been doing my best to talk Graham into getting a heat transfer system. We do have a dvs type system which I'm sure could be adapted into transferring heat into the bedrooms. A friend is partner in the business who distributes the system we have, so I might get the ball rolling and ring him. Graham wants new carpets in the areas we don't have them, lounge, dining room and office, but with a house filled with males who can never remember to take their shoes off at the door, I just don't want to go there  |
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Post by Lux on Jun 13, 2009 17:07:15 GMT 12
I hope this initiative by Govt regarding damp homes makes a big difference for families struggling to heat homes. Insulation should make a difference - and hit the greedy bastard power companies.  |
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it's so tender it falls apart. #2 A good point Lux, I didn't think about the multi cultural travel aspect with subsequent virii etc being more prevalent. So logical though and the more travellers coming in from other countries, will of course increase the risk of infectious diseases. There are certain areas in NZ too where asthma and allergy complaints are high, the Hutt Valley being one (which you would know). #1 Woollen clothing does seem to be redundant now with the mass production of synthetic clothing. I remember well dressing my daughter (in 1977) in a beautiful outfit made of synthetic 'wool' and the results of that. We had been into Wgtn hosp to visit my dad after heart surgery, she was getting redder and redder and her clothes were wet!!. Synthetic wool was quite new then, but it didn't take us long to realise it wasn't better. I didn't put that outfit on her again.
