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Natural gas space heating is an efficient and economical method of home heating. It is extremely popular in Ireland and id the most common source of heating in apartment blocks and large municipal buildings such as hospitals, schools and general industry.
Ireland is blessed by the fact that that we have a wonderful source of gas on our doorstep. Kinsale gas field, off the coast of County Cork is a productive field discovered and operated by Marathon Gas.
The Kinsale head gas field started production in 1978. The field is produced through two platforms, Alpha and Bravo, with Bravo production routed through the Alpha platform, co-mingled with the Alpha production and exported via a 24-inch pipeline to the onshore distribution system. The Irish government then set up a project, which piped the gas to the main cities and towns of the country. This project is still active with supplies being spurred to smaller and more remote towns. The disadvantage with this is that it impossible because of economic scale to service rural areas.
Any home can use gas space heating. In areas where natural gas is not available, heaters can be run on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or ‘bottled’ gas), although currently this is a significantly more expensive option. Note that natural gas and LPG are not interchangeable in individual heaters. You will need to specify the fuel appropriate to your area prior to purchasing a heater.
Most gas space heaters display an Energy Rating label with 1 to 6 stars. This label identifies the energy efficiency of the heater—the more stars, the more efficient. Energy efficient units produce more heat for each unit of gas consumed—a 6 star unit will cost up to €100 less a year to run than a 1 star unit of the same capacity (on natural gas).
Convective gas heaters circulate warm air around a room. They include wall furnaces; floor-mounted console units; and some gas log fires. Convective heaters perform best in well-insulated, draught-free areas with low to moderate ceiling heights, where warm air can quickly fill the room.
Radiant/convective heaters produce some of their heat by direct radiation from hot surfaces. They include console units with red-hot ceramic panels and some gas log fires and gas fired potbelly heaters.
Radiant/convective heaters are more effective in warming areas with higher ceilings than convective heaters. Some gas log fires are classified as ‘decorative’. These are generally inefficient and are not suitable as the primary heater in a room.
Most gas heaters either radiant or convective are flued. Some console convective heaters and gas log fires use ‘balanced’ or ‘power’ flues, which connect directly through an external wall to the outside, and use external air for combustion. Balanced flue heaters generally have a high level of energy efficiency. Adequate ventilation is essential when operating un-flued heaters, which may lead to large heat losses through room air leakage and draughts. Your heating supplier is responsible for advising on the correct level of ventilation required.
Flued gas space heaters will adequately heat areas from 30sqm to 100sqm. Un-flued heaters will heat areas up to approximately 70sqm. Gas space heaters are suitable for living areas. They are not appropriate for installing directly in bedrooms, but could be located in a hallway adjacent to such rooms. They are also unsuited for utility areas or for individual heating of small rooms (e.g. separate studies).
Un-flued heaters regularly lose heat during use, wasting heat produced and causing draughts. Convective or fan assisted models can circulate dust. Un-flued heaters produce small amounts of irritant and/or noxious fumes during combustion (flued heaters exhaust these to the outside). LPG-fired heaters currently cost approximately two and a half times more to run than natural gas heaters, and need space for a storage cylinder
Accurate sizing is essential before buying a space heater unit. It is recommended that you should consult an expert and draw up a detailed heat load survey by a qualified technician recommended by the heater’s manufacturer or retailer.
See our Find a Professional section on www.heatingIreland.com
Under or oversized units will give poor performance. As a guide, allow 100W heat output per square metre of floor area if your ceilings are insulated, and 80W per square metre if both ceilings and walls are insulated. Un-insulated houses will require higher levels of heating.
A thermostat ensures that heat is not wasted through overheating. Space heaters have integral thermostats, although radiant/convection models often lack them. A setting of 18–21°C is adequate for living areas. Programmable thermostats and timers is recommended as they allow greater heating flexibility and can potentially lower running costs Ceiling fans help to distribute heat quickly around the rooms, being particularly useful in rooms with higher ceilings (fans cost less than one cent an hour to run)
The simplicity, effectiveness, and availability of supplies make gas a very favoured option for home heating in Ireland
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