Comfort with a view

Laid-back Takapuna is known for its beautiful white-sand beaches and seaside cafes serving fish and chips. This stunning area in Auckland is now home to an amazing architecturally designed home by Bossley Architects.

With floor-to-ceiling double-glazed windows, the proud owners make the most of the seaside views from the underground floor, ground level, and level two. With four bedrooms, an entertainment area, study, kitchen, dining, bathrooms, all with polished marble floors, the need to create evenly heated spaces with rapid response throughout the home was a necessity.

Central Heating New Zealand partnered with Phil Reed from Gas Serve to provide the client with a very special heating solution. Central Heating’s engineering team completed heat-loss calculations and specified the system which included 2000m of underfloor heating pipe to ensure the radiant heat is evenly distributed.

The Heating System

The system that would provide the most comfort was the VarioComp warm water Underfloor Heating system which is a thin profile panel that can be laid over new or existing floors. VarioComp 11.5mm water pipe is laid in the panel and spaced closely. This enables the heat source powering the system (in this circumstance a Baxi condensing gas boiler) to operate at a very low temperature providing excellent efficiency and reaction time. The VarioComp is also ideal for low-temperature renewable energy heat sources such as geothermal or air to water heat pumps.

VarioComp Underfloor

VarioComp Installation

After the VarioComp panels and pipe have been laid, a compact filling compound is applied to fill the panel voids giving a flat surface for the floor coverings to be applied. The total height of the VarioComp system is 20mm making it ideal for retrofitted buildings or in very thermally efficient new buildings. It is also much lighter weight than concrete based underfloor systems so ideal for second levels or joisted floors. Floor coverings can be installed directly onto the VarioComp system.

The water-filled pipes carry warmth through the home with the radiant heat emanating directly from the floor. It is healthy, comfortable and provides the ideal heat distribution for the human body (warmest at the feet, coolest near the head).

VarioComp with screed

"VarioComp underfloor system was the product of choice for our customers. Due to the size of the building, Central Heating New Zealand needed to ensure that the heat source could produce the required output to keep the home at the desired temperature - Paired with a high-efficiency Baxi condensing gas boiler and an underfloor manifold connecting the VarioComp system on each level of the home, the house will be extremely comfortable all year round." Phil Reed

Phil’s customers can now enjoy the warmth of the sun while on the beach in summer, then in winter,  feel enveloped by the same radiant heat throughout their home – without traveling to the Gold Coast!