Published 19 April 2015

Miranda on what's so bad about gas heaters

A long, long time ago when I was a university student in Dunedin, it was common practice to heat cold, damp, draughty and poorly insulated student flats with Unflued Gas Heaters (UGHs).

It was a seemingly cheap, convenient way to get direct and controllable heat into our freezing flats. Little did we know about the moisture and toxins that were also pumping into our living environments and the polluting effects on our health.

But now, nearly 20 years on, with all the research and evidence to indicate that these harmful, unhealthy and expensive heaters (expensive to run, that is) should not be used to heat our homes, they are still lining the shelves of our hardware stores at this time of year. So here’s some ugly truths you should know:

• UGHs are the MOST EXPENSIVE to run compared to electric plug-in heaters. Consumer website provides a clear comparison.

• Every hour they operate, UGHs release 0.5L moisture into the room.

• UGHs release toxic gases (nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide) which can affect respiratory health and cause nausea or dizziness.

• UGHs are a greater fire risk than other portable heaters.

• UGHs are banned in parts of Australia for all the above reasons.

So please, if you own one, stop using it. If your family or friends use one, advise them of the risks. And if you feel passionate about this issue, let the store managers know that they should remove them from their stock and stop selling them to uninformed customers. Sustainability Trust is doing what we can too.

We’re part of the Wellington Regional Healthy Housing Coalition, currently working towards getting them banned in NZ too - watch this space!