Business View Oceania | September 2020

62 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA SEPTEMBER 2020 CENTRAL HEAT ING NEW ZEALAND LTD efficient heating appliances supplied by Central Heating New Zealand to heat the water for these systems include the latest technology of gas, liquid fuel, and biomass (pellet, log and chip) boilers. As well as the refrigeration technology air to water heat pumps and high tech geothermal/ground source heat pumps. Lyall Smith, Director and Co-founder of Central Heating New Zealand, recounts the interesting origins of the business: “The company was incorporated in 2002 by my brother Lewis and myself from very small beginnings. We have Irish wives and when they came to New Zealand they felt very cold in our homes, so we needed to do something about that. The heating systems experienced in Europe and North America were amazing, so that was our obvious thought. New Zealand is not as cold as many other countries, but the homes are not heated well and are actually colder to live in. Although there has been some central heating, it was hard to attain and so I suppose we popularised it. That’s our claim to fame out of the last 18 years – making it more accessible.” Currently, about 98 percent of New Zealand homes have a singular heating appliance like a log fire or a split air to air heat pump that heats only the living room, and just two percent warm all or more of the house with central heating. One thing that holds people back is the perception that a full central heating system is expensive and is more than they need. But they have no experience to compare it to. That’s where education to shift priority comes in. Smith admits, “Our systems may seem expensive but we explain the value so they understand that it’s worth the investment, in the feeling and the health you get from central heating.” Central Heating New Zealand’s primary role is as a distributor to other companies across the country, providing bespoke designs and products for new and existing homes and the growing commercial segment of the market. James Steele,