Happier, healther children
The happier, healthier, warmer children at Bishopdale Community Preschool are enjoying the creature comforts of being cocooned by NZFoam insulation for three winters now – and the power bills are low to boot!
Accommodating up to 50 children, the Fusion Homes rebuild with NZFoam insulation in the walls, ceilings and underfloor, has proved a measurable success. Centre Manager Sarah Straver has noticed an incredible difference in warmth compared to the previous pre-quake building and the subsequent temporary Preschool.
The 294 metre space has a large main area, for 2 to 5-year-olds, a kitchen, nursery and sleeping room for the under 2’s, staff room, offices and bathrooms. Even though the purpose-built Preschool is four times the size of the previous building – the average monthly power bill is actually less.
“Spring and Autumn only requires one heat pump in the main area – and we turn off by mid-morning,” she says. We only really need to take the chill off the air. “Visitors and staff remark on how comfortable and pleasant it is here. We have five Snowtemp heat pumps but in mid-winter we only have the main heat pump on as long as midday – and it stays warm until 5 o’clock.
Sarah was concerned the floor would be cold, as underfloor heating was not an option. However, it is not cold at all at ground-level, even in the vinyl areas. Coats and mittens are removed on arrival on chilly days, then it is playtime in single layer clothing.
Meanwhile during warmer months, the Snowtemp cooling system only needs to be used in short bursts on a sweltering day.
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