GAS: A FUEL USED FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31657, 18 April 1968, Page 14

GAS: A FUEL USED FOR MORE THAN 100 YEARS

fßy V. W. MATTHEWS, Sales Manager, Christchurch Gas, Coal and Coke Ltd.) For more than 100 years, gas has provided energy in the form of heat, lighting and power. The impending introduction of natural gas in this countrymakes this a very exciting phase, and the gas industry is standing on the threshold of a period of unparalleled expansion and development in which major revolutionary changes will take place. Those areas which will not be directlyserved by this source of supply will, no doubt, receive indirect benefit from these revolutionary changes, and this, combined with the increasing desire of the public for more comfort in their homes and their consequent willingness to pay for a higher standard of living, must, and will, increase the use of domestic gas considerably. One has only to look at the pattern of the development overseas in countries such as the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, and, more recently, the

United Kingdom and Australia, to see what j the effect of this intro- ■ duction of a new fuel P and new methods has I meant to them, and, no doubt, a similar pattern will follow in this • country, where we have I the advantage of being ' able to benefit from - their knowledge and i experience, and yet, at the same time, we will be able to apply the newer techniques of exploiting this form of energy. ■ It will open wide the domestic market where the major household uses are cooking, water heating, space heating and air conditioning, incineration, refrigeration and clothes drying, with an increasing demand for out-door living appliances such as barbeques, terrace heater, heated swimming pools and garden lights. Space heating by gas must have a tremendous future, whether it is provided by central heating or radiant heaters, or by a combination of the two. The advent of television alone has demanded higher standards of home comfort, and people who once were quite content to

huddle round an open fire or the odd electric heater now demand more elaborate systems, such as airheating units with ducts leading to a number of rooms, through which warmed air is gently fanned. These units are controlled by time switches and room thermostats which automatically maintain any desired temperature, and while in use here is a total absence of dirt and drudgery. Looking even further ahead, the children of these families that are fortunate enough to have this modern method of heating installed will grow up with no practical experience of the open fire, and the drift from this traditional heating method will gain impetus as they set up their own homes thinking of central heating as a necessity.

For those people who may desire what may be called luxurious comfort, a fair proportion of high temperature radiation is essential, and this can be obtained by the additional installation of any one of the numerous types of ultra-modern gas heaters available. These

gas-fired heaters have experienced a similar renaissance in appearance and efficiency to their solid fuel counterparts, and the growth in their use is expected to continue. Because of the increasing demand for these appliances, manufacturers have turned to new methods and designs, one important advance in gas appliance technology being the automatic ignition of gas by piezo-electri-city.

Among the more sophisticated improvements incorporated in the latest domestic gas heaters are thermostat control (just dial the heat you want from the top-mounted control and the heater cuts down automatically at the pre-selected temperature), convected hot air (a tengential fan speeds the warm air to every corner and within a few moments the chill is gone from your room), battery ignition; and when the heater case is finished superbly with the beauty of natural teak or tola wood, these appliances become a striking piece of room furniture. By no means a new

discovery in gas space heating is the infra-red heater, which, because of its distinct advantages Over most methods of heating, has increased in popularity each year, and because of the demand for this type of heating, which is mainly used in canteens, factories, shops and warehouses, and so on, the manufacturers have had to produce a smaller model suitable for domestic uses. This heater expels a gas-air mixture through a large number of tiny holes in ceramic plaques forming the burning surface. This burning mixture attains a temperature of up to 900 degrees centigrade and beams infra-red rays on the area within its range. The main advantages from this method of heating are as follows: Draughty places can be eliminated. Heat can be isolated to selected areas. Heat can be radiated downwards from heights of up to 60ft. Valuable floor space can be saved, as these heaters are either wall-mounted or fixed directly overhead.

Reasonably easy installation with little or no maintenance costs.

The need for gas water heating will automatically follow in the footsteps of gas space heating, as the two are closely related, and with the steady improvement in our standard of living over a period of years we have now found that hot water in greater quantities has become a necessity. Surveys show that in every normal home a housewife needs hot water at least 35 times during each working day, many times more when there are babies or young children to care for. To this cooking, cleaning and washing use add the hot water needs of the rest of the family and it will be found that hot water is the most needed and most used service in today’s home. A very recent development overseas has been the combination of a warm air heater and integral water-heating system, and no doubt our New Zealand manufacturers will shortly produce a similar system as the demand increases. There are numerous types of gas

water heaters available to suit all requirements, the most popular of these being the circulator and storage cylinder. The popularity is no doubt because of the special rate which applies when this unit is in constant use. This fact is very important, as it means- that all of the gas consumed in the home is charged for at this special rate, which could result in a considerable saving in fuel costs.

Under normal conditions, with a family of four or five persons, a circulator of an output of approximately 14,000 B.T.U.s an hour connected to a cylinder of 25-gallon capacity should provide an adequate service.

For the larger homes or commercial institutions that require greater quantities of hot water, there are models of gas water heaters that give recovery rates between 20 gallons to 200 gallons an hour, thus assuring a constant supply at all times.

The instantaneous multi - point water - heater has a definite future for the many homes where perhaps the existing hot water service is inadequate, although not old enough to replace. These types of gas water heaters are, to a certain extent, a refinement of the old “califont” and are available in various sizes, ranging from the smaller models to supply the sink only to the larger models suitable for supplying all the household needs. The multipoint water-heater is still proving very popu-

lar in the modernisation of houses and conversion programmes, and because of the unit being wall-mounted, no floor space is wasted. Incorporated in the unit is a safety device which allows the burner to ignite only when the tap is turned on and the water actually flowing, no pre-heating being necessary.

Confident that gas is the fuel of the future and must capture the public imagination as it has done overseas since the introduction of natural gas, some gas undertakings in this country have forecast a doubling of consumers over the next 10 years and have already planned new areas for reticulation at the earliest possible date. The gain in domestic consumers -is expected not only to increase the space heating and water heating sales, but to go even further and capture a good percentage of the cooker market.

Over the last several years there have been great achievements in gas cooked features and designs, which now place gas cooking today at least on a par, if not ahead of, any other means of cooking.

Because of these new features and designs the image of gas has been raised considerably, and where years ago people looked and shuddered at the old black cast iron topped cooker, today it is virtually impossible to notice any difference from their electric counterpart.

In some of the latest gas cookers the units

can be flush-mounted with only the controls and the hinged oven door projecting beyond the plane of the kitchen wall. The hotplate can be built into fitted furniture in the modern kitchen and located as to position and height in accordance with the wishes of the housewife. Stainless steel fairings are provided to ensure that both units can be fitted neatly into place without any gaps showing.

Most gas cookers today have automatic ignition to the hotplate burners, while some have press-button battery ignition to the high-level grill and oven as well. Some models are completely automatic—a meal can be placed in the oven and by setting a time control dial to the times when cooking is to begin and end, the gas will turn itself on at a preset time and turn off when the cooling operation is completed. These advantages, as well as others such as glass door panels, ovenlights and rotisseries, are only some of the many that will ensure the future of gas cooking in the home. Commercially, in hotels, cafes, canteens, hostels and institutions, and so on, the majority of chefs use gas for their cooking requirements because of its extreme flexibility and high speed.

The fantastic number of gas lights which have been sold in the United States and Canada in recent years is common knowledge. Their use in city gardens, squares, home

gardens and on the front patio of most homes is in fact greater now than when used in the gas light era. Because of our climate in New Zealand our mode of outdoor living is becoming increasingly popular, and here also gas must take its place as it has done overseas. Patio lights, swimming pool flares, garden lights and barbeques will mean better and cleaner out-door living, with more enjoyment.

In calculating the comparative running costs of gas and electricity, I have allowed for an estimated input of 9,000,000 B.T.U.s that could be required to provide heat and power for an average size home over a period of two months. For costing purposes, gas is at the all-domestic rate, electricity on the domestic scale, and relative efficiencies have been taken into consideration. GAS: 9,000,000 B.T.U.s equal 20,000 cubic feet. Cost, $24.19. ELECTRICITY: 9,000,000 B.T.U.s equal 2637 kilowatts. Cost, $26.01. It is interesting to note, at the time of writing this article, that a newspaper report says a Hamilton company has secured a contract with a Texas oil firm to drill for oil and gas near Murchison. A New Zealand company drilled in the same area about 1930 and got a good showing of gas, but finance in those days was limited.