Heat Pumps
Heat pump are a versatile and energy-efficient heating solution that can also provide cooling during the warmer months, offering year-round comfort for any New Zealand home.
Your Store
Change Store
Use current location
-
from
stores found
from
stores found
Features
PLACEMAKERS
Pricing will be shown based on this store.
Opening Hours
How to select the right heat pump for your home
Choosing the right heating for your home can be complicated, but it doesn’t need to be! Learn more about selecting the right heat pump for your home below.
Many New Zealand homes are notoriously under-equipped for the winter months, leaving a lot of homeowners feeling the cold or struggling to keep their energy costs down. This is due to a number of factors, including poor insulation and damp conditions – but inadequate heating is a big part of the problem too.
A heat pump may be the ideal solution, as they are more convenient than wood or pellet fires, and are safer and more efficient to use around children and pets than either of those options, as well as gas or electric heaters. They can also be used for both heating and cooling, providing year-round comfort.
How they work
Heat pumps don't create heat, they simply move available heat from one place to another. As a result, heat pumps are one of the most energy-efficient forms of heating available in New Zealand.
Most people now know that homes need to be kept at a temperature of 18-20 degrees Celsius to be healthy, but not everyone understands how heat pumps can maintain temperature without costing the earth.
Below is a quick rundown of some of the latest heat pump technologies and features, and what the terminology you might see on different products means. This will hopefully make it easier for you to choose a model that will keep you comfortable, while lowering your energy use, environmental impact, and bills!
Human sensors
Human activity sensors can monitor human body locations in a room, including movements and absences. Energy and heat automatically adjust to human activity, such as increasing cooling settings when a room is full (of warm bodies) or turning off when the room is empty. This auto-adjustment keeps energy use (and power bills) to a minimum.
Your local PlaceMakers team can help source what you need to get the job done!
Why are products marked Direct from Supplier or POA?
These products are ordered directly from the supplier or another branch for you. Our branch team will call you to confirm if we can source the product and let you know delivery time frames and costs (if any).
Once you accept this you will be provided a payment link to complete your purchase.
Here's what we'll do for you:
- This product is not currently sitting in your local store.
- Request this product by adding it to cart and completing check out.
- You will not be charged today.
- Next, your local team member will give you a call to help order it in, just for you.
These items are specifically sourced for you, and cannot be returned unless faulty, read more.
Alternative Products (0)
These products are similar and available as another option if your original product is unavailable.
sUNLIGHT SENSORS
The sun is our most valuable (free) source of heat, and it can really affect the temperature inside a room with heat transfer through walls and windows. Sunlight sensors auto-detect heat and adjust to increase/decrease temperature to make the most of this free resource, whether it’s overcast and cool, sunny and warm, day or night.
Wi-Fi
Using Wi-Fi, you can control your heat pump remotely from your sofa, elsewhere in your home, or even out and about. This feature is great if you’ve forgotten to use your pre-programmable settings or when things change – such as the weather, or your own plans! This feature is now commonly available as an add-on or built-in to certain models.
Your local PlaceMakers team can help source what you need to get the job done!
Why are products marked Direct from Supplier or POA?
These products are ordered directly from the supplier or another branch for you. Our branch team will call you to confirm if we can source the product and let you know delivery time frames and costs (if any).
Once you accept this you will be provided a payment link to complete your purchase.
Here's what we'll do for you:
- This product is not currently sitting in your local store.
- Request this product by adding it to cart and completing check out.
- You will not be charged today.
- Next, your local team member will give you a call to help order it in, just for you.
These items are specifically sourced for you, and cannot be returned unless faulty, read more.
Alternative Products (0)
These products are similar and available as another option if your original product is unavailable.
Air filtration
Filtration systems can help to remove unwanted particles from the air, such as bacteria and mould spores. Some systems and filters can de-activate up to 99% of bacteria and viruses, plus deodorise bad smells. Some models are accredited by Asthma NZ.
Your local PlaceMakers team can help source what you need to get the job done!
Why are products marked Direct from Supplier or POA?
These products are ordered directly from the supplier or another branch for you. Our branch team will call you to confirm if we can source the product and let you know delivery time frames and costs (if any).
Once you accept this you will be provided a payment link to complete your purchase.
Here's what we'll do for you:
- This product is not currently sitting in your local store.
- Request this product by adding it to cart and completing check out.
- You will not be charged today.
- Next, your local team member will give you a call to help order it in, just for you.
These items are specifically sourced for you, and cannot be returned unless faulty, read more.
Alternative Products (0)
These products are similar and available as another option if your original product is unavailable.
Refrigerants
Historically, the most widely used heat pump refrigerant in New Zealand was HCFC-22 (known as R22). This has a moderately high greenhouse warming potential (GWP) and low ozone depletion level (ODP). As part of the Montreal Protocol, the NZ Government is phasing out HCFCs, so since January 2015, more refrigerants with less environmental impacts have become available. According to Sustainability Trust, R32 is currently a good choice of refrigerant.
Your local PlaceMakers team can help source what you need to get the job done!
Why are products marked Direct from Supplier or POA?
These products are ordered directly from the supplier or another branch for you. Our branch team will call you to confirm if we can source the product and let you know delivery time frames and costs (if any).
Once you accept this you will be provided a payment link to complete your purchase.
Here's what we'll do for you:
- This product is not currently sitting in your local store.
- Request this product by adding it to cart and completing check out.
- You will not be charged today.
- Next, your local team member will give you a call to help order it in, just for you.
These items are specifically sourced for you, and cannot be returned unless faulty, read more.
Alternative Products (0)
These products are similar and available as another option if your original product is unavailable.
Choosing the right size
Heat pumps are a popular addition to most homes, given that they deliver heat generally at 3:1 above the kilowattage drawn off the grid. In practice, this means that for every 1kW of energy drawn, they give out 3kWs of heat.
The heat pump must be powerful enough to heat or cool the room sufficiently, otherwise the unit will run flat-out constantly and struggle to get the room to temperature. This will result in high running costs and frequent defrost cycles on the colder nights and mornings.
It is also important not to install a unit too big for the area, otherwise it will be draughty, noisy, and turn on and off all the time, giving you an uneven room temperature and unnecessary annoyance.
Choosing an oversized heat pump for a living area and hoping to heat the entire house is not effective in most situations. Certain home layouts can benefit from a small amount of heat flow to other rooms, but the location and capacity of the unit must be carefully considered.
A very general rule of thumb (indicative only) is that 0.12kW of power is required per square metre of the room’s footprint – so a 50m2 room might require a 6kW heat pump.
It’s important to remember that size isn’t everything. When it comes to your home, you also need to consider how well insulated it is, the orientation, and your local climate.
For a home that is insulated in the floor, ceiling, and walls, and double-glazed, use a factor of 50. Increase this by 5 for anything that may be lacking in the home (no insulation or double glazing requires a factor of 65).
It’s best to choose a heat pump that is a bit higher than your calculation, so that it’s not overworked.
Single-split systems
A single-split system is the most common heat pump in New Zealand, with one outdoor unit connected to an indoor unit that heats the room it’s installed in. Single-split systems are pretty easy to have installed and they're also cost-effective.
Multi-split systems
Multi-split systems connect one outdoor unit to multiple indoor units to heat different rooms in your home. These systems are good options for larger homes, or if you want to have several indoor units without having multiple units outside. With both single and multi-split systems, you can choose from a floor console, ceiling console, ceiling cassette, or high-wall unit.
Consents and installation
You do not need a qualified and registered person to install the heat pump.
You do need a licensed electrician to connect the unit to the electrical supply. You should receive an Electrical Certificate of Compliance and Electrical Safety Certificate post installation.
In most cases, especially residential, installing a heat pump doesn’t require a building consent. However, making a penetration through the building exterior increases the chance of incoming moisture, and most external walls are load-bearing, so the position of the penetration should be considered carefully.
Making a hole up to 300mm through an external or internal wall doesn't usually require a consent.
However, before you undertake any work involving external wall penetrations, you should get professional advice.
Other considerations
Heat pumps should be correctly installed and located as far away from property boundaries as possible, to avoid creating excessive noise for neighbours.
When heat pumps are installed incorrectly, they can exceed noise level limits – particularly at night. It’s also worth noting that some heat pumps are noisier than others, and you don’t want to disturb you, your family, or your neighbours if the one you choose could do so.
If you live in an apartment, shared walls will need to be considered and a suitable location, such as a balcony, be identified to install the outdoor unit.
The information provided in this article has been collated from Ministry of Environment, Sustainability Trust, Consumer NZ, government agency Gen Less and heat pump suppliers.
EXPLORE HEATING OPTIONS AT PLACEMAKERS
PlaceMakers is your partner in building, and we're here to help get you stay sorted with knowledge and rewards to keep you ahead of the game.
Gas Fires
Gas fires offer a warmth and elegance, perfect for creating a cosy and inviting space in any New Zealand home. With their realistic flame effects, they provide the charm of a traditional wood burner.
Wood Burners
There’s nothing in the world like lighting a fire on a cold winter’s night, then sitting back and watching the mesmerising glow of crackling wood.
Electric Heating
Electric panel heaters offer a convenient and efficient solution for keeping your living spaces warm. Designed to provide consistent and gentle heat distribution within your room.
Gas Heating
Utilising gas as a heat source is a fast and efficient way to heat air. Flued gas appliances provide fast, dry heating solutions for your home.
Outdoor Heating
Kiwis love outdoor living but with unpredictable weather an outdoor heating solution is often required to take the chill out of the air.
Home Ventilation
Ventilation helps the circulation of fresh air through your home. It allows moisture and airborne pollutants to escape, and fresh clean air to be drawn into your home resulting in better air quality.
BATHROOM HEATING & VENTILATION
A bathroom heater is a great addition to keep you and your family warm in winter after a bath or shower, and to heat the room ensuring comfort during the cooler months.
WE'RE ALL OVER H1
Want to be 'All over H1'? Clause H1 of the New Zealand Building Code, which regulates the energy efficiency of buildings, is undergoing its biggest changes in more than a decade. The first phase of implementation began on Thursday 3 November 2022, with a further set of requirements beginning from 1 May 2023.
Heating Catalogue
Your guide to home heating, cooling and ventilation products. With so many product options and pathways to achieve a similar result, it can be overwhelming deciding what is best to suit your home when it comes to home heating, cooling and ventilation. What we seek at the end of this journey, is a healthy and comfortable environment.
