If you have made it through a Manawatū winter you know the score. The frosts roll in, the house holds the cold, and the power bill creeps up as everyone tries to stay warm. So it is a fair question we get asked a lot: what is actually the cheapest way to heat a home around here?
Here is an honest breakdown of the three main options, what each really costs to run, and where each one makes sense.
The three ways most Palmy homes get heated
Most people are choosing between plug-in electric heaters, a wood fire, or a heat pump. They all make heat, but they cost very different amounts to run, and that is where it pays to know what you are getting into.
Plug-in electric heaters
Electric heaters are cheap to buy and easy, which is why nearly everyone has one. The catch is they are the dearest way to make heat over time. Every unit of power you put in gives you one unit of heat back, no more. That is fine for a quick warm-up in one room, but run one for hours every evening through winter and it adds up fast on the bill.
Best for: a short top-up in a small room, not heating a whole house all winter.
Wood fire or log burner
A good log burner throws out a lovely heat, and if you can get firewood cheap or free, the running cost per hour can be low. But it is not the whole picture. Firewood costs money for most people, you are loading and cleaning it, the heat mostly stays in one room, and a new install with a flue and consent is one of the pricier options to set up. Older fires can also be less efficient than people think.
Best for: one main living area, especially if you have a reliable, cheap wood supply.
Heat pump
This is where the numbers get interesting. A heat pump does not make heat by burning power, it moves heat from the outside air into your home, so for every unit of power it uses it can deliver around three to four units of heat. That means roughly a third of the running cost of a plug-in electric heater for the same warmth. On top of that you get steady, thermostat-controlled heat across the whole room, and it dries the air out too, which matters in our damp Manawatū winters.
Best for: warming a whole living area, or the whole home, comfortably and cheaply all winter.
So what is cheapest over a Manawatū winter?
For most homes, a heat pump wins on running cost. It gives you the most warmth for every dollar of power, holds a steady temperature without you thinking about it, and handles the damp as well as the cold.
A wood fire can be cheaper per hour if you have a free wood supply and you only need to heat one room. And electric heaters are fine for the odd quick top-up. But if you are heating a home through a full Palmy winter, the heat pump is usually the one that comes out ahead.
The one catch: upfront cost
The trade-off is what you pay to get set up. Electric heaters are cheapest to buy, a heat pump sits in the middle once you factor in the install, and a new wood fire is often the dearest to put in. But it works in reverse for running costs, so the heat pump usually pays that difference back over a few winters, then keeps saving you after that.
Our honest take
If you want the cheapest, most comfortable heat over a Manawatū winter, a well-sized heat pump is hard to beat. The key words there are “well sized” - too small and it struggles, too big and it wastes power. That is the bit we sort out for you, so you get a unit that suits your home and your budget.
If you are weighing it up, get in touch for a free quote and we will talk you through the right option for your place. No pressure, just honest advice from a local team who does this every day across Palmerston North and the Manawatū.