It’s the question we get asked more than any other: “What’s it actually going to cost me to run?” Fair enough too. A heat pump is a solid investment, and you want to know it’s not going to give you a nasty surprise when the power bill turns up. So here’s an honest look at what a heat pump costs to run in a New Zealand home, and what you can do to keep that number down.
The short answer
A modern heat pump is one of the cheapest ways to heat your home. For every unit of electricity it uses, a good heat pump produces roughly three to five units of heat. Compare that to a plug-in electric heater, which gives you one unit of heat for one unit of power, and you can see why heat pumps win on running cost.
For a typical lounge-sized heat pump, you’re often looking at somewhere in the range of 40 to 80 cents an hour to run, depending on the unit, the weather and how warm you like it. Over a Manawatū winter that usually works out a good deal cheaper than heating the same space with electric heaters or a lot of other options.
Are heat pumps expensive to run?
Short answer: no, not when they’re sized and installed properly. A heat pump is one of the cheapest ways to heat a New Zealand home, and it’s a long way from the power-hungry reputation some people still give it. The reason comes back to that three-to-five figure above. A plug-in electric heater turns one unit of power into one unit of heat. A good heat pump takes that same unit of power and moves three to five units of heat into your room, because it isn’t making heat, it’s shifting it. That’s why the running cost lands so much lower than most people expect.
Where heat pumps get an unfair rap for being expensive to run is when they’ve been set up poorly. An undersized unit running flat out in a cold Manawatū snap, an oversized one short-cycling, or a draughty home bleeding heat out the gaps will all push the bill up. Get the sizing and the install right in a home that holds its heat, and a heat pump is comfortably cheaper to run than the electric heaters, portable gas or open fires it usually replaces.
What does a heat pump cost to buy and install in NZ?
This is the other half of the question, and it’s a fair one. Running cost is only part of the picture. The upfront cost of buying and installing a heat pump depends on a handful of things: the size and type of unit, whether it’s a single high-wall head or a multi-room or ducted system, how tricky the install and cable run are, and whether your switchboard needs any work to safely add the circuit.
Because those factors vary so much house to house, an honest price only comes from measuring up your actual rooms, not a number pulled off the internet. That’s why we quote on-site and for free. Here’s how we work so there are no surprises:
- Free on-site quote. We come out, measure your rooms, check your switchboard and cable run, and recommend the right system for your home rather than the priciest one on the shelf.
- Honest, itemised pricing. Our labour is charged at $95 per hour plus GST, with a fair markup on materials. You’ll see what you’re paying for before we start.
- A quote you can sit on. Our quotes are valid for 14 days, so you’ve got time to think it over or talk it through at home.
- A 50% deposit to lock it in. For heat pump installs we usually take a 50% deposit to secure the unit and book you in, with the balance on completion.
If you’re searching for heat pump prices near you in Palmerston North or the wider Manawatū, the most useful next step is a real quote for your home, not a ballpark that may not fit your place. We’ll give you an honest number and explain exactly what’s in it.
What actually drives your running cost
A few things make the difference between a heat pump that sips power and one that drinks it:
The size of the unit versus the room. This is the big one. An undersized heat pump runs flat out trying to keep up and never quite gets there. An oversized one short-cycles and wastes energy. A properly sized unit runs efficiently in its sweet spot. This is exactly why we measure your rooms before we recommend anything.
How well your home holds heat. Insulation, curtains, draughts and double glazing all matter. A well-sealed home keeps the heat the pump produces, so the pump runs less. A draughty villa loses it out the gaps, so the pump works harder.
The temperature you set it to. Every degree higher costs more. Setting your heat pump to 20 to 21 degrees is comfortable for most people and far cheaper than cranking it to 25.
How you use it. Running a heat pump steadily at a sensible temperature is usually cheaper and more comfortable than blasting it hot, turning it off, and blasting it again when the room goes cold.
How to keep the cost down
Here’s the advice we give our customers:
- Set it and leave it. Pick a comfortable temperature, around 20 degrees, and let the heat pump hold it. The constant on-off approach costs more.
- Use the timer. Warm the house just before you get up or get home, rather than heating an empty house all day.
- Clean the filters. A blocked filter makes the pump work harder. Give them a wipe every few weeks. It takes two minutes and genuinely saves power.
- Get it serviced. A heat pump that’s clean and well looked after runs more efficiently. We can sort that for you.
- Shut the doors. Heat the rooms you’re using. There’s no point paying to warm the hallway.
Heat pump vs other heating
People often ask how a heat pump stacks up against what they’ve got now. As a rough guide, a heat pump usually costs a lot less to run than plug-in electric heaters, and it’s far more controllable than a fireplace. The exact comparison depends on your home and your power plan, but in most Manawatū homes a heat pump is the most efficient way to stay warm.
The bottom line
A heat pump is one of the most cost-effective ways to heat a New Zealand home, but the running cost comes down to getting the right size unit, installed properly, in a home that holds its heat. That’s the part a lot of people get wrong, and it’s the part we get right.
If you want a real number for your home rather than a rough guide, get in touch for a free quote. We’ll measure up, recommend the right system, and give you an honest idea of what it’ll cost to run. Have a look at our heat pump installation page for more on how we work.