Home and water heating
Home and water heating
If your home is cold, you’re not alone. Winter temperatures in a third of Kiwi homes are below the World Health Organisation’s recommended minimum of 18°C (source: HEEP NZ Study).
How it works
Heating can burn through a lot of energy. Here we’ll look at how you can keep a home warm and heat water with less energy and save money in the process.
Heating your home
Heat pumps are one of the most cost-effective ways to heat and cool your home – in fact they produce more energy as heat than they use.
Put simply, they work by extracting free heat energy from the air outside your home, and transferring it inside your home. They don’t bring in fresh air, so are not ventilation devices. But because they’re simply reheating or cooling the air that’s already in the room, they’re more energy efficient.
While heat pumps are great for heating large spaces such as living areas, the upfront cost may be hard to justify for smaller spaces and bedrooms. Electric heaters such as panel heaters can be a good option for these areas as they’re cheaper to buy. But they’re also more expensive to run, so make sure they’re ‘smart’ with a thermostat and timer, or programmable, to avoid wasting electricity.
Water heating
Hot water accounts for a whopping 30% – or even more – of household power bills (Source: Consumer NZ's hot water energy saving tips). You can reduce that by:
- Reducing the amount of hot water you use by installing low flow showerheads, fixing dripping hot taps and just taking shorter showers
- Keeping hot water hot for longer, by insulating hot water cylinders with cylinder wraps and pipe insulation which are sometimes called lagging and both available from hardware stores.
Learn more about heating your home and water
How much it costs
Heat pumps
It depends on the size of the space you want to heat, the type of heat pump and energy rating label – the more stars, the more energy efficient. Here’s a rough guide to the cost of a single heat pump, including hardware, installation and GST:
- For a small living area: $2,000 - $2,500
- For a medium sized living area: $2,500 - $3,500
- For a large living area: $3,000 - $5,000
(Source: Heat Pump Guys)
Smart Panel Heaters:
- Around $400 on average
To find the one for you, try the Efficient Appliance Calculator from Gen Less.
Water heating
- Water efficient shower heads: from around $150 - $250, or you could choose to install a flow restrictor yourself for around $10
- Hot water cylinder wraps: from around $70
- Hot water pipe insulation: around $5 per metre
- Solar DC assisted electric hot water cylinders (4 solar panels and DC element) installed from $4000
- Heat pump hot water systems from $6000
- Solar AC power systems (16 panels and inverter) from $8000
Find out more at Gen Less.
Good Energy Upgrades are just one step away
Maintenance
Heat pumps need regular maintenance to perform at their best. The main task is cleaning the filters, which you’ll need to do at least every few months, as well as keeping the vanes and fins where the warm air comes out clean. The outside unit needs to be kept clear of vegetation or debris that might be blocking airflow and grilles, and regularly checked for corrosion. It’s also a good idea to get a professional to give it a once-over annually.
Benefits
Benefits for the planet
Using renewable energy
Using energy more efficiently means less need to top up New Zealand’s renewable energy supply with electricity generated by burning coal and gas.
Reducing air pollution
Replacing popular but less efficient wood burners – especially older ones – with clean, efficient heat pumps reduces air pollution from smoke particles and other contaminants.
Saving water
As well as reducing the cost of heating water, installing low flow showerheads and fixing dripping taps conserves water – an increasingly precious resource. Hot water systems use around a third of household energy, so making them more efficient is one of the best ways for a household to reduce cost and carbon emissions, especially when moving from gas to electric systems.
Is it right for you?
Everyone can benefit from making their home more energy efficient. But there are a lot of options, so where do you start?
It depends, of course, on your home and your budget, and you don’t have to do everything at once. For example, you should focus on improving your insulation before thinking about upgrading your heating, as otherwise you’ll lose the heat you’re paying for through ceilings, floors, walls, windows and gaps.
And while options like heat pumps are big investments that may not be doable in the short term, there are a lot of things you can do right now to make your home warmer and more energy efficient. Things like stopping draughts, wrapping hot water cylinders or installing window film are relatively simple and inexpensive ways to improve the efficiency and comfort of your home.
Other things to think about
Heat pumps
All heat pumps offer a modern, low-carbon solution – but some are more efficient than others. If you’re thinking about buying one, compare Energy Rating labels before you buy.
Warmer Kiwi Homes Programme
Depending on your situation you may be eligible for a Warmer Kiwi Homes grant from the government. Grants can cover:
- 80-90% of the total cost of ceiling and underfloor insulation
- Up to 80% of the cost of an approved heater, e.g. heat pump.
How to get home and water heating
HomeFit
HomeFit is a straightforward way to check if a home is warm, dry, efficient and safe. You can use it to check a home you’re looking to buy or rent, or if you want to know how you can improve your current home. It starts with a simple free online check.
If you would prefer to speak to someone you can arrange for an independent HomeFit assessor to visit your home and provide recommendations on improving it, or to verify that it meets the Healthy Homes Standards (mandatory for rental properties) or HomeFit (useful when selling).
HomeFit was developed by the New Zealand Green Building Council and is proudly supported by ANZ.
Important information
The material is information only and you should seek professional advice about your circumstances. While we’ve taken care to ensure the information is reliable, we don’t warrant its accuracy, completeness, or suitability for your intended use. To the extent the law allows, we don’t accept any responsibility or liability arising from your use or reliance on this information.