Heat pump installation in Wellington

Getting a heat pump put in around Wellington usually means we fit a properly sized high-wall or floor unit, run the pipework and drain, mount the outdoor unit, then fire it up and check it. A standard back-to-back install is often done in a day. Size and placement matter more than the brand here.

This is our main job, and it sits at the top of everything else we do across heat pumps in Wellington. Here's how we go about an install, what drives the price, and how we get the size right for the local climate.

Why Wellington homes need installing carefully

A lot of Wellington homes are older timber, single glazed, and right in the path of the southerly. Rooms lose heat fast and the damp hangs around. An undersized heat pump runs flat out and never quite wins. An oversized one short-cycles, dries the air poorly and costs you more than it should.

We size on the actual room: floor area, ceiling height, glazing, insulation and which way it faces. A south-facing lounge in a 1920s villa needs more grunt than the same floor area in a newer, well-insulated townhouse. Getting that call right is the difference between a warm, dry room and a let-down. If you'd like a starting point, you can work out what size heat pump you need in about a minute, then we confirm it on site.

How a heat pump installation works

• Site visit and sizing. We look at the room, where the indoor and outdoor units can go, and the tidiest pipe run between them.
• Brand and model recommendation. We fit all major brands, so we match the unit to your home and budget, not to some dealer target.
• Install day. Mount the indoor head, drill the wall penetration, run and insulate the refrigerant lines, set the outdoor unit on brackets or a base, wire it in, vacuum and charge, then commission and test.
• Handover. We show you how to run it for warmth and efficiency, not just how to switch it on.

Single room or whole home?

For one or two living spaces, a high-wall split system is usually the answer. For a whole house with bedrooms down a hallway, it's worth weighing a multi-split against a ducted heat pump system for Wellington homes, which heats several rooms from one hidden unit. We'll tell you straight which one makes sense for your layout. If you want the lay of the land first, here are the main types of heat pump and who each one suits.

What does it cost?

A straightforward single-room install starts lower than most people expect, while harder runs, multi-splits and ducted systems cost more. We put real figures on the table in our guide to heat pump installation cost in New Zealand, so you can budget before we even visit. If your home was built before 2008, it's also worth taking a minute to check if you qualify for the Warmer Kiwi Homes grant, which can cover up to 90% of an approved heat pump.

All major brands, recommended on merit

We're not tied to any one brand. Depending on your home we might point you at Mitsubishi Electric heat pumps for quiet, cold-climate performance, or another brand that suits the budget better. Compare the Daikin heat pump range and the rest from our brand pages.

Suburbs we cover in Wellington

Wellington city is really a string of very different neighbourhoods, and we install across all of them.

Up in the western hills, Karori, Kelburn, Wilton, Wadestown, Aro Valley, Crofton Downs, Ngaio and Khandallah are full of older timber homes that lose heat fast, so sizing for the actual room matters. Through the south, Newtown, Berhampore, Mount Cook, Brooklyn and Island Bay cop the worst of the southerly, and homes near the water at Island Bay get salt on top of the cold.

Out east, Mount Victoria, Oriental Bay, Roseneath, Hataitai, Kilbirnie, Lyall Bay, Miramar, Seatoun and Strathmore run from sheltered inner streets to exposed coastal sections where we plan the outdoor unit around salt air. North through the valleys, Thorndon, Johnsonville, Newlands, Paparangi, Woodridge, Churton Park, Grenada, Tawa and Linden mix post-war homes with newer builds, each wanting a slightly different approach.

Wherever you are in the city we can help, and you can see the full greater-Wellington list on our areas we serve page.

Local installation across greater Wellington

Beyond Wellington city we install all over the region. If you're out in the valley or up the coast, start with your local page: heat pump installation in Lower Hutt or browse all the areas we serve.

Common questions about installation