Napier is one of the few places in New Zealand where people buy a heat pump as much for January as for July. NIWA notes that most of Hawke's Bay gets over 2,000 hours of sunshine a year, and a still summer afternoon in Onekawa or Pirimai can leave a house hot and stuffy well into the evening. Then the cooler months bring their own test, with frosty mornings that bite harder once you head inland past Greenmeadows towards Taradale and Meeanee.
The housing adds another layer. Much of the city was rebuilt in the Art Deco years after the 1931 earthquake, and plenty of single-glazed homes from that era still line the streets of Napier South. Marewa is full of solid bungalows and Westshore and Ahuriri take the salt off the bay. Here are the six firms we'd phone first.
Signs a Napier home is ready for a heat pump
In Napier the call often comes in summer, when a bedroom becomes unbearable at night, as often as in winter. Any of these is a good reason to get a quote.
- Upstairs or west-facing rooms stay hot long after sunset and nobody sleeps well through February.
- You still light an older wood burner or open fire on frosty nights, or you're planning to sell and it may not be allowed once the house changes hands.
- The outdoor unit at a Westshore or Ahuriri address is rusting, or its fins look crusted and flaky.
- An Art Deco or bungalow lounge warms up but the back bedrooms never do, a sign that a multi-room setup deserves a look.
- The unit blows weakly, drips, or smells musty when it starts. Read up on heat pump faults before you call.
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1. AirControl Hawkes Bay Ltd - Heat Pump Specialists
Tamatea, Napier
A family-run Tamatea team built around Toshiba and a long warranty
Working from Rochester Street in Tamatea, AirControl Hawke's Bay does nothing but heat pumps and air conditioning, for homes and commercial clients from Wairoa and Mahia down through Hastings and Central Hawke's Bay to Dannevirke. It is a family operation, and its installers hold IQP registration.
Toshiba is its main partner. The team sells and installs Toshiba single split, multi split, ducted, floor console and cassette units, plus air-to-water heat pumps that warm the house and the hot water together, and it can quote on Carrier and Mitsubishi as well. Selected Toshiba systems carry a 10-year residential warranty with five years of full parts and labour. All brands are serviced and repaired, and an annual maintenance plan is available.
Why they made the list
Customers keep coming back to quick installs, value for money, respectful staff and tidy work, and the family feel gets a mention too. The long warranty on selected units is a real point of difference, and a free quote with no obligation makes it easy to compare.
9 Rochester Street, Tamatea, Napier 4112
AirControl Hawkes Bay Ltd - Heat Pump Specialists listing See AirControl Hawkes Bay Ltd - Heat Pump Specialists's website
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2. Butler & Hewitt Ltd
Onekawa, Napier
Onekawa appliance and heat pump people since 1978, with Panasonic accreditation
Butler & Hewitt has looked after Hawke's Bay homes from Niven Street in Onekawa since 1978, which makes it one of the longest-running names here. Appliances are a big part of the business: it repairs washing machines, fridges and dishwashers and sells new and second hand appliances.
Its heat pump work covers high wall, floor mounted and ducted units, and more recently hot water heat pumps. It is a Panasonic Elite Dealer and accredited Panasonic installer, and it will fit a unit you bought somewhere else. The owner is a fully qualified electrician with residential, commercial and industrial experience, and the business is IQP registered. Quotes come with a home visit, and it can help with EECA and HBRC heat pump grants.
Why they made the list
Friendly staff and capable technicians are what people praise most, followed by heat pump installs, punctuality and clear explanations. Nearly five decades of repairing machines means it understands what goes wrong and why. If you've already bought a unit, or you want help with a grant from the regional council, this is a sensible place to start.
31 Niven Street, Onekawa, Napier 4110
Butler & Hewitt Ltd listing See Butler & Hewitt Ltd's website
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3. Compass Energy Ltd, Electrical inspector/ Electrician Napier,Hastings,Havelock north,Hawkesbay.
Taradale, Napier
A Taradale electrical inspector who installs Daikin heating and cooling
Compass Energy can sign off electrical work as well as carry it out. Based on Anderson Road in Taradale, it is run by a registered Electrical Inspector who handles high-risk, pre-purchase and solar inspections and caravan electrical warrants of fitness, alongside domestic, commercial and industrial electrical jobs. Plain advice, tidy work and turning up when promised are the values it holds to.
As an authorised Daikin installer, it fits heat pumps to warm a house in winter and cool it in summer, which suits a Taradale home that sees both frost and heat. It also installs kitchen, bathroom and whole-home ventilation, and it designs and installs solar systems sized to your power use. The work covers Napier, Hastings and Havelock North.
Why they made the list
Most of the feedback is about heat pump installs, and friendly staff, professional work and good communication follow close behind. An inspector's eye for detail is reassuring when new wiring goes into an older house. If you're also weighing solar or ventilation, one firm can plan all three around the same switchboard.
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4. Napier Home Heat Pumps
Napier Wide
Siting for salt at Ahuriri and frost on the Plains, across greater Napier
Coastal salt, single-glazed Art Deco houses and frosty plains are the three things Napier Home Heat Pumps plans around. Near Ahuriri and Westshore it places outdoor units with the sea air in mind and uses corrosion-resistant mounts, while further out on the Heretaunga Plains it puts more weight on how quickly a unit clears frost and gets back to heating. It works across Napier, Bay View, Poraiti and Hastings.
On offer are wall-mounted units, consoles, cassettes, multi-split setups and ducted heating, the last of these suiting homes that have the roof space for ductwork. Every unit doubles as air conditioning for hot afternoons. It fits the major brands, services and repairs the systems it installs, and supplies each unit with the manufacturer's warranty. A free quote gives you a fixed price before any work begins.
Why they made the list
No customer reviews exist for it, so look at how it works. It sizes for both hot summers and cold mornings, treats salt exposure seriously near the coast, and offers every common system type. The same people who fit the unit come back to service it, and the price is fixed up front.
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5. Waterworx HB
Onekawa, Napier
Onekawa's hot water heat pump specialist, with plumbing, gas and electrical skills in one person
Waterworx HB is the one to call if it's hot water rather than room heating you're after. From Austin Street in Onekawa it supplies, installs, services and repairs hot water heat pumps across Hawke's Bay, as a local agent for Envirosun, Apricus, Reclaim Energy and Daikin systems, and it has completed the manufacturers' training.
The business is owner-operated and brings 30 years of plumbing and gasfitting experience. Ian is a certifying plumber and gasfitter who also holds an electrical licence, so a hot water upgrade can be handled from start to finish without waiting on a separate electrician.
Why they made the list
All of its reviews are five-star ones, praising punctuality, reliability, good communication and efficient work, with hot water jobs coming up most. Four brands give you a real choice of systems. With plumbing, gas and electrical skills under one roof, there are fewer trades to coordinate on the day.
20/43 Austin Street, Onekawa, Napier 4110
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6. Napier Heat Pumps
Onekawa, Napier
Dunlop Road installers covering Clive, Te Awanga and Mahia, with payment options
Napier Heat Pumps works from Dunlop Road in Onekawa and travels well beyond the city, to Hastings, Havelock North, Taradale, Clive, Te Awanga, Central Hawke's Bay, Mahia and Wairoa. It supplies, installs and services heat pumps for homes and businesses, and repairs them too. Once a unit is in, the installer walks you through how to use and look after it.
The team fits split, multi-split, high-wall and ducted systems, along with hot water heat pumps and ventilation and air purification. Commercial clients get air conditioning for offices, retail and larger sites, including VRV and VRF systems. Scheduled maintenance visits check refrigerant levels and keep units running well. Afterpay and Gem Visa are available, it supports Warmer Kiwi Homes grants, and quotes are free.
Why they made the list
Fast installers, good communication and clear quotes stand out in customer feedback. The wide service area is handy if you live in Clive or out towards Te Awanga, and the payment options help spread the cost.
20 Dunlop Road, Onekawa, Napier 4110
How to pick a heat pump installer in Napier
Start by asking how the unit was sized for cooling as well as heating. A west-facing lounge in Napier can need as much effort on a February afternoon as on a July night. Use our heat pump sizing guide to test the answer.
Single-glazed Art Deco rooms lose heat quickly and gain it quickly too, so get advice on placement before you settle on a unit. A Marewa bungalow often does well with one larger wall unit in the lounge and smaller ones in the bedrooms, while a home with good roof space might be better with a ducted system. Weigh the options with our ducted against high wall guide.
If you live near the coast, ask about coated coils and corrosion-resistant mounts. Compare quotes on the same terms: model, positions, pipe run and the workmanship guarantee. Confirm the installer's electrical and refrigerant qualifications (our page on who may install a heat pump lists them), and look at grants for heat pumps first, in case you qualify.
Every heat pump installer in Napier is on the Napier page, where you can filter by the job you need.