Nelson's sunshine fools people. The days are bright through most of winter, but a clear sky at night lets the warmth escape, and you wake to frost on the lawn in Stoke, Enner Glynn or up the Brook valley. A house that felt fine at three in the afternoon can be cold by breakfast, which is why a heat pump that warms quickly in the morning earns its keep here.
The homes vary a lot. Older villas and weatherboard cottages around Nelson South and The Wood sit a short drive from the new subdivisions that keep spreading through Stoke and Richmond, and beside the sea at Tahunanui and Atawhai the air carries salt. Add the holiday homes and baches around Tasman Bay that sit empty for weeks at a time, and you need an installer who can read the house in front of them. These six are the ones we'd call first.
Signs your Nelson home needs a heating rethink
A sunny climate makes it easy to put heating off. If any of these ring true, it's time to get someone round.
- The house is lovely by mid-afternoon but you wake to a cold kitchen and condensation on the windows after every clear, frosty night.
- You're still relying on plug-in heaters or an old burner, and the back bedrooms of the villa never get warm.
- Your new Richmond or Stoke build has a big open-plan living area and one high-wall unit that can't keep the far end comfortable. A ducted system is often the better fit.
- A unit near the water at Tahunanui or Monaco has rusty fins or casing, or it has started making noises it never used to. The heat pump problems guide walks through what each symptom points to.
- The heat pump at the bach smells musty when you switch it on after a few months away.
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1. LCR Group
Stoke, Nelson
A Stoke outfit that pairs heat pump work with Healthy Homes inspections
Based on Norrie Place in Stoke, LCR Group installs and services heat pumps across the Nelson Tasman region. It also carries out Healthy Homes inspections and runs a professional cleaning service, and it supplies heating equipment and air conditioning. That combination is unusual, and it means one firm can assess a house against the rental standards and then put in the heating it needs.
For landlords and property managers with rentals around Stoke, Richmond and the city, that saves coordinating an inspector and an installer separately, and the same team can come back to service the unit. Owners preparing a house for tenants get a clear picture of what the heating needs, then the work done. Call to confirm which heat pump brands and system types it handles before you book.
Why they made the list
All 64 reviews give it five stars, and they get specific: cleanliness, easy dealings, thorough inspections, clear reports and a good Healthy Homes report. Several people mention timeliness and that it managed urgent installs at short notice, which helps if a tenancy is about to start and the heating isn't compliant.
21 Norrie Place, Stoke, Nelson 7011
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2. The Heat Pump Experts Nelson
Nelson Wide
A local team covering the city out to Mapua, Motueka and Golden Bay
Cold, frosty mornings and damp winter air are what this Nelson and Tasman team designs its installs around. It works from the central city to Richmond, Motueka, Mapua and Golden Bay, fitting single high-wall units into chilly villas and ducted systems into new Richmond builds. It also puts in floor-standing units, ceiling cassettes and multi-split setups, all ready for summer cooling as well as heating.
Each job starts with a free visit to check the rooms, insulation and the best spots for both units before a fixed price is confirmed. A registered electrician wires every unit in, the system is vacuumed and tested before it is charged, and the wall penetration is flashed to keep water out. You get the manufacturer's warranty, and the same crew comes back for servicing and any repair on units it fitted.
Why they made the list
No Google reviews exist for it, so look at the method instead. It fits every common system type, confirms a fixed price only after the site visit, sizes units to the rooms and the insulation, and services what it puts in. The careful install steps, down to the flashed wall penetration, suit older villas.
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3. Nelson Heat Pumps
Stoke, Nelson
Fujitsu accredited, with a six year parts and labour warranty
Simon, Briar and Greg front the team at Nelson Heat Pumps, which works from offices and a new showroom on Packham Crescent in Stoke and covers Nelson, Motueka and the wider Tasman district. The staff are fully certified, and the firm installs all types of heat pump and air conditioning unit, for a small room, a large house, an office or a commercial building.
Ducted units, hi-wall units and floor mounted consoles are all on offer, and ventilation is among its specialities. As Fujitsu Accredited Installers, it backs its work with a 6 year full parts and labour warranty. Local building companies such as Stonewood Homes and Homes by Orange use it to install and maintain heat pumps in their new homes, and jobs and maintenance checks can be requested online.
Why they made the list
If you're buying a new build in Stoke or Richmond, there's a fair chance this team already knows the house type. Friendly staff are mentioned more than anything else in reviews, followed by a smooth quote process, sensible pricing, an easy process and tidy installs, and a couple of people praise how carefully the unit was sized.
23B Packham Crescent, Stoke, Nelson 7011
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4. Nexus Electrical Solutions
Stoke, Nelson
A small Stoke electrical business that turns up on time
Run from Mules Street in Stoke, Nexus Electrical Solutions is small and locally owned, and it handles the full spread of electrical work for homes and businesses across the Nelson Tasman region. Jobs run from solar installations to heat pumps, and it also does air conditioning and supplies solar equipment, so one electrician can look at heating and power together.
Being a small operation, it suits homeowners who like dealing with the same person from the estimate to the finished job. Its residential and commercial work covers the whole region. Online estimates are available, and a quick call will confirm which heat pump brands and system types it fits.
Why they made the list
All 18 reviews are five stars, and punctuality is the theme: on time, fast and efficient, with good communication. People also mention fair rates, polite staff and tidy work. It suits a straightforward wall unit, or a home where solar and a heat pump are on the same list.
5 Mules Street, Stoke, Nelson 7011
Nexus Electrical Solutions listing See Nexus Electrical Solutions's website
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5. Fusion Air Temp
Nelson Wide
Mitsubishi specialists in the city with two decades at the top of the South
Trading as H-Tek, Fusion Air Temp Solutions has supplied, installed and serviced heat pumps across the top of the South for more than 20 years, working from Gloucester Street in central Nelson. It is a Mitsubishi supplier and installer, and the office opens weekdays from 9am to 4pm, with Saturday visits by appointment. Locals get a free, no-obligation consultation, and an online selector helps narrow the choice before anyone visits.
Mitsubishi high wall and floor mounted units make up most of the range, and it also builds ducted systems for whole-home comfort. Those Mitsubishi Electric indoor units start from 18 dBA, which makes them very quiet in a bedroom. For hot water it fits the Aquacore cylinder heating system, and it advises on the heat pump that best suits each home.
Why they made the list
A single-brand focus means the team knows the Mitsubishi range thoroughly, and the low noise suits light sleepers. Friendly staff and a friendly crew are what people mention most, along with clear quotes, prompt and tidy installs, punctuality and good communication.
26 Gloucester Street, Nelson 7010
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6. Brightsparks Electrical Solutions Ltd
Stoke, Nelson
A 20-strong electrical firm with heat pumps as a main service line
Operating since 2002, Bright Sparks Electrical Solutions works from Tokomaru Place in Stoke with more than 20 staff, and it has wired some of the largest residential and light commercial projects in Nelson and Tasman. Alongside heat pumps it installs home ventilation and handles lighting, audio visual and general electrical work, so a renovation can be sorted by one firm.
Its heat pump service covers design and installation of high wall, floor console and ceiling cassette units, ducted central heating for whole homes and hot water heat pumps. Advice on which type to choose turns on the size and number of rooms and the layout of the house. Repairs and servicing are covered too, including a clean that goes well beyond the filters, and free quotes are offered.
Why they made the list
Scale and range are the strengths: a team this size can handle a whole new build, and its servicing goes deeper than a filter wipe. Reviews mention heat pump work, new builds, a polite team and quick help with an electrical failure. Its range of system types gives you a real choice.
14 Tokomaru Place, Stoke, Nelson 7011
Brightsparks Electrical Solutions Ltd listing See Brightsparks Electrical Solutions Ltd's website
How to pick a Nelson heat pump installer
Size for the morning, not the afternoon. Tell each installer which rooms are coldest at breakfast and ask what capacity they would fit there and why. Our page on heat pump sizing helps you sense-check the answer.
Make use of the cooling. Nelson summers are warm, so pick a unit that cools well too and ask about placement that keeps a sunny west-facing lounge comfortable on hot afternoons. If you're heating a whole house, weigh up a ducted system against wall units first.
When quotes arrive, check each one names the model, the indoor and outdoor positions, the length of pipe and the warranty terms. Ask who looks after the unit once it's in, and skim what a heat pump service covers before you sign.
Check the people, too. Only a registered electrician may connect it, and refrigerant handling has its own certificate; who can install a heat pump has the detail. Homeowners who may be eligible for help should see the heat pump grants guide.
Every heat pump installer in Nelson is on the Nelson page, where you can filter by the job you need.