Height above the harbour changes the size you buy
NIWA notes that temperatures drop about 0.7°C for every 100 m of altitude. A house high on the hills can be noticeably colder than one down on the flat, even in the same suburb. A colder house loses heat faster, so the same room may need more output.
Low ground can be cold in its own way. NIWA notes that frosts usually form on cold nights with clear skies and little wind, and on those nights cold air settles in the valleys. Ask the installer to judge your own spot rather than go by the suburb name.
That can push you from the medium row in the table to the large one. Use our guide on what size heat pump you need for a starting figure, then ask the installer to allow for how exposed and high your house is.
Write down which rooms you most want warm and how high the house sits. Giving every installer the same notes makes their quotes easier to line up against each other.
Brick, stone and masonry walls
A standard install assumes a timber-framed wall. Drilling a clean hole through solid brick or stone takes the right tools and more time, and so does fixing brackets to it. Some installers will price this in from the start, others add it once they see the wall.
Mention the wall type when you ask for a quote. If the house is double brick, ask where the pipes will go and how the hole will be sealed against damp. A neat, sealed hole now costs less than fixing a damp patch in a bedroom wall later.
Inside, plaster over brick can crack around a new hole if it is not cut with care. Ask how the wall will be made good, and whether patching and painting are included or left to you.
Grants when few local installers mention them
None of the 31 Dunedin installers we track mention Warmer Kiwi Homes. That does not mean you cannot use it. The scheme is run nationally by EECA, and for owners who qualify its grants can pay for part of a heat pump. EECA ties each grant to factors such as a Community Services Card or SuperGold Combo card and the deprivation level of the area.
Look up whether you qualify on EECA's website before you choose an installer, then ask the firms you contact whether they can do grant-funded work. Our guide to heat pump grants explains how it works.
If the grant is not open to you, 3 of the local installers offer finance. It spreads the cost but adds interest, so weigh the total repaid against the cash price before you sign anything.
How Dunedin's 31 installers split
8 of the 31 fit ducted systems and only 3 offer multi-split systems, so if you want several rooms on one outdoor unit you will have a short list to choose from. Our guide to ducted vs high-wall heat pumps can help you decide which way to go.
17 offer servicing and 7 do repairs. 12 give free quotes and 3 offer finance. With a smaller field than the big cities, it pays to contact a few firms early rather than wait for the first cold spell.
A small field can also mean a wait for an install date. Ask how far ahead each installer is booking, and weigh that against price if you need heat before winter.
- Tell installers how high and exposed the house is.
- Say whether the wall is timber, brick or stone.
- Check our heat pump cost guide for what is standard.
Compare every installer on the Dunedin page, or read 10 Best Heat Pump Installers in Dunedin.