What Lincoln's weather and housing mean for heating
Near-freezing July nights
Wikipedia's Lincoln climate table, citing NIWA data for Lincoln, Broadfield EWS, gives a July mean minimum of 1.6 degrees and a mean maximum of just 11.2. The record low is -8.5 degrees.
A dry corner of Canterbury
The same table gives Lincoln 587.9 mm of rain a year. Dry air helps with damp, but it doesn't stop condensation in a cold bedroom.
A town that keeps growing
Lincoln's census population went from 3,879 in 2013 to 6,522 in 2018 and 10,611 in 2023, in 3,627 dwellings. In 2021 the Carter Group proposed a further 5400 residents on 186 hectares south of the town.
A university and research town
Lincoln University, which Wikipedia calls the oldest agricultural tertiary institution in the Southern Hemisphere, is here, alongside AgResearch and other research facilities. The median age is 36.3.
Burners in nearly half of Selwyn homes
In 2023, 47.59% of Selwyn District homes used a wood burner and 79.48% a heat pump. MBIE's H1/AS1 puts the district in climate zone 5. Selwyn District Council covers Lincoln, postcode 7608.
The jobs most likely in Lincoln
Sizing for the cold, not the brochure. The label EECA regulates shows heating capacity at 7 and 2 degrees. With July lows near 1.6 degrees, the 2 degree figure is the one to compare. Some units hold their output in the cold better than others, and EECA says some aren't well designed to cope with frost.
Heating more than the lounge. In a newer home, a ducted heat pump or a multi-room system reaches the bedrooms. A multi-room specialist will check pipe runs, since BRANZ says the maker's recommended lengths shouldn't be exceeded.
Renting to students or staff. If you let a house near the university, the healthy homes heating standard applies to the main living room. Our healthy homes heating guide explains how to check a heater against it.
What you can do, and what needs an installer
You can
- Clean the indoor filters as the manual says; BRANZ says several times a year with frequent use.
- Keep the outdoor unit clear of leaves, plants and stored gear.
- Check the remote's mode and batteries before calling anyone.
Leave to a licensed installer
- Connecting the heat pump: prescribed electrical work for a registered electrician, who gives you a Certificate of Compliance.
- Anything to do with refrigerant or the pipes between the units.
- Moving the outdoor unit or adding indoor units.
What we'd do
Where we'd start in Lincoln
We'd measure the main living area properly and choose a unit whose 2 degree output matches it, then decide whether the bedrooms need their own heat. In a house that's still being designed, we'd ask for a ducted or multi-room quote before the ceilings close in. And we'd keep the outdoor unit in the open, not tucked under a deck.