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Gisborne, Gisborne

Heat pumps in GisborneWarm the house, then dry it out.

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Gisborne's summers are warm, but its bigger home heating problem is damp. In the 2023 Census, Tairāwhiti had the highest share of people living in damp homes of any health district, and the highest share living with mould. A heat pump is half the answer. Getting the moisture out, with extractor fans or a home ventilation system, is usually the other half.

Gisborne's homes and climate

Damp

In the Tairāwhiti health district, 35.8% of people were in damp homes at the 2023 Census, against 20.6% nationally. Of 67 territorial authorities, only Gisborne and Napier saw the share rise from 2018, which EHINZ links to Cyclone Gabrielle a few weeks before census day.

Mould

Nearly one in three people in Tairāwhiti, 28.5%, lived with mould bigger than an A4 sheet at least some of the time (EHINZ). Nationally it was 16.5%.

How homes heat

56.7% of Gisborne Region homes used a heat pump as a main heater in 2023, up from 37.3% in 2018, while wood burners slipped from 57.61% to 52.72% (Stats NZ via Figure.NZ).

Unflued gas

4.7% of Tairāwhiti homes used portable unflued gas heaters, the highest of any district and nearly twice the 2.5% national rate. EHINZ says they release water vapour, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide indoors.

Summer and winter

Wikipedia's climate table, from NIWA's 1991 to 2020 normals, gives a January mean daily maximum of 25.8 degrees and a July mean daily minimum of 5.5. NIWA gives Gisborne AWS 1,483 heating and 189 cooling degree-days a year.

Frost

Gisborne Aero averages 39 ground frosts and about 6 air frosts a year, and NIWA says cold air draining downhill lowers minimum temperatures in the city, especially in winter.

Sea spray

BRANZ's exposure zones put homes within 500 m of Poverty Bay in zone D, high risk of sea-spray salt, and breaking surf beach fronts such as Waikanae and Midway in zone E, severe marine.

HRV is a company, not a type

Quoted 'an HRV'? That's a brand, not a kind of system. HRV is a company, and so is DVS. The two main types are positive pressure, which usually blows filtered roof space air into the house, and balanced heat recovery, which trades stale air for outside air through a heat exchanger.

Consumer NZ says positive pressure suits older houses with wooden joinery, and BRANZ says balanced heat recovery is most cost-effective in a relatively airtight house. Neither heats anything. That's the heat pump's job, and a warmer house leaves less condensation on cold walls and windows.

Stop the moisture you can at the source first: extractor fans in the bathroom and kitchen that vent outside, and no unflued gas heater adding water vapour to the air. A ventilation specialist can then tell you, in writing, which type suits the house that's left.

Unflued gas heaters

EHINZ says portable gas heaters put water vapour, nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide into the room, and BRANZ doesn't recommend any unflued gas heater for health and safety reasons. They also never count towards the healthy homes heating standard for rentals. If you smell gas, WorkSafe says keep flames away, don't touch electrical switches or use a mobile nearby, turn the gas off at the cylinder if it's safe, open doors and windows, and go outside if the smell persists. In an emergency, dial 111.

The jobs that come up most in Gisborne

Replacing a burner or gas heater with a heat pump. The census numbers show that shift is well under way. A heat pump installation specialist should size it for July nights, which NIWA says cold air draining into the city pulls lower.

Home ventilation. For a house that stays damp after the heating and fans are sorted. Our home ventilation page explains the types in more depth.

Summer cooling. January highs average 25.8 degrees. Our Gisborne air conditioning page covers sizing a heat pump on the cooling figure.

Outdoor units by the sea. Near Poverty Bay and the surf beaches, BRANZ recommends extra anti-corrosive coatings on the outdoor unit. Get them written on the quote.

What we'd do

Where we'd start in Gisborne

We'd tackle the damp and the heat together. First the extractor fans and any unflued gas heater, then a heat pump sized for a cold July night in the main living area. If the windows are still wet after a few weeks of that, we'd get a ventilation specialist to look at the house and explain which type suits it, and why.

Heat pump and heating jobs in Gisborne

Questions people ask

Is an HRV the same as a heat pump?
No. HRV is a company that sells home ventilation systems, which move damp air out and drier air in. A heat pump heats and cools. Most damp homes are better off with both working together.
Will a heat pump fix the damp in my Gisborne home?
It helps by keeping the house warm, but it won't take the moisture away on its own. Consumer NZ says dry mode removes some moisture, though a purpose-built dehumidifier does that better. For lasting results, sort the extractor fans and look at ventilation.
Do Gisborne rentals need a ventilation system?
The healthy homes ventilation standard asks for openable windows and extractor fans that vent outside in kitchens and bathrooms. Recirculating systems, which Tenancy Services describes as products like HRV and DVS systems, don't meet it.
How do I find a heat pump or ventilation installer in Gisborne?
Tell us the job and your postcode. Local installers who specialise in that kind of work can see it, and only the one who takes it gets your contact details. If it sits untaken for 48 hours, heat pump installers elsewhere in the Gisborne region may see it too.

Ready for the right installer to take a look in Gisborne?

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Read next

  1. 01Air conditioning in GisborneCooling a Gisborne home with a heat pump: sizing for summer, winter nights and sea air.
  2. 02Home ventilation systemsWhat a home ventilation system does, the two main types, and how to tell which one suits your house.
  3. 03Home ventilation systems comparedPositive pressure, balanced heat recovery and heat transfer systems, and why HRV and DVS are company names.
  4. 04Heat pumps compared with other heatingHow a heat pump stacks up against a wood burner, gas, electric heaters and central heating.
  5. 05The healthy homes heating standardWhat the rental heating standard asks for, which heaters count, and how to check a heat pump against it.
  6. 06Heat pump installers in GisborneDamp, mould and sea spray: what heating and ventilation in Tairāwhiti need to deal with.

Where this information comes from

We don't publish prices. Every home is different, so an installer's written quote is the only real number. How we write and check these pages.

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