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Napier, Hawke's Bay

Heat pumps in NapierHeating for frosty mornings, cooling for hot afternoons.

An installer for Napier

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Napier needs a heat pump that heats and cools properly. NIWA records an average of 44 days a year above 25 degrees in Napier and 8 air frosts at Nelson Park, and the regional council has ruled out open fires on smaller sections in the airshed's Airzone 1. In the 2023 Census, 75.95% of Napier City homes used a heat pump as a main heater.

Napier's climate and rules, read for a heat pump

Real summer heat

Napier's average January high is 24.7 degrees on NIWA's 1991 to 2020 normals, via Wikipedia, and NIWA gives Nelson Park 218 cooling degree-days a year. Wellington Aero gets 80.

Frosty mornings

Nelson Park averages 24 ground frosts and 8 air frosts a year, mostly May to September, and July nights average a low of 4.8 degrees. Heating still leads, at 1,482 heating degree-days a year, and MBIE's H1/AS1 guidance puts Napier City in climate zone 2.

Airshed rules

Hawke's Bay Regional Council says open fires can't be used on properties under two hectares in Airzone 1 of the Napier airshed, and that a non-compliant burner or open fire is prohibited from use when the property is transferred to a new owner. In Napier, approved burners must meet an emission limit of 1.5 g/kg and a thermal efficiency of 65% or greater.

Wood burners are still common

In 2023, 42.0% of homes in the Hawke's Bay health district used a wood burner as a main heater, against 28.2% nationally (EHINZ).

Damper since Gabrielle

Napier was one of only 2 of 67 territorial authorities where the share of people in damp homes rose between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. EHINZ links that to Cyclone Gabrielle, which struck a few weeks before the 2023 count, and puts the Hawke's Bay health district at 21.4%.

Salt by the bay

Under NZS 3604, homes within 500 m of Hawke Bay or 100 m of the Ahuriri estuary are in exposure Zone D for sea-spray salt, BRANZ explains, and E2/AS1 adds a Zone E for breaking surf beach fronts.

The heat pump jobs Napier homes need, and why

Replacing an open fire or an old burner, often around a sale. Because a non-compliant burner can't be used once the property changes hands, plan the heat pump before settlement rather than after a cold first winter. Warmer Kiwi Homes won't help with a new burner either: EECA stopped taking those applications on 9 January 2026.

A heat pump for both seasons. Size on the 7 degree heating figure, check the 2 degree figure for frosty mornings, then check the cooling capacity at 35 degrees for any room that bakes. BRANZ puts cooling capacity at generally 10 to 20% below heating. See heat pump installation and air conditioning.

Whole-house heating and cooling in bigger homes, with a multi-room heat pump or a ducted heat pump. Consumer NZ notes a multi-split can't heat one room while cooling another, which matters in Napier's spring and autumn.

Ventilation for homes that have felt damp since 2023: heating and a home ventilation system work as a pair.

Servicing near the bay. Mitsubishi Electric NZ says servicing removes salt, dust and contaminants from coils and drain trays; see heat pump servicing.

Your part, and the installer's

You can

  • Ask Hawke's Bay Regional Council whether your burner complies before you list the house.
  • Compare the heating figures at 7 and 2 degrees and the cooling figure at 35 on the label.
  • Keep the outdoor unit clear of plants and the woodpile.
  • Clean the filters at each change of season, as Mitsubishi Electric NZ suggests.

Leave to a licensed installer

  • Sizing for frosty mornings and hot afternoons.
  • Corrosion protection near the bay or the estuary.
  • Refrigerant pipework and commissioning.
  • The electrical connection, the CoC and the ESC.

What we'd do

What we'd do in Napier

We'd pick a heat pump for July first, with a 2 degree heating figure at least as strong as its 7 degree one, then make sure it cools the room that takes the afternoon sun. If an open fire or old burner is still doing the heating, we'd get the heat pump in before the house goes on the market. Close to the bay, we'd want corrosion protection written into the quote.

Questions people ask

Does selling my Napier house affect my wood burner?
It can. Hawke's Bay Regional Council says a non-compliant burner or open fire can't be used once the property is transferred. Ask the council whether yours complies before you sell.
Can a heat pump handle Napier's frosts?
A well-chosen one can. EECA says that where nights get down to 2 degrees, the heating capacity at 2 degrees should be at least the figure at 7, and that some units give more heat at 2 degrees while others give less. With 8 air frosts a year at Nelson Park, it's worth checking.
Can I get a Warmer Kiwi Homes grant to replace my burner?
Not for another wood burner. EECA says heat pumps made up more than 90% of the heating installs completed under the programme in its last financial year, but EECA decides who's eligible, so check with EECA before you commit.
Should my heat pump do the cooling too?
Yes, one heat pump does both. The question is whether its cooling figure at 35 degrees covers your hottest room as well as its heating figure covers your coldest.
Is there an installer near me?
Send us the job and your postcode. Registration-checked installers who specialise in that work can see it, and if no one near Napier takes it within 48 hours, heat pump installers elsewhere in Hawke's Bay may see it.

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

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Read next

  1. 01Heat pumps in Hawke's BaySummer heat, frosty nights, airshed burner rules and coastal salt: what heat pumps face across Hawke's Bay.
  2. 02Heat pumps in HastingsCold nights, hot afternoons, tighter burner limits and character villas: heat pumps in Hastings.
  3. 03Heat pump installationWhich heat pump suits the room, how to size it, and what a good install and quote include.
  4. 04Air conditioning with a heat pumpCooling with a heat pump: sizing for summer, the label's cooling figures, and night-time noise.
  5. 05Warmer Kiwi Homes heat pump grantsWho EECA's programme is for, what its current heat pump list covers, and how to check before you sign.
  6. 06Heat pumps compared with other heatingHow a heat pump stacks up against a wood burner, gas, electric heaters and central heating.

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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