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Types of heat pumps and heatingStart with the room, then pick the system.

For one main living area, a high-wall heat pump is the usual starting point, and Consumer NZ says high-wall units are the most common type of heat pump here. If the wall's wrong, a floor console or a ceiling cassette may suit better, and for several rooms there's a ducted or multi-room heat pump. These pages explain each type, plus ventilation systems and how heat pumps compare with wood, gas and electric heating.

Which page do you need?

One room, with a clear wall up high: start with high-wall heat pumps, the usual choice for a lounge or an open-plan living area.

Filters you can reach without a ladder, or no good high spot: a floor console sits at floor level against a wall.

Walls taken up by windows, joinery or a kitchen: a ceiling cassette moves the unit into the ceiling.

Several rooms from one system: a ducted heat pump hides in the ceiling space and feeds vents in each room, while a multi-room heat pump runs several indoor units from one outdoor unit.

Damp, condensation or stale air: our ventilation comparison explains positive pressure, balanced heat recovery and heat transfer systems, and why HRV and DVS are company names rather than types.

Torn between a heat pump, a wood burner and gas: read heat pumps compared with other heating.

Three things that matter more than the type

Size. BRANZ says a heat pump that's too big cycles on and off, and one that's too small runs constantly. Our size calculator gives a rough figure to take to an installer.

Placement. BRANZ says indoor unit types aren't interchangeable, and a unit in a corner may only heat part of the room. The right type in the wrong spot still heats badly.

Who connects it. Connecting a heat pump is prescribed electrical work, so it's for a registered and licensed electrical worker, who gives you a Certificate of Compliance afterwards.

If you're still unsure which type fits your house, that's normal. An installer who specialises in your kind of job will look at the room before suggesting one.

Heat pump and ventilation types

Questions people ask

Is a heat pump the same thing as air conditioning?
In New Zealand homes, mostly yes. EECA notes that air conditioners are typically known as heat pumps in the residential market. The same unit heats in winter and cools in summer.

Read next

  1. 01High-wall heat pumpsHow a high-wall heat pump heats a room, where it should go, and when another type suits better.
  2. 02Ducted heat pumpsHow ducted heat pumps work, what makes the job bigger, and what a ducted quote should spell out.
  3. 03Multi-room heat pumpsOne outdoor unit, several rooms: when a multi-split heat pump makes sense and what to ask first.
  4. 04How to choose a heat pumpWhich type suits each room, how to read the energy label, where the units go and what warranties ask.
  5. 05Heat pump size calculatorRoom size and insulation in, a rough heating size in kW out, using BRANZ's rule of thumb.

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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