Replacing an Invercargill wood burner with a heat pump
Older burners in the Invercargill airshed are on a deadline, and open fires are already banned. Mahdi and our heat pump installer put in a heat pump that warms the same room at the press of a button, with no firewood to buy, stack or carry in.
- Registered
- Electrician, E 102335
- Heat pumps
- New installs and replacements
- Google reviews
- 35, every one five stars
- Area
- Invercargill, Bluff and Otatara
“Appreciated going the extra mile to complete the job on a saturday as well”
Out with the old
Out: Old wood burnerIn: a heat pump sized to the room
In the Invercargill airshed, wood burners put in before September 2005 can’t be used any more, and non-compliant ones from 2005 to 2010 must stop by 1 January 2030.
Handy for Mahdi’s quote
- A photo of the burner or fire and the wall around it
- Roughly when the burner went in, if you know
- How much of the house it heats
- A photo of the outside wall nearest the room
You deal with Mahdi
- Registered electrician, E 102335
- In the electrical trade since 2020
- Rockdale, Invercargill
- 35 five-star Google reviews
Mahdi and our heat pump installer do every job together: the unit, the pipe run and the wiring. At the quote visit, Mahdi looks at the room, where the outdoor unit can go and your switchboard’s capacity, then quotes.
About Mahdi and the teamThe airshed dates for older burners
| Inside the Invercargill airshed | The rule |
|---|---|
| Open fire | Banned since 1 January 2017 |
| Burner put in before 1 September 2005 | Can’t be used any more |
| Non-compliant burner, September 2005 to January 2010 | Must stop by 1 January 2030 |
| Non-compliant burner, January 2010 to 6 September 2014 | Must stop by 1 January 2034 |
The dates apply inside the Invercargill airshed, which takes in the city’s built-up suburbs. A burner from September 2005 on that’s on the national authorised list isn’t caught by them.
Not sure when yours went in? The council’s building consents team holds the date. Any new burner put in inside the airshed has to meet the national standard, and a building consent comes with it.
Why a heat pump takes over
- Warmth at the press of a button, and on a timer before you get up.
- It costs less to run than a wood burner, a gas heater or plug-in heaters.
- No firewood to buy, dry, stack and carry in, and no chimney to sweep.
- Cooling for the odd hot summer day as well.
- No airshed date to watch.
Smoke from home chimneys is the major cause of winter air pollution in Invercargill. A heat pump puts none into your street.
Thank you Mahdi for doing such a great job at installing our bathroom heater.Your service is very polite and professional and will look forward to calling you for all our future electrical needs.
Matching the warmth of the burner
A wood burner throws a lot of heat into one room, and the heat pump that replaces it has to carry that room through a July frost. Mahdi sizes it on the room itself: the floor area, the windows, how open it is to the rest of the house, and how much of the house the burner used to warm.
Where the burner heated the hallway and the bedrooms too, a multi-room or ducted system takes over that job. The heat pump goes high on an outside wall, so it doesn’t need the burner’s spot.
Outside the airshed
Outside the airshed, in Otatara, Bluff, Makarewa and Wallacetown, there’s no deadline. The switch there is about warmth at the press of a button, and no more firewood.
What customers say about Mahdi
A great job well done. Mahdi is professional but friendly, as well as honest and efficient. This is the third time he has done work for us and we will certainly call him again.
Great service, very professional and reliable. The job was done quickly and everything works perfectly. Highly recommend.
From your first call to a warm room
Send a photo, or call
Use the form with a photo of the wall and the old unit or heater, or call 0800 164 106.
Mahdi comes out and quotes
He looks at the room, where the outdoor unit can go and your switchboard’s capacity for the new circuit, then quotes the heat pump and the wiring together.
Install day
Mahdi and our heat pump installer take the old unit down if there is one, put the new indoor unit up, set the outdoor unit and run the pipes, and Mahdi wires it in from the switchboard.
Warm and handed over
We run it on heat, set the timer with you and show you the filter: a clean once a month through winter keeps it working well.
What sets the price
- The size of the room the burner heats, and how open the house is
- One heat pump, or a multi-room or ducted system for the whole house
- Where the outdoor unit sits, and the pipe run
- The new circuit from the switchboard
We used the services of Power Surge Ltd recently and we were very satisfied with their timeliness and professionalism. The electrician got the job done quick and his pricing was fair.
Questions
Not covered here? Ring 0800 164 106, or add your question to the form.
Can I keep using my wood burner?
Inside the Invercargill airshed, not if it went in before September 2005. A non-compliant burner from September 2005 to 2010 must stop by 1 January 2030, and one from 2010 to September 2014 by 1 January 2034. Burners on the authorised list aren’t affected.
How do I find out when my burner went in?
The council’s building consents team holds the date. Send Mahdi a photo of the burner too: it helps him size the heat pump that replaces it.
Will one heat pump replace my burner?
For one living room, a high-wall heat pump sized to the room does it. If the burner kept the hallway and bedrooms warm as well, a multi-room or ducted system takes over that job.
Do you put heat pumps in outside the airshed?
Yes. Otatara, Bluff, Makarewa and Wallacetown sit outside it, and plenty of homes there swap wood for a heat pump to be rid of the firewood.
Get a quote for your heat pump
Say what heats the room now and which room needs the heat. A photo of the wall and the old unit or heater lets Mahdi see the job before he comes out.
Handy for Mahdi’s quote
- A photo of the burner or fire and the wall around it
- Roughly when the burner went in, if you know
- How much of the house it heats
- A photo of the outside wall nearest the room
After you send it, Mahdi rings or emails to go over the heating you have now and book a visit to measure up and quote. Rather ring? 0800 164 106.
Sent: thank you.
Mahdi has your heating details. He’ll ring or email to book a time to look at the room and quote.