Heat pump vs wood burner vs gas heating
We fit heat pumps across Christchurch, in homes that already have a burner or a gas heater and in homes that don't. Here's how the three compare on the things that matter day to day.
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Heat pump vs wood burner vs gas: how each one heats
A heat pump moves heat from the outside air into your room, or the other way round in summer. A high wall unit pushes warm air across the room and, left on, it spreads through the house as the air circulates. It starts warming within a minute or two of switching on, and you set the temperature you want and leave it. Ducted systems do the same job through vents in several rooms. See how heat pumps work for the detail.
A wood burner heats the room it sits in, strongly. The heat spreads to nearby rooms if the doors are open, less so to the far end of the house. It takes time to get going and time to die down. You control it with the air vent and by how much wood you add.
Gas heating comes in two main forms. A gas fire or heater heats the room it’s in, much like a burner, and a flued one sends the fumes outside. A gas central heating system with a boiler and radiators heats the whole house, but it responds slowly and runs on a timer.
Heat pump vs wood burner: speed and control
- Heat pump: set a temperature and it holds it. Timers let you warm the house before you get up. You can turn a room down without turning the whole house down.
- Wood burner: slow to start, slow to stop. It’s either going or it isn’t, and the room can swing from too hot to cooling down while you wait for the next load to catch.
- Gas fire: quick to start, like a heat pump, but it heats one room and most models only heat.
- Gas central heating: comfortable and even, but slow to respond and it heats the whole house when you may only be using part of it.
Get a free quote. Installs, servicing and repairs on all major brands.
Heat pump vs gas heating: cooling in summer
A heat pump heats and cools. On a hot Christchurch nor’west day you can keep one room or the whole house at a comfortable temperature. A wood burner and most gas heaters only heat, so summer cooling means a separate unit or open windows.
If you want cooling in more than one room, a multi room system or a ducted system covers it. A single high wall unit in the living area is often enough for the worst days.
Heat pump or wood burner in Christchurch: fuel and upkeep
Wood has to be bought, carted, stacked and kept dry. Green wood needs a season or more under cover before it burns properly. Wet wood smokes, heats poorly and coats the flue with creosote. The chimney needs sweeping each year, and the burner needs its seals and firebricks checked.
Gas means bottles delivered and swapped, or a connection and a monthly bill. Bottles take up space and run out at the worst time. A gas fire needs servicing and the flue checked. Gas central heating needs an annual boiler service.
A heat pump needs a yearly service: the filters cleaned, the coil checked, the refrigerant pressures tested. That’s it. No fuel to store, no flue to sweep. Our servicing team covers what we check.
Heat pump vs log burner: air quality and the Christchurch rules
Christchurch has had serious winter air quality problems, and burners are the main reason. The rules reflect that.
- Building consent is needed before you install or move a solid fuel burner.
- Any new burner fitted since 1 January 2019 must be an ultra-low emission model.
- Fixed electric heaters, heat pumps included, don’t need building consent. A registered electrician connects them.
Inside the house, a heat pump adds no smoke or fumes. A well run burner with dry wood makes far less smoke than a damp one, but it still makes some, inside when you open the door and outside from the flue. Gas gives off fumes that must go up a flue or out a vent. Our compliance and building codes guide sets out the heat pump side.
Heat pump vs wood burner: keeping both
You don’t have to choose. A common setup in Christchurch is a heat pump for the everyday heating and the burner for the coldest nights, or for when the power goes out. The heat pump handles the shoulder seasons and the mornings, when a burner is too much trouble to light for an hour. The burner stays for the deep winter evenings and the atmosphere.
If you go that way, we size the heat pump so the house is warm without the burner. Then lighting the fire is a choice, not a necessity. Our heat pump sizing guide explains how we work out the capacity, and installation in Christchurch covers what the job involves.
If you’re weighing up the carbon side as well, our heat pump carbon footprint analysis goes through it.
Heat pump or wood burner in Christchurch: what we’d ask before you decide
A few things shape the answer for your house.
- Which rooms do you heat, and when? One living room suits a single high wall unit. A whole house, or a two storey home, may suit a ducted system or several units.
- Is the house insulated? A well insulated home holds heat far longer, whichever system you use. The Tenancy Services heating assessment tool gives a rough idea of what a room needs.
- Do you have gas at the house already? If not, the connection or the bottles are an ongoing cost and a job to manage.
- How much do you value the fire itself? If you love the burner, keep it. We’ll fit the heat pump around it.
Heat pump vs wood burner: the next step for your home
Tell us how you heat the house now and which rooms you want warm. We’ll size a heat pump for your home, explain what it will and won’t do, and give you a free quote. Call 03 242 1023 or ask for a free quote.
Heat pump, wood burner and gas questions
Can I keep my wood burner and add a heat pump?
Yes. Plenty of Christchurch homes do. The heat pump handles most of the year and the burner comes on for the coldest nights or when the power is out. We size the heat pump so the house stays warm without the burner, then you choose when to light it.
Do I need consent to install a heat pump?
No. A fixed electric heater, heat pumps included, doesn't need building consent. A registered electrician connects it to the power supply. A solid fuel burner is different. Putting one in or moving one needs building consent, and any new burner fitted since 1 January 2019 must be an ultra-low emission model.
Is a heat pump cheaper to run than gas or a wood burner?
It depends on what you pay for power, gas or firewood, and how much of the house you heat. We won't quote a figure without your details. We'll go through how you heat now and what the heat pump would need to do, then you can compare against what you actually spend.
Can a heat pump cool the house in summer?
Yes. Most heat pumps heat and cool. A wood burner and most gas heaters only heat. In a Christchurch summer that cooling matters on the hot nor'west days, and it costs far less to run than a portable unit.
How much wood does a burner get through?
That depends on the burner, the wood and how often you light it. What we can say is that you buy it, cart it, stack it, dry it and sweep the chimney each year. A heat pump has none of that, just a yearly service and the power bill.
More on choosing and running a heat pump
Heat pump installation in Christchurch
How we size and fit a system in your home.
See heat pump installation in christchurch →
Heat pump sizing
Getting the capacity right for the rooms you heat.
Read the heat pump sizing guide →
Heat pump carbon footprint
Where the emissions come from and how they compare.
Read the heat pump carbon footprint guide →Get a free heat pump quote
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