Heat Pump Installation in Auckland

When You Need Us

When You Need Us and What We Handle

Most heat pump installs in Auckland are hi-wall split systems. One unit on the lounge wall, one outside. Simple enough from a heating perspective, but the electrical side has a few moving parts that people don’t think about until someone mentions them.

Every heat pump needs its own dedicated circuit from the switchboard. It can’t share a line with the kitchen or the lounge plugs. If the heat pump kicks in while someone’s boiling the kettle on the same circuit, the breaker trips. In winter. When you need it most. The circuit size depends on the unit: smaller bedroom systems run on 2.5mm squared cable, but most living room units need 4mm squared cable with a 20-amp breaker.

Then there’s the safety gear. Your heat pump circuit needs an RCBO (a combined safety switch and circuit breaker) at the switchboard, giving you both earth-fault and overcurrent protection in one device. Outside, we install an isolator switch (the disconnect box mounted near the outdoor unit) so your heat pump tech can safely kill the power during servicing without walking inside to the switchboard.

We wire both the indoor and outdoor units, run the inter-connecting cable between them, and make sure everything talks to each other properly. For multi-room systems or ducted setups, the electrical requirements jump up. More circuits, heavier cabling, sometimes a three-phase supply. We’ll scope all of that during the initial assessment.

Floor-console units are the other common option we see. Popular in older homes where wall space is tight or where the homeowner wants heat lower in the room. Same electrical principles, just a different mounting position.

Where We Work

Heat Pump Installations Across Auckland

Auckland’s housing stock throws up a few curveballs. If your home was built before the 1960s, there’s a decent chance you’re still running a ceramic fuse board. Those old boards can’t just have a new circuit tacked on. They need to be upgraded to a modern switchboard before a heat pump goes anywhere near them. We see this constantly in the central suburbs, across the North Shore, and in older parts of South Auckland.

The Healthy Homes Standards have also pushed a wave of heat pump installs across Auckland rental properties. Landlords need a fixed heater that can get the main living room to 18 degrees. A correctly sized heat pump ticks that box. We work with plenty of property managers getting rental portfolios compliant.

Auckland’s winters are mild compared to the South Island, but they’re damp. That combination makes heat pumps the obvious choice for most homes. Whether it’s a villa in Grey Lynn, a townhouse in Albany, or a lifestyle block out west, a heat pump paired with the right electrical setup runs efficiently for years.

How It Works

What to Expect

Every heat pump electrical install follows the same four steps. Different homes, same process.

About Totally Amped Electrical

Why Choose Totally Amped Electrical

We don’t install heat pumps. We wire them. That distinction matters because it means we work alongside your heat pump supplier or installer, not against them. You buy the unit from whoever you want, they handle refrigerant and commissioning, and we take care of everything electrical. No turf wars. Clean handover.

We’ve been EWRB-registered since 2009, and we’ve wired heat pumps in everything from brand new builds to 1920s villas with knob-and-tube remnants still hiding in the walls.

For landlords, we make sure your install meets Healthy Homes heating requirements so you’re not chasing compliance later. We route cables neatly, use conduit where it’s visible, and don’t leave wiring dangling across your weatherboards. Every job gets a Certificate of Compliance. No exceptions.

Does my switchboard need upgrading for a heat pump?

Depends on what you’ve got. If your board has modern circuit breakers and a spare position or two, we can usually add a dedicated heat pump circuit without touching anything else. But if you’re running an old ceramic fuse board, or your switchboard is already packed with circuits, an upgrade is unavoidable. We check this on the first visit and give you a straight answer before any work starts.

What size circuit does a heat pump need?

Most standard living room units need a 20-amp circuit with 4mm squared cable. Smaller bedroom units can get away with a 10-amp circuit on 2.5mm squared cable. The exact spec comes from the manufacturer’s nameplate on the outdoor unit. We always match the circuit to what’s printed on that label, not a guess.

What are the Healthy Homes heating requirements?

Landlords need at least one fixed heater in the main living room that can reach 18 degrees. The heater has to be a qualifying type (heat pumps count, unflued gas heaters don’t), and it needs to be correctly sized for the room. A heat pump is the most common solution we see because it covers heating and cooling in one unit. The electrical side needs a dedicated circuit and proper certification to be compliant.

How long does the electrical installation take?

Straightforward installs, where the switchboard has capacity and the cable run is short, take around two to three hours. If we’re upgrading the switchboard as well, allow a full day. The switchboard upgrade means coordinating a temporary power shutdown with your network company, so we sort that out in advance. No surprises on the day.

Are there any government subsidies for heat pumps?

Yeah, and they’re worth looking into. The Warmer Kiwi Homes programme through EECA offers grants that cover a chunk of the cost for insulation and heating in eligible homes. The subsidy targets lower-income households and Community Services Card holders, but the criteria have expanded over time so it’s worth checking even if you’re not sure you qualify. We don’t handle the application side, but we can make sure the electrical work meets the programme’s requirements.