Home Heating Cost Calculator

This calculator works out how much it actually costs to heat your home in New Zealand, and compares a heat pump against a plug-in electric heater so you can see why some heating options are so much cheaper to run than others. You enter the heat output you need in kilowatts, the hours you run the heater each day, the number of days in the heating season, your power price per kWh, and the coefficient of performance (COP) of your heat pump, typically around 3 to 4. From these figures the calculator returns the cost per hour of running the heat pump, the total season cost for both the heat pump and the electric heater, and the dollar saving from choosing the heat pump. The gap is large because a plug-in heater turns one unit of electricity into one unit of heat, while a heat pump moves several units of heat for every unit of power it uses. Use this tool to check whether your current heating is costing more than it should, to weigh up a new heat pump against sticking with existing heaters, or simply to understand your winter power bill. Real-world efficiency depends on the unit, its age and the outside temperature, and power prices vary between retailers, so treat the results as an estimate to guide your decision rather than an exact bill.

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A heat pump coefficient of performance (COP) of around 3.5 means it delivers 3.5 units of heat per unit of electricity, while a plug-in heater has a COP of 1. Real efficiency varies with the unit and the outside temperature. Power prices change, so use your current rate. Estimate only, not financial advice.