Electrify Your Home
How to guide
Supporting Your Home Electrification Journey
We’re here to help you take simple, confident steps toward electrifying your home.
Whether you’re just getting started or ready to look at specific options like heat pumps, hot water heating, induction cooktops, electric vehicles, or solar panels, we can help you create a warmer, healthier, more resilient, and more affordable home that’s better for the planet. You can ask as a question, or read our Frequently Asked Questions too.
What is an electric home?
Our lights, dishwashers and ovens are mostly electric, but there are still a lot of households in New Zealand that use gas for water heating, space heating and cooking, and petrol & diesel for driving.
Upgrading these fossil fuel machines for more efficient electric equivalents like heat pumps, hot water heat pumps, induction cooktops, and EVs, and powering them with renewable electricity (either from the grid or via rooftop solar) significantly:
- reduces your overall energy consumption
- saves thousands on energy bills every year
- slashes your household’s emissions
How much can an electric home save on bills?
Every home is different, but electric homes offer significantly lower and more stable energy bills compared to homes using fossil fuels, and much lower total costs over their lifetime.
What is an electric home?
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Space Heating
Heat pumps are 3x to 4x the efficiency of gas space heaters. A Queenstown home heating rooms with bottled gas at the moment can expect to save about $1,000 to $2,000 per year on energy bills if they swap it out for an electric heat pump.
15 Year Saving: $10K – $16K
Install Cost: $3K – $10K
Emissions Saved: High
Water Heating
Hot water heat pumps use about 70% less energy than gas water heaters. A Queenstown home switching from bottled gas to an electric heat pump can expect to save about $400 to $800 per year, even more when combined with solar.
15 Year Saving: $4K – $7K
Install Cost: $3K – $10K
Emissions Saved: High
Driving
Electric vehicles are about 4x more efficient than petrol vehicles, and can save hundreds or often over a thousand dollars a year on fuel costs depending how much you drive.
15 Year Saving: $10K – $19K
Cost: $30K – $70K (New)
Emissions Saved: Very High
Mid-range. Second-hand EVs are much cheaper and can handle most urban driving.
Cooking
Induction cooktops are 2x to 3x more efficient than gas. They can boil water faster, save money on bills, improve indoor air quality and are easier to clean as a bonus.
15 Year Saving: $0K – $1K
Install Cost: $3K – $5K
Emissions Saved: Moderate
Rooftop Solar
Rooftop solar is the lowest cost electricity for most homes in New Zealand, and can often save around $500 to $1,500 per year all costs included. Financing solar means you can save money from day one.
Payback Period: 5 – 7 Years
Install Cost: ≈$2,000 per kW
Emissions Saved: Moderate
Batteries
Batteries can further lower energy bills especially when combined with solar, and crucially provide backup energy resilience. This is especially relevant with Queenstown's AF8 earthquake risk.
15 Year Saving: $3,750
Install Cost: $700 – $1.3K per kWh
Emissions Saved: Moderate
The numbers don't lie
What about upfront costs?
The upfront cost of electric machines is higher and that can put some people off. But in New Zealand, electric machines are now cheaper to buy and run than fossil fuel machines over their lifetime, even with those upfront costs included.
If you add them to your mortgage and pay interest, it’s still cheaper. It’s not just an environmental argument anymore, it’s also an economic argument.
Where to start?
All of your appliances and vehicles have product lifetimes, for example an appliance might last 10-15 years. It's important to know you don't need to do everything at once, the breakdown point is a great moment to electrify, but you need to be prepared. When the shower starts running cold, you won't have much time for planning! Some thinking ahead on can make sure you don't lock in a decade of emissions, and instead lock in ongoing lower bills for your home with electrification.
Some things, like rooftop solar and water heater replacement, often already stack up economically and environmentally to do straight away. Win-win!
Discover more resources
Solar Quote Comparison
Compare quotes side by side so you can see the best value for your home.
EV Step by Step Guide
A simple, practical walkthrough of everything you need to know before getting your first EV.
Solar Step by Step Guide
Your easy roadmap to choosing the right solar setup for your home and budget.
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Solar Financing Guide
A clear breakdown of ways to pay for solar, from loans to grants, so you can pick what fits your situation.
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Solar for Renters Guide
Smart electrification tips for renters, including upgrades you can make without owning the place.
EV and Fleet Conversion
A straightforward guide to shifting your work vehicles to electric, with insights on savings and day to day operations.