Tips & advice

Honest, plain-English NZ home energy guidance.

No retailer spin, no product fluff — just practical advice for Kiwi homeowners on heat pumps, hot water, insulation, solar, EV charging and lower power bills.

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Heating

Featured
Heating
Why sizing your heat pump matters more than the brand

An oversized heat pump short-cycles, runs cold and costs more to run. An undersized one never gets the room warm. Brand matters less than getting the size right.

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Heating
The truth about 'one big heat pump heats the whole house'

It's the most-quoted line in the trade and it's mostly wrong. Heat doesn't move through walls, doors and corridors the way installers promise.

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Hot Water

Featured
Hot Water
Hot water = 30% of your power bill. Here's how to crush it.

If you do nothing else this year, fix your hot water. A heat pump cylinder pays back in 5–7 years and saves $700–$1,200/yr for a family of four.

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Hot Water
Cylinder wrap: $40 that pays back in months

If your hot water cylinder is more than 10 years old and not in a hot-water cupboard, wrapping it is the highest-ROI thing you can buy at Mitre 10.

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Insulation

Insulation
Where to insulate first if money is tight

Heat goes UP. So always start in the ceiling — best return per dollar by a country mile.

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Insulation
Underfloor insulation: the most overlooked win

Almost every Kiwi home has ceiling insulation. About a third have nothing under the floor. It's still cold air rising up through your timber floor.

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Lighting

Lighting
Why every halogen in your house is a money leak

A 50W halogen downlight uses 11× more power than the LED that replaces it — and runs hot enough to burn the ceiling cavity insulation.

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Lighting
LEDs aren't all equal — what to look for in NZ

Cheap LEDs flicker, die early, or come in fluorescent-blue colour temperatures that wreck the feel of your home. Five things to check before you buy.

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Solar

Featured
Solar
When solar makes sense in NZ — and when it doesn't

Solar isn't for everyone. There are five situations where it pays back fast, and a few where it never does. Here's how to tell which you're in.

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Solar
Battery storage: the maths most installers won't show you

Batteries triple the upfront cost of a solar system. For most NZ homes the payback is 12+ years. Here's when they actually make sense.

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EV

EV
7 kW vs 22 kW EV charger — what most Kiwi homes actually need

A 22 kW charger sounds better. For 95% of homes it's a waste — and most Kiwi single-phase boards can't even deliver it.

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EV
Smart charging: free overnight power explained

If you're on the wrong plan, your EV is costing you $1,500/yr to charge. On the right plan with smart timing, it can be $300/yr.

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