Best Underfloor Heating in Dunedin: Hydronic and Under Tile Installers

Finding the best underfloor heating in Dunedin comes down to matching the system to the house, whether that means in-slab pipework poured into a new build or an electric cable mat taking the chill off a bathroom floor in an older villa. The specialists below design, supply, install and service underfloor heating in Dunedin homes, covering hydronic systems run off air-to-water heat pumps, diesel boilers and under tile cable. Warm and Cool and Davies Heat ‘n’ Cool both operate from Kaikorai Valley, and one installer here covers the city from a base at Waihola to the south.

1Warm and Cool

Warm and Cool designs energy efficient heating, cooling and ventilation systems from Kaikorai Valley Road, and has served Dunedin, wider Otago, the Queenstown Lakes and Southland for more than 35 years. Its underfloor systems circulate heated water through pipes in the floor slab, most often driven by an air-to-water heat pump, with a European retrofit method for existing homes that raises the floor 40 to 50mm over a metal piping tray. The work suits homeowners planning a new build as well as those converting an ageing boiler to a heat pump.

Services

• Heat pump powered hydronic underfloor heating for new builds
• Retrofitted underfloor heating using a raised metal tray and closed-cell foam insulation
• Heat pump radiators and ducted heating systems
• Boiler to heat pump conversions for existing central heating
• Heat recovery ventilation and annual system servicing

Highlights

• Serving Dunedin, Otago, the Queenstown Lakes and Southland for over 35 years
• The same heat source can supply domestic hot water, pools and spas alongside the floor loops
• Zone by zone temperature control across the floor slab
• Ceiling cassettes and floor units available for summer cooling independent of the underfloor system
• Annual maintenance service built around keeping systems within warranty requirements

Location & Contact

Name: Warm and Cool
Address: 223 Kaikorai Valley Road, Dunedin
Phone: 03 453 1010
Website: warmandcool.co.nz

2Davies Heat ‘n’ Cool

Davies Heat ‘n’ Cool traces back to G.W. Davies Heating Engineers, established in Dunedin in 1909, and now operates from Donald Street in Kaikorai Valley. Its hydronic in-floor work centres on the Daikin Altherma hot water heat pump, which heats both the floor slab and the household hot water cylinder, with diesel and gas condensing boilers offered as alternative heat sources. The team handles design, installation and ongoing servicing for homes across Dunedin, Central Otago, Cromwell and Invercargill.

Services

• Hydronic in-floor heating design, installation and servicing
• Daikin Altherma hot water heat pump systems for in-floor central heating
• Diesel and gas condensing boilers, coal stokers and pellet boilers
• Ducted central heating systems and radiators
• Residential and commercial ventilation systems

Highlights

• Founded in Dunedin in 1909 as G.W. Davies Heating Engineers
• Designed and installed the original heating systems in the Dunedin Town Hall and the Regent Theatre
• Held the Otago Daikin dealership since 1994
• Five year parts and labour warranty on Daikin Altherma in-floor systems

Location & Contact

Name: Davies Heat ‘n’ Cool
Address: 1 Donald Street, Kaikorai Valley, Dunedin
Phone: 03 488 4088
Website: daviesheatncool.co.nz

3Proflow Plumbing and Gas

Proflow Plumbing and Gas is a South Dunedin firm of plumbers, gasfitters and registered drainlayers, established in 2013 by owner David Richards. Its central heating side installs and services air-to-water heat pumps feeding hydronic underfloor, wall and ceiling heating, sized after an assessment of the house and the rooms within it. It suits homeowners folding heating into a renovation or new build alongside plumbing and hot water work.

Services

• Hydronic underfloor, wall and ceiling heating run off air-to-water heat pumps
• Radiator central heating with weather compensating controls
• CO2 hot water heat pumps and solar hot water systems
• Plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying for new builds and renovations

Highlights

• Established in Dunedin in 2013 and locally owned and operated
• Workmanship guaranteed to Master Plumbers guidelines
• Systems sized from an assessment of the home rather than a standard specification
• Emergency repair service available to existing and new customers

Location & Contact

Name: Proflow Plumbing and Gas
Address: 58 Fox Street, South Dunedin, Dunedin
Phone: 03 425 9670
Website: proflowplumbing.co.nz

4Highlander Heating

Highlander Heating is a hydronic heating business run by founder Neil Riddoch from Waihola, south of Dunedin, covering the city along with Mosgiel, Outram, Green Island, Macandrew Bay, St Clair and St Kilda. Underfloor installation is one of its named service lines, with loop layouts set from heat loss calculations and every loop tested before handover. The same person who quotes the job carries out the installation, which suits owners of older Dunedin villas wanting one point of contact through a retrofit.

Services

• Hydronic underfloor heating installation for new builds, extensions and retrofits
• Air-to-water heat pump installation
• Boiler installation and replacement, including diesel, gas and wood
• Commercial heating for builders, developers and property managers
• Servicing, repair and recommissioning of systems installed by others

Highlights

• Founded by Neil Riddoch, with more than 20 years in heating installation in New Zealand
• Two year workmanship warranty, with up to five years manufacturer cover on selected equipment
• Digital handover packs and QR coded job tags recording the system details

Location & Contact

Name: Highlander Heating
Address: 25 Nore Street, Waihola
Phone: 021 059 5281
Website: highlanderheating.co.nz

5Laser Electrical Dunedin

Laser Electrical Dunedin works from Carroll Street in central Dunedin and covers Dunedin City along with Mosgiel, Outram, Port Chalmers, Waitati, Waikouaiti, Middlemarch and Brighton. Electric under tile heating is one of its residential lines, designed and installed in a single room or throughout a whole house, and it also fits heat pumps and ventilation so heating options can be weighed up together during a renovation.

Services

• Design and installation of electric under tile and under floor heating
• Heat pump supply and installation
• Ventilation and heat transfer systems
• New home wiring, alterations and renovation electrical work

Highlights

• Master Electricians member
• Over 50 years of experience providing electrical services
• Under floor heating suited to ceramic and slate tile, marble, granite, hardwood tongue and groove and carpet, controlled by thermostat and timer

Location & Contact

Name: Laser Electrical Dunedin
Address: 80 Carroll Street, Central Dunedin
Phone: 03 456 4530
Website: dunedin.laserelectrical.co.nz

Underfloor Heating in Dunedin at a Glance

How to Choose the Right Underfloor Heating in Dunedin

• Settle the hydronic versus electric question first. Water based in-slab pipework is built to warm a whole house, while electric cable under tile is usually the practical choice for one bathroom or kitchen.
• Ask what heat source the quote assumes. An air-to-water heat pump, a diesel condensing boiler and a gas boiler carry very different running costs and installation requirements through an Otago winter.
• Check that the installer sizes the system from a heat loss calculation for your house rather than floor area alone, and ask to see the loop layout before any slab is poured.
• Confirm who holds the registration for the work. Electric under floor heating is prescribed electrical work, while the pipework, boiler and gas connections sit with registered plumbers and gasfitters.
• Compare the workmanship warranty and the manufacturer warranty separately, and ask who services the system afterwards and how often that needs doing.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dunedin Underfloor Heating

What does underfloor heating cost to install in Dunedin?

Cost depends on the system type, the area being heated and whether the floor is being poured or retrofitted, so installers quote after seeing the house. Some charge separately for the heating design where a full system has to be engineered, which is worth clarifying up front. Ask for the heat source, the controls and the commissioning to be itemised so quotes can be compared properly.

Hydronic or electric underfloor heating, which suits a Dunedin home?

Hydronic systems circulate warm water through pipes in or under the floor and are generally used to heat a whole house, most often from an air-to-water heat pump or a boiler. Electric cable systems warm a smaller area more quickly and are commonly laid under tiles in bathrooms and kitchens. Whole-home warmth points to hydronic, while warm floors in one or two rooms usually points to electric.

Can underfloor heating be retrofitted into an existing house?

Yes. A hydronic retrofit typically raises the floor level by roughly 40 to 50mm to take a piping tray and insulation before a new floor surface goes on top, and electric cable can be laid during a bathroom or kitchen re-tile. Older Dunedin villas are regularly retrofitted, though the existing insulation and the extra floor build-up both need checking first.

Which parts of Dunedin do underfloor heating installers cover?

Installers working on underfloor heating Dunedin wide generally cover the city and the settlements around it, including Mosgiel, Outram, Green Island, Port Chalmers, Waitati, Waikouaiti, Middlemarch, Brighton and the peninsula suburbs near Macandrew Bay. Bases sit in Kaikorai Valley, South Dunedin, central Dunedin and at Waihola to the south, so most addresses are a short drive from someone. If you are outside the main urban area, ask about travel time and any callout charge when you book the site visit.

Do I need a registered tradesperson to install underfloor heating?

Yes. Electric under floor heating is prescribed electrical work and must be carried out or certified by a registered electrician, and registration can be checked on the public register held by the Electrical Workers Registration Board. The pipework, boiler and gas connections on a hydronic system are plumbing and gasfitting work, and those registrations are held by the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board.

Does underfloor heating work under carpet and timber floors?

It can. Electric cable is laid under ceramic and slate tile, marble and granite, hardwood tongue and groove and carpet, and hydronic pipework sits in or beneath the slab under a similar range of finishes. The floor covering changes how quickly heat comes through, so tell the installer the final finish before the layout is set.

Can the same system heat the hot water as well?

On a hydronic setup, yes. An air-to-water heat pump or boiler sized for the job can supply both the floor loops and the domestic hot water cylinder, and some installations also feed a pool or spa. Raise it early, because the cylinder and the heat source have to be sized for the combined load.

When in a build should underfloor heating be decided?

As early as possible for a hydronic in-slab system, because the pipe loops are laid before the concrete is poured and the layout has to suit both the room plan and the heat loss calculation. Electric under tile heating is more flexible and can be added during a bathroom or kitchen renovation, though it still needs planning before the tiler starts.