Panasonic 300L, Haier 330L or Rinnai HydraHeat 340L? Compare our approved installed offers with the space, sound and hot-water recovery questions that matter for your Lower Hutt home.
Every online quote is subject to a site visit and confirmation of installation requirements. Supply availability and the work required are confirmed before agreement.
Approved installed offers · NZD
Three options. Different starting points.
Subject to a site visit and confirmation of installation requirements. These are Hot Water Now package offers, not manufacturer unit-only retail prices. Do not assume identical installation inclusions across brands.
Panasonic PHE-30ABR 300L all-in-one
$6,699 + GST
$7,703.85 including GST
Unit, plumbing, electrical work and old-cylinder removal included.
Gas conversion adds $300 + GST: total $6,999 + GST ($8,048.85 including GST). Any other work and suitability are confirmed at the site visit.
The lowest advertised installed price of these three offers. A useful starting point when comparing an upgrade against keeping an electric cylinder; it is not automatically the best fit for every household.
Installed offer; full installation scope confirmed at the visit.
Gas conversion adds $300 + GST: total $8,049 + GST ($9,256.35 including GST). Additional work and supply availability are confirmed before agreement.
Haier lists 330L rated storage (331L total), SmartHQ control and operating modes that can help plan heating periods. Check controls and your tariff together; scheduling is not a guaranteed bill reduction.
Installed offer; full installation scope confirmed at the visit.
Gas conversion adds $300 + GST: total $8,049 + GST ($9,256.35 including GST). Additional work and supply availability are confirmed before agreement.
Order code RHPN361A340E20. The largest nominal storage volume here, with a removable heat-pump head and a 2kW cylinder element. Rinnai designs this model primarily for outdoor installation.
Panasonic's specific inclusion list does not automatically apply to Haier or Rinnai. No unlimited gas disconnection, relocation or electrical-upgrade scope is promised. The approved gas addition applies to these heat-pump packages, not an unapproved gas-to-standard-electric conversion.
The replacement calculator requires an explicit brand choice. Heat-pump package pricing is limited to known electric or gas current systems, known current capacity, mains pressure and the same location. Existing heat pumps, unknown details or brand, and proposed relocation need assessment instead of an assumed fixed price. A calculator result does not reserve an installation.
Start with the existing system
When does a heat-pump upgrade make sense?
Compare the complete job with a repair or a standard electric replacement. A sound cylinder with a repairable component fault may not need replacing just to restore hot water.
Regular demand and usable space
A household with regular hot-water use and an appropriate installation position has a reason to investigate heat-pump water heating. Tell us when showers, baths and kitchen use overlap, not just the number of residents. Low use can make the extra upfront cost harder to justify.
Changing from gas
Check the electrical supply, the new storage location and the agreed gas work. If other gas appliances remain, do not assume gas daily charges disappear. Moving from continuous-flow gas to stored water also changes how peak demand and recovery need to be planned.
Keeping electric storage
Compare the existing 180L and 300L electric options as well. The approved 180L same-location offer is $3,600 + GST ($4,140 including GST); the proposed inside/outside 300L offer is $5,450 + GST ($6,267.50 including GST), including relocation subject to a site visit. Their eligibility and inclusion rules differ.
For Petone, Eastbourne and other exposed Lower Hutt locations, ask the installer to assess exposure and the manufacturer's siting requirements. In tighter sections, access, neighbouring windows and airflow may matter more than a small difference in tank volume. This is a site decision, not a blanket claim that any model suits every suburb.
Measure more than the cylinder footprint
Space, airflow and sound.
Body dimensions are not the installation envelope. Allow for air intake and discharge, service access, pipework, drainage, a suitable supporting base and the route used to move the unit into place.
Panasonic space check
Panasonic lists a 2,130mm height and 640mm width and depth, with an 867mm dimension including the piping cover. Check the manufacturer's dimension drawing and installation spacing rather than using the bare cylinder size as the available-space requirement.
This comparison does not assign Panasonic a noise or recovery figure: the product-page information reviewed does not establish a directly comparable rating with stated test conditions.
Haier space check
Haier lists the HP330M1U1 at 1,941mm high, 710mm wide and 758mm deep. Its listed filled weight is 452kg. Assess support and access as well as clearances; a former indoor electric-cylinder cupboard is not automatically an acceptable heat-pump location.
Haier lists “noise emissions” of 47dB on its NZ specification page. The displayed specification does not state the measurement distance or acoustic method, so it is not a like-for-like quietness ranking against Rinnai.
Rinnai space check
The assembled 340L HydraHeat is 1,995mm high and 692mm in diameter. Rinnai's product guidance specifies 400mm clearance on either side, 500mm above and 10mm from the rear wall. Have the current installation guide checked for the complete site requirements.
Rinnai states 45dB(A) sound pressure at 1m in a free field, in Standard mode at 60°C with 19°C ambient air. That laboratory condition is not a promise of sound levels at your bedroom or boundary.
Do not choose the “quietest” from unmatched numbers
A fan and compressor create sound while operating. Position the unit with sleeping areas, reflective walls and neighbours in mind. Ask about operating schedules and the effect of any enclosure on airflow before deciding on screens or landscaping. Indoor proposals require model-specific assessment; Rinnai expressly limits possible indoor locations to those meeting its unoccupied-space requirements.
Capacity is only half the question
Will there be enough hot water?
Recovery means heating replacement cold water after you have drawn hot water from the tank. Storage volume, starting temperature, incoming water temperature, operating mode and time between uses all affect the outcome.
Compare your busiest period
Describe consecutive showers, bath filling and any evening or morning peak. A 340L tank does not guarantee a fixed shower count, and a heat pump is not an unlimited continuous-flow supply. Ask for sizing against the pattern of use rather than a generic household-size promise.
Keep ratings with their conditions
Rinnai publishes an 89L/hour recovery rate in Eco 55 mode at 19°C ambient air with a 36°C water-temperature rise. That is not a guaranteed winter recovery rate in Lower Hutt, nor a direct comparison with another brand measured differently.
Plan for cooler weather and boosting
Haier lists an ambient working range of −7°C to 45°C and a 2.2kW electric element for the 330L. Rinnai lists −10°C to 42°C and a 2kW element. Operating range does not mean constant output or efficiency throughout that range. Discuss cold-weather performance, mode selection and the cost of element use at the site visit.
Use manufacturer-approved temperature and hygiene controls. Do not lower storage settings or disable safety cycles simply to chase savings. If your current system suddenly starts running cold with unchanged use, read the repair guidance before assuming it is undersized.
No invented savings or payback
What will it cost to own and run?
Heat-pump technology can use less electricity to heat water than electric resistance heating, but an advertised efficiency or percentage is not your household's measured saving. We do not promise a dollar saving, percentage reduction or payback period here.
01 /
Confirm the installed scope
Ask about the exact model, valves and pipework, electrical supply, supporting base, access, drainage, old-system removal, gas work and any approvals. Confirm what is included and quote additional work before agreement. The installation position and property conditions can change the scope.
02 /
Use your actual tariff and demand
Review electricity rates, controlled-hot-water supply arrangements and any solar generation alongside when you use water. A whole-house electricity bill does not isolate hot-water consumption. Manufacturer COP and recovery ratings use stated test conditions, not your annual weather and usage pattern.
03 /
Include ongoing costs
Allow for manufacturer-recommended maintenance and discuss warranty conditions, water quality and access for service. Compare remaining gas charges if applicable. If a saving or payback estimate is requested, it needs an agreed baseline and explicit assumptions, not an assumed percentage copied from an advertisement.
Before choosing
Heat-pump questions.
Which heat-pump hot-water brand is best for Lower Hutt?
There is no single winner for every home. Panasonic has the lowest advertised package price here, while Haier and Rinnai offer different storage sizes, controls and physical requirements. The site, peak demand, installation scope and manufacturer conditions decide suitability.
Can it go where my existing cylinder is?
Not automatically. Check airflow, height, service space, supporting base, electrical supply and drainage. The online heat-pump price rules use the same location, but that selection is not a guarantee that the site is suitable. Relocation is assessment-only.
Is a bigger tank always better?
No. More stored volume is only one part of meeting demand. Recovery, mode, available space and the timing of use matter too. Avoid choosing only by litres or a promised number of showers.
Can you install a heat pump today if my cylinder fails?
Call to discuss your fault and availability. Same-day attendance must be arranged and confirmed by phone; it does not guarantee replacement, parts or completed installation. Read same-day service conditions.
Should I repair first?
If a component can be replaced and the tank is otherwise serviceable, repair may be worth considering. A confirmed tank failure, recurring faults or a change in demand can make replacement more appropriate. See repair versus replacement guidance.
Manufacturer sources
Technical details above are drawn from these official NZ product pages, checked for this comparison. The linked installation instructions and model-specific terms take precedence over a summary; confirm the current model and requirements before ordering. Package selling prices are Hot Water Now offers, not manufacturer claims.
Call with your suburb, existing system and capacity if safely visible, busiest hot-water period and proposed location. We confirm the assessment arrangements and installation requirements before you commit.
May we use Google Analytics to count page visits and clicks on our phone links? Phone clicks indicate possible interest, not a connected call or a confirmed enquiry. Analytics is optional; rejecting it will not affect this website or calculator. Privacy and controls.
Analytics privacy and controls
Only if you accept, Google Analytics receives basic device information, page visits and phone-link click events and uses first-party analytics cookies. Google processes this data on its infrastructure, which may be overseas. We do not send calculator answers, customer details, URL queries or phone numbers to Analytics. We do not enable Google signals or advertising personalisation. A phone click is a potential lead action, not proof of a call, booking or sale.
Your choice is stored on this device for up to 180 days. You can reject or withdraw consent at any time below; this stops further analytics and removes this site's analytics cookies, but does not undo data already sent. Google privacy policy.