Most of the Kapiti Coast has no reticulated gas, so LPG bottles do the work. What that means for running costs, bottle logistics, and what to install.
There are two ways to get gas into a New Zealand house, and which one you get is mostly decided by your street rather than your preference.
Reticulated natural gas
Piped to the property from the network, billed like electricity, no bottles to think about. It exists through much of the Hutt Valley — Lower Hutt, Petone, Upper Hutt and Trentham — and parts of the wider Wellington region.
It does not run through most of the Kapiti Coast. Paraparaumu, Waikanae, Raumati and Otaki are LPG country. Same for Levin and the rural Horowhenua.
If you have moved up from Wellington and cannot get anyone to connect you to mains gas, that is the reason. The pipe is not in the road.
Bottled LPG
Two 45kg bottles sit in a bottle bay against the house, plumbed with an automatic changeover regulator. When one empties, the system switches to the other and you order a swap. A supplier delivers.
What it does well:
- Runs everything gas does. Hobs, continuous-flow hot water, bayonets for heaters and BBQs. No compromise on the appliance side.
- No network connection cost. No trenching to the street, no connection fee.
- Portable in a practical sense. Rural or lifestyle properties well away from any network are on exactly the same footing as a town section.
What to know going in:
- Per-unit cost is higher than natural gas. LPG generally costs more per unit of energy than reticulated gas. For a hob, the difference is small in absolute terms because a hob uses very little. For hot water, it adds up — worth doing the maths against a heat-pump cylinder if running cost is your main concern.
- Bottle rental or supply agreements. Most suppliers charge an annual bottle rental or tie it to a supply agreement. Factor it in.
- You have to notice. Automatic changeover means you get a full bottle's grace, but if nobody orders the swap you eventually run out mid-shower.
- The bottle bay has rules. Bottles need clearance from windows, doors, drains and ignition sources. Where they can sit sometimes decides where the appliance goes.
Which appliances suit which
For a hob, LPG is a non-issue. Consumption is low, the cooking experience is identical, and the running-cost difference is minor.
For continuous-flow hot water, LPG works well — the unit only burns gas while hot water is actually running, which suits bottles far better than a system that burns fuel around the clock. See sizing for getting the capacity right.
For whole-home heating, LPG gets expensive fast. Most Kapiti homes are better served by a heat pump for space heating and reserving gas for cooking and hot water.
Bayonets are the underrated one
A bayonet point is a gas outlet you plug an appliance into and unplug when you are done — a portable heater in the lounge in winter, a BBQ on the deck in summer. They are inexpensive to add while a gasfitter is already on site running other work, and much more annoying to retrofit as a standalone visit later.
If you are having gas work done anyway, that is the moment to ask about adding one.
Getting it installed
Whichever supply you are on, the install is restricted work: a licensed gasfitter does it and issues the compliance certificate on completion.
Tony holds both PGDB licences and installs LPG and natural gas — hobs, bayonets, continuous-flow hot water and the connections behind them — across the Kapiti Coast, Horowhenua and Hutt Valley. Get a quote or call 021 198 3113.