Whitby homes
Four bedrooms is normal
At the 2023 Census, 38.4% of Whitby's 3,972 occupied homes had four bedrooms (24% nationally) and only 6.9% had two.
Mostly owner-occupied
72.1% of households owned their home and 11.7% held it in a family trust; only 16.4% did neither, against 34% nationally.
Gas heating
A fixed gas heater was a main heating type in 29.5% of homes, about three times the 9.5% national rate. Heat pumps were used in 64.5%.
Drier than average
Just 0.9% of homes were always damp and 10.3% sometimes damp, against 2.3% and 15.8% nationally. Mould bigger than A4 was always present in 1.6%.
Hot water in a bigger house
Wellington Electricity, which runs the lines in Porirua, can switch off power to some hot water cylinders at peak times with a ripple signal. Water already heated stays usable and usually stays warm for several hours, but a large household can run through it. If showers go cold every evening, the cylinder may be too small for the house, the element or thermostat may be failing, or it may simply be load control.
Try our cylinder size tool before you talk to a plumber, and see the Wellington hot water cylinders page.
Drains, gas and the harbour
Under Tiaki Wai, the lateral from your home to the public network is yours to maintain, and a blocked gully trap is a plumber's job. Whitby's wastewater is treated at the Porirua Wastewater Treatment Plant near Rukutane Point. Work on fixed gas pipes and appliances needs an authorised gasfitter.
WREMO publishes a tsunami map for Whitby and Pāuatahanui: check your address. Nearby pages: Porirua and Tawa. Regional: gasfitting and drainlayers.
What we would do
Replacing the cylinder in a four-bedroom Whitby house? Don't just match the old one. Tell the plumber how many people live there and how many showers can run at once, and ask whether the existing cylinder was ever big enough. Sizing it for the household you have now is the most useful conversation to have before you choose electric, gas or a heat pump.