Updated October 2026
Somerville sits where the Peninsula's market gardens meet the suburbs, with an older township core around the station, a large amount of estate housing built over recent decades, and semi-rural blocks on the edges. Mornington Hot Water is a free referral service. We connect you with licensed hot water plumbers who cover Somerville. We are not a plumbing business ourselves, and the referral costs you nothing.
Three kinds of house, three kinds of system
In the older core, electric storage still dominates, much of it on controlled-load tariffs and plenty of it overdue. These are the replacements where it is worth getting a heat pump quoted alongside a like-for-like swap, because the running cost difference compounds for a full-time household.
The estates were built with gas storage or continuous flow and are now hitting the age where first replacements come due. A like-for-like continuous flow swap on the same wall is one of the quickest jobs there is.
On the semi-rural edges, mains gas is not always available, and bottled LPG, electric storage and heat pumps do the work. The plumber confirms what your address can actually run before quoting, which saves a wasted conversation about a system you cannot supply.
Repair it or replace it
If the tank itself is leaking, it is a replacement. Elements, thermostats and relief valves on a younger tank are often worth fixing, with repairs roughly $150 to $600 depending on the part. See hot water repairs and hot water replacement.
As a guide, electric storage like-for-like swaps run from around $800 to $2,500 installed. Gas storage and continuous flow sit around $1,200 to $3,500, and a heat pump $3,000 to $6,000 before incentives. The cost guide has the detail.
Same-day replacement is often possible for common tank sizes when you get in touch in the morning.
Frequently asked questions
My estate home's continuous flow unit is showing an error code.
Note the code, switch the unit off and on at the isolation switch, and if it returns, book a plumber. Codes point to specific parts, so the plumber often arrives with the right one.
Is LPG expensive to run?
Per litre of hot water, more than mains gas. On an LPG property it is worth comparing a heat pump before replacing like for like.