Abstract <p>It is the aim of this work to examine the piezo-thermoelastic effects in piezoelectric rod exposed to pulse heat flux with and without energy dissipation. The analysis uses the GNIII model to present the governing equations of piezo-thermo-elasticity. The analytical solutions are developed in the Laplace transform domain, and this is essential since it allows for accurate determination of the various variables of interest such as temperature, electric field, stress, displacement and electric potential. The general solutions of the variables of study is then obtained by using Numerical Laplace inversion and displayed graphically. The results provide a new, improved base from which to understand the coupled interactions between temperature, electric potential and mechanical deformation in piezoelectric materials, thus can be used in a generic way to deliver improved design and performance in piezoelectric material-based applications of the future such as sensors, actuators and energy harvesting devices.</p>