Our team of engineers perform a number of checks. This includes using aerial images to look at the the size and orientation of your roof. We also check what type of cladding is on your roof, the pitch and if there any issues with shading that could impact on the system performance. The solar specialist and your project co-ordinator will talk you through all of these details as you go through the process to powering your home with solar.
Going solar and reducing your cost of energy
We know everyone’s lifestyles and home setups are different. So we offer two different solar power systems that can be tailored to suit your needs and save you the most.
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Solar as a subscriptionSubscribe for monthly access to solar for a $0 upfront install cost over the course of 25 years.
Enjoy lower energy costs with payment options to suit you, and ongoing optimisation by our team of experts.
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Solar ownershipBuy your solar power system outright by buying your panels and battery and covering the install fee upfront.
Add value to your home, reduce your monthly power bill and access ongoing maintenance and support.
Wondering which option is right for you?
That's all part of our job. Our team of solar experts are here to help guide you through the options and work out what options are suitable for your home. Fill out your details below and one of our friendly energy experts will be in touch to help guide you through the process.
How do I know solar’s right for me?
Just like you, our solar energy systems need the right conditions to flourish. For your home to be able to host our technology, there are a couple of conditions:
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You own your homeWe can only install our systems if you’re the owner of the property.
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Your power bill is more than $50 per monthTo install a solar subscription and to get lower energy costs you need a power bill of $50 or more.
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There’s roof spaceSolar systems require roof space for installation and we need a sunny area. We can take a look at your roof for you.
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Our Virtual Power Plant
This is where our smart solar technology really works its magic.
Our Virtual Power Plant (VPP for short) is a network of energy resources (in this case, solar and smart battery systems) connected to the national power grid to provide energy when demand is high or there’s a grid outage. And our VPP helps to make solar more affordable.
When you install a solar power system with us, you become a part of our VPP. Your solar and smart battery system will store the sun’s energy, and it will share a small portion of this energy back to New Zealand’s national power grid when it’s needed most.
In return for having this battery capacity ‘on call’ throughout the year, we share the income from this service with our members, because that’s the way we like to do things. So you receive a monthly VPP Credit, making solar energy even more affordable.
In case you were wondering, the amount shared with the grid is only about 2.5% of your total smart battery capacity, and it’s likely that it will only happen around 10 days per year. This means you can power your home all year round, even in an emergency and get the benefit of the VPP credit.
Solar success stories
We’ve dedicated decades to helping New Zealanders transition their homes to solar. Check out one of our success stories below.
Meet Belinda, who powers her Hawke’s Bay home with our solar service.
Belinda's Story
FAQs
Starting out on your solar journey can seem a little daunting at first. So we’ve compiled some of our frequently asked questions to help you navigate the world of solar below:
The installation of a solar system typically takes one day. In cases when there is wet weather there might be a need for the team to come back on a second day.
The installation of solar panels will penetrate your roof. As part of the installation we do provide a weather tight guarantee. Your roof operate exactly as it did, just generating sunshine.
Each home and its power use is different. Our team of solar specalists will take a look at your power bill and design a system for your home. Our solar panel systems start at 6 panels with a battery.
Our team of solar specalists analyse your power bill, as well as taking into account other factors like how sunny your roof is. We customise the number of solar panels for your home based on what we think will be the best value for your home.
One of the many benefits of getting a solar system from us is that it comes with a solar battery. When we install a solar battery at your home our team will also ask you what the key circuits that you would like to continue to keep powered in a power cut. During a power cut, your solar panels will continue to generate energy to store in your smart battery. It is important to check your solar monitoring during a power cut as you will be able to see how much energy is left in your battery and you can make decisions about what to turn off. There is about a 1 second delay during a power cut before the backup energy in the battery kicks in.
With us we always install a battery with our solar systems. We have a battery as standard with our systems because it is the combination of solar panels, stored energy in the battery and cheaper energy from our partner retailers that allows us to stand by our savings guarantees.
No. Both the solar subscription and purchasing your own panels require you to be grid tied. Going completely off-grid can be expensive and requires extensive lifestyle changes. Our solar systems make it easy to continue to live the life that you want without needing to change your lifestyle considerably.
Solar panels and a smart battery system starts from $20,000.
The battery measures 1365mm High x 650mm Wide x 327.5mm deep. We typically install this in an area of your home that has low direct sunlight.
The battery will automatically power some key circuits in your home when there is a power cut. Our team of installers will talk you through what those key circuits are when we are installing solar at your home. Typically those circuits will include your kitchen and lounge so that you have lighting and can use low energy use appliances like your fridge, computers, router and TV. It will not support heavy load circuits like your oven, hot water cylinder or heat pump. In the event of a power cut it will take a couple of seconds before devices connected to the circuits with battery backup come back on. It is wise to switch off anything you don't absolutely need to maximise the amount of energy you have during a power cut.
We have programmed the battery to buy and use power at times that deliver the best rates for you. It will charge up with grid power during the night when electricity rates are low. It will use this stored electricity to power your home at the start of the day. This will help minimise the amount of electricity you need to buy from the grid during the peak time in the morning when rates are high. During the day the battery will charge up with surplus solar power. If required, it will top up with power from the the grid. That stored electricity will be used to power your home during the evening peak when grid rates are high again.
Have more questions? Find the answers here.