The price of solar power has dramatically decreased over the years, as the cost of manufacturing the components has come down. When pricing a solar PV system to suit your requirements, it is useful to know your average monthly or annual power bill or ‘units’ used as there is a lot of variance when it comes to energy usage and efficiency in the average home. Click here for a free solar power system quote or take a look at our Solar Power Calculator.

1. There are a few things you should consider when you are trying to decide what size system you are interested in. You should base your solar electricity system purchase on the following in order of priority:

-    1.) your budget;
-    2.) your available roof space (for solar panels);
-    3.) the amount of electricity you consume (kWh) per year or your yearly electricity bill amount ($) you want to offset. 

Click here to use our solar power savings calculator.

Our quotes provide you with enough information to give you a general idea of our solar electricity system capabilities. One of our sales agents can provide you with some further insight and advice should you want further guidance in finding a solar power system that will suit your needs and targets. Click here to contact us

Our solar power systems are specifically designed for 25 year maintenance free life; on top of that PowerSmart stands by our own 5 year complete system warranty.

Solar Panels:
5/25 year manufacturers/power warranty. (The solar panels will still be producing 80% of their original output after 25 years).
Inverters:
5 year parts and labour warranty. (An inverter warranty extension is available up to 25 years for an additional fee).

Not necessarily, we can design and model a system that best suits your home by either viewing your roof from Google Earth or from a roof plan.  This will give you an accurate expectation of how your solar PV system will be laid out and the power generation of your system.  In some instances, we will require a site visit to confirm the layout can go ahead as designed and that there aren’t any significant shading issues.

Each council within New Zealand sets its own policy regarding what they require consent for, & these policies also change from time to time.

Many councils do not require building consent for solar photovoltaic systems. Some of these councils require an application for exemption to be submitted, under Clause K of Schedule 1 of the Building Act – more information about this Clause can be found at www.dbh.govt.nz/bc-no-consent-schedule-1#territorial-authority. Others do not require any paperwork to be completed at all.

Some councils do require building consent for solar photovoltaic systems, but as they are becoming more educated about solar power more of these are foregoing the consent requirement.

We will check for you what your local council’s current stance is on consent requirements. 

If your council does require building consent or an application for exemption, we will complete all the associated paperwork for this on your behalf, for you to submit to your local council with any payment due.

Our systems are designed to last longer than 25 years, maintenance free.  But you may want to wash the solar panels if they get dusty or covered in pollen so that they continue to produce the maximum amount of electricity. Our solar electricity systems contain no moving parts and are designed specifically for harsh environments.

1. No, PowerSmart specialises solely in the installation of solar photovoltaic / solar PV systems.

• Solar electricity produces electricity for the whole house (including hot water). Excess electricity can earn you credit on your power bill.
• Solar hot water heats water only and does not reduce any other electricity costs. Excess hot water goes unused.

Many electricity retailers do voluntarily buy back excess electricity generated from your solar power system at different rates. There is currently no governing policy in NZ regulating the 'buy back' of electricity from micro-generators - each electricity retailer sets their own buy back policy. Meridian and Contact energy currently offer the best buy back rates.

Click here for more info.

Currently there is no FIT (Feed in Tariff) in New Zealand however electricity retailers do voluntarily buy back excess electricity generated from your solar power system at different rates. Generally, as you consume at least 50% of your solar power output in your home before it gets exported to the grid, our systems still offer returns on investment of around 7% to 10% (depending on your location) at current market rates.

Click here for more info.

No. With our solar panels you do not have to worry about the pressure on your roof.
The weight of each 190W solar panel is 15.5kg and the size is 1.2 meters square giving them a weight of 12.9kg per meter square.  With mounting components included, the solar power system will weigh between 14-15kgs per meter square, which is much less than roofing tiles.

We only use the best quality components from reputable suppliers. Our solar panels and inverters come from Europe, New Zealand and China.

No. Batteries are generally quite expensive and require regular maintenance. The electricity grid acts as a 100% efficient and maintenance free battery while also providing unlimited ‘on demand’ energy. This is what makes grid connected solar power so attractive. It has all of the benefits of being attached to the electricity grid but without the continually rising cost of electricity. However we do offer grid-connect solar power systems with back-up for customers with special requirements.

Yes, we do offer Off Grid systems. Generally the idea of being off the grid is quite appealing but the reality is that it can be constricting to your lifestyle. The first question we usually ask our customers looking for an off-grid system is - Have you looked into the cost of connecting to the grid yet?

Most of the time it is more cost efficient to connect to the grid and offset your electricity consumption with a grid-connect solar PV system that would eliminate your bills than to go off the grid. It is important to note that there really is no absolute standard off grid system and that your solar power system should be designed to suit your specific electrical loads and use patterns.

Click here for more information on Off Grid solar power systems.

The orientation and slope of your roof does matter.  The optimal orientation is facing true north, but east and west facing roof slopes are ok too. The optimal roof slope is 30°.  In most cases a roof angle between 10° and 60° is fine to install on. Otherwise, we do offer tilt-mounting systems to optimise system production.  Please use the chart below as a guide to better understand the effect of different roof pitches and orientations on your solar power system performance.

The lead time between ordering and installation is 4 to 8 weeks.
The energy production/commissioning is related to your local utility company’s inspection and assessment, which we administer but can’t control, and usually takes a couple of weeks to finalise. We notify your utility provider to activate, they come to swap up the meter, there is a final inspection, once this is completed the solar power system can be turned on.