Electrical Advice and Guides

Is Solar Worth It in Wellington? Sun, Wind and Payback

Solar can be worth it in Wellington if you have a mostly north-facing roof with little shade and use a good share of you...

Old Wiring in Wellington Houses: Rubber, TRS and Wire Colours

The cable type tells you more about the age of your wiring than its colours. Early NZ homes used Vulcanised Indian Rubbe...

What Is an RCD and Why Does It Keep Tripping in Wet Weather?

An RCD, or residual current device, is a safety switch that cuts power within a fraction of a second when it senses curr...

Trees, Wind and the Power Line to Your House: Who Is Responsible?

In New Zealand the tree owner is responsible for keeping trees clear of power lines, under the Electricity (Hazards from...

Old Fuse Box in a Wellington Villa? Signs It Needs Replacing

An old fuse box needs replacing when it shows damage or stress: scorch marks, a warm or buzzing board, fuses that blow o...

Smoke Alarm Requirements in NZ: Wellington Homes and Rentals

Every NZ rental must have working smoke alarms within 3 metres of each bedroom door or in every room where someone sleep...

Do You Need Surge Protection? Power Surges, Storms and Your Switchboard

Most homes benefit from some surge protection, and the best setup is usually layered: a surge protection device at the s...

Electrical CoC and ESC: What You Should Get After Electrical Work

After most fixed wiring work in New Zealand you should receive two documents. The Certificate of Compliance (CoC) record...

Selling Solar Power Back in Wellington: Export Limits and Buy-Back Rates

Your retailer pays a buy-back rate for each unit of solar power you send to the grid, and that rate is usually lower tha...

Backup Power for Wellington Homes: Generators and Batteries

Yes, you can run a home on backup power safely, but a generator must never be fed into the house wiring through a power ...

Why Is My Power Bill So High in a Wellington Winter?

Most Wellington power bills rise in winter because heating and hot water, which Gen Less says make up about two-thirds o...

Power Out in Wellington? How to Tell If It's Your House or the Network

If your neighbours and the streetlights are dark too, it is almost certainly a network outage: check Wellington Electric...

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