Solar Panels Petone

A solar system has three parts: the panels, an inverter that converts their output for your home, and the connection to your switchboard and the network. The lines company has to approve the system before it connects. Wellington Electricity looks after Wellington, the Hutt Valley and Porirua, Electra looks after the Kāpiti Coast, and we prepare and lodge the application with whichever one serves your Petone address.

Petone solar for heritage cottages, flats and factory roofs

Petone is flat, low and open, sitting between the Hutt River, the western hills and the harbour. Most roofs see plenty of sky, apart from homes close under the western hills, which lose the late sun. The Heretaunga Settlement at the east end of the suburb is New Zealand's first state housing and a Heritage New Zealand historic area, with some Patrick Street houses individually listed, so panels there need a check against heritage controls before any design.

The industrial area around Cornish Street has large roofs and workshops drawing power through the working day, which is when panels produce most. Commercial sites often have three-phase supply, and the inverter must match it. The Star Flats blocks on Jackson Street and East Street are shared buildings, so solar there involves the building owner. Jackson Street's shops trade through the day as well, which suits panels on their roofs.

Two site risks shape the design. The foreshore is within the sea spray zone, so homes near the beach need marine-grade mounting hardware. And the ground is low, typically under 5 metres above sea level, and the Korokoro Stream flooded the Cornish Street area almost a metre deep in 1976, so inverters and batteries belong high on a wall, never at floor level in a workshop or garage. Wellington Electricity approves the connection, and we apply before any work starts.

Local tip: For a Cornish Street workshop, send a few months of power bills so we can see how much of the day's use solar could cover.

Solar Panels in Petone: Local Conditions

Flat valley-floor homes in Lower Hutt and Upper Hutt usually get open sky, while Stokes Valley and Eastbourne sit under hills and bush that cut sun at the edges of the day. Wellington Electricity approves Hutt Valley connections, and we lodge the application for you.

Near the sea, frames, rails and fixings need to suit salt exposure.

Homes in Petone

Petone's housing ranges from the 1906 Heretaunga Settlement, where some Patrick Street houses are individually listed, to 1960s state housing flats. Older houses may still contain rubber-insulated cable that should be replaced, and boards with rewireable fuses and no RCD protection. Heritage homes need care with any work that shows on the outside. The Star Flats blocks have shared supply arrangements, so some work involves the building owner. The industrial area around Cornish Street has workshops and factories that need three-phase circuits, maintenance and test and tag.

Europeans first settled at Petone in January 1840, making it the oldest European settlement in the Wellington Region. It became a borough in 1888 and merged with Lower Hutt in 1989.

You will often see our vans near Petone Settlers Museum and Petone Beach on the way to a job in Petone. For everything else, see electricians in Petone.

How We Handle Solar Panels in Petone

On install day the panels go on the roof, the inverter goes in a suitable spot and everything is connected to your switchboard. Roof penetrations are sealed and cables are run neatly.

Pricing: a free quote and a fixed price agreed before we start. You get a written, itemised quote, and small jobs can be quoted from photos.

Solar Panels Jobs We Do in Petone

Solar on a lifestyle block shed
Solar designed into a new build
Battery-ready system design
Switchboard work for a solar connection
Rooftop solar on a corrugated iron villa roof