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 Tawa address.
Solar in Tawa: valley floor or hillside, and the wind zone on your LIM
Tawa is a long valley at the northern edge of Wellington City, and where your house sits in it makes a big difference to solar. The old valley floor is flat and fairly open, while since the mid 1950s more people have lived on the hilly sides of the valley than on the floor. Homes on the eastern or western slopes can lose morning or afternoon sun to the opposite hillside, especially in winter, so we check the horizon from your roof before suggesting a layout.
Wind is the next question. A LIM for at least one Tawa address records a Very High wind zone under NZS 3604, and exposed hillside sites can be windier than the valley floor. We read your LIM or the council's wind zone data rather than guessing, and specify the mounting system and fixings to suit.
Tawa's housing is mostly post-war, including state housing at Kenepuru and Hampton Hill from the late 1950s and early 1960s, and plenty of infill houses built behind older homes on former quarter-acre sections. Infill homes can be shaded by the original house in front or behind, so we look at both. Older switchboards may need upgrading before an inverter can be connected, and we price that in the same quote. Wellington Electricity approves the connection, and we handle the application.
Local tip: Dig out your LIM if you have one, because the wind zone it records helps us specify the mounting for your Tawa roof.
Solar Panels in Tawa: Local Conditions
In the western and northern suburbs, hillside sections in Karori, Ngaio and Khandallah can lose morning or afternoon sun to the slope and to mature trees, while newer homes in Churton Park and Johnsonville often have clear roofs. We check each site's shading before quoting.
On hillside sections the slope itself can shade a roof in winter when the sun is low.
Homes in Tawa
Tawa's post-war houses and state housing from the late 1950s and early 1960s are generally wired in plastic-sheathed cable, but some early homes may still have rubber-insulated cable in places. Original boards often have rewireable fuses or early breakers, little spare space and no RCD protection. By the mid 1950s more people lived on the hilly sides of the valley or in Linden than on the old valley floor, so many homes sit on slopes. Newer infill homes on subdivided sections generally have modern boards ready for extra circuits.
The Johnsonville to Porirua Motorway was built through Tawa on the eastern side of the valley in the 1950s.
You will often see our vans near Bucket Tree and Tawa College on the way to a job in Tawa. For everything else, see electricians in Tawa.
How We Handle Solar Panels in Tawa
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 Tawa
- Health check on underperforming panels
- Solar on a concrete tile roof
- Solar on a lifestyle block shed
- Solar designed into a new build
- Battery-ready system design
Solar Panels Tawa FAQs
My Tawa house is an infill home behind an older one. Will it get enough sun for solar?
It depends on the height and position of the house in front and the slope of the section. We check how much of the day your roof is shaded across the seasons before recommending a system.
Do you install solar in Tawa?
Yes. We cover Tawa and the rest of the Wellington region, with a written, fixed price before anything is ordered.
How much maintenance do panels need?
Very little. Rain does much of the cleaning, but panels near the sea can collect salt, and a check of output now and then is worthwhile. We also offer system health checks.