Solar Panels Whitby

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 Whitby address.

Whitby roofs above the Pāuatahanui Inlet

Whitby was planned in the 1960s and built from 1970, so most homes date from the 1970s and 1980s, many on sloping sections looking over the Pāuatahanui Inlet. Roofs from that era are often concrete or pressed metal tile, or long-run iron, with reasonable area. Many are now 40 to 50 years old, so we check their condition before committing panels to them. Tile needs specific brackets and careful foot traffic, which we allow for in the price.

Slope and aspect vary across the Adventure and Endeavour neighbourhoods. Homes facing north over the inlet can catch sun all day, while houses on south-facing slopes may struggle. Exposed sections catch the wind, which the mounting design has to allow for. Homes close to the water may fall within the sea spray zone that BRANZ applies within 100 metres of a sheltered inlet, which affects the hardware we use.

Boards in 1970s and 1980s homes often have few RCDs and little spare space, so an inverter connection may require an upgrade. Many Whitby homes have garages, which opens up daytime EV charging as a use for the output. New homes in the hills behind the eastern part of the suburb have modern boards and are good candidates for a battery-ready design. The application to Wellington Electricity goes in before installation starts, and connection follows its approval.

Local tip: If your Whitby home has a tile roof, keep any spare tiles you have, as matching older tiles can be hard if one cracks during an install.

Solar Panels in Whitby: Local Conditions

Porirua homes range from state houses with simple gable roofs to 1970s houses in Whitby on sloping, harbour-facing sites. Sites near the water need fixings suited to salt air, and Wellington Electricity handles the grid application.

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

Homes in Whitby

Whitby's 1970s and 1980s homes are generally wired in plastic-sheathed cable, which ages far better than older rubber-insulated cable. The weak point is usually the board: original boards often have RCD protection on few circuits or none, and little space for new loads. Homes from the 1990s onwards may have partial RCD protection, while new homes in the eastern hills have modern boards. Many Whitby homes have garages, which helps with EV charger installs once the board has capacity.

A 2009 Greater Wellington survey found the Pāuatahanui Inlet is still filling with sediment.

You will often see our vans near Pāuatahanui Inlet and Whitby village centre on the way to a job in Whitby. For everything else, see electricians in Whitby.

How We Handle Solar Panels in Whitby

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 Whitby

Rooftop solar on a corrugated iron villa roof
Battery added to an existing system
Inverter replacement
Grid connection application
Solar on a lifestyle block shed