Northland gets more sunshine than almost anywhere else in mainland New Zealand – Kaitaia averages around 2,200 hours a year, ahead of both Auckland and Waikato – which makes it one of the best-performing regions for solar output in the country.
It’s also the region where backup power matters most. Northland’s network is long, rural and exposed to the coast, and it has a real history of extended outages during storms and cyclones. For baches on the coast and homes further inland, a battery system that keeps running when the grid doesn’t isn’t a luxury – it’s often the main reason people call us.
Average household power bill in the Northland region currently runs around $2,550/year (Electricity Authority regional data) – the highest of the three regions we focus on, which shortens the payback period on a solar and battery system.