NZ weather is unpredictable, your power doesn’t have to be

If you’re tired of losing power every time wild weather hits, you’re not alone. Across New Zealand, storms, floods and high winds can knock out power just when you need it most - cutting connectivity, spoiling food and disrupting work or daily life. It’s stressful and at times even a safety concern. The good news is, a solar system with battery storage can help keep your home powered and your essentials running when the grid goes down.

Why it works (even in rough weather):

• Solar still generates in daylight (cloudy output is lower, but not zero), so your battery can top up between outages.
  
  
• A quality battery (e.g. Tesla Powerwall 3 or GivEnergy) enables 24/7 backup during power outages as solar recharges the battery each day.
  
  
• With the right solar and battery setup, you’ll barely notice when the grid goes down and you’ll be saving money every other day of the year.
  
  
• Smart control when storms loom: For example, the Tesla app lets you set a Backup Reserve and enables Storm Watch, which auto-charges the battery to 100% when severe weather is forecast, so you’re ready before the first gust.

The kind of protection you don’t think about until you need it:

• Keep Wi-Fi/phones live for weather updates.
  
  
• The fridge & freezer stay cold to prevent food loss.
  
  
• Garage doors, pumps, medical devices continue running.

We’ve heard great stories from homeowners who stayed powered through storms and outages and have enjoyed lasting savings thanks to solar provided by Harrisons. Check out a few of their experiences below:

Rick

“Our Solar System was back on stream after I turned it on after the storm and it has enough power to cover the whole house while we were upstairs. Meanwhile, the lower floor was about five inches deep in water and silt. We had a full battery after day three and we are storing neighbors frozen food for them.”

Richard - Thames/Coromandel

“For peace of mind with regular storm outages in the Coromandel, we decided to get a solar system installed. From initial contact with Andre & Tineka at Harrison Solar, to the installation of system by Empire Electrical, the whole completed project took just over 4 weeks. The process was completely stress free, with detailed communication throughout. The installation of 20 panels and battery was completed in just over four hours. The layout was exactly as planned by Andre and the completed job is very tidy.

The system is already exceeding estimated daily output in winter.

We are in a high wind zone and the equipment recommended, has already been tested with gale force winds, no problem at all.

I highly recommend Andre and Tineka Kavanagh from Harrison Solar Waikato. For a professional stress free experience, you can’t go wrong with this team. Top end equipment and top end service to match.”

David Hilton-Bright - Canterbury

“Our power bill arrived yesterday - It would have been $206.04 . We used $25.09 of grid power The final bill is a credit of $294.27! This is our first power bill that is totally solar. Considering the weather has been almost continuously overcast or raining over this period, we expected a small power bill. The power company's web site estimated a bill of $27.00. When the bill arrived saying they owed us, we re-read it and checked all the figures, we couldn't believe it !

Last October, we looked at investing some money and the best interest rate we could get was 7.5% (banks were about 4%). Instead we decided to get solar panels and a battery. The amount saved on our power bill is far greater than any investment option.And that will go on for many more years to come, without any further financial outlay. In future, as power prices rise, the return on this investment will only improve. Thanks Cameron”

Quality solar systems can keep your home powered through even New Zealand’s most extreme weather - including one of our worst modern day weather events, Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We were very happy with the performance of our solar and Tesla battery system during the outages due to Cyclone Gabrielle.” - Nari Williams, Hawke’s Bay

Ready to stay powered through outages?

Book a free, no‑obligation in home solar consultation with your local Harrisons expert. We’ll tailor a system to your home and budget so you can enjoy savings and security.

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