As we try to make sense of these unprecedented and turbulent times, New Zealanders have proven themselves as battlers, banding together for the greater good of the country. Neighborhoods have come back to life, people are out making the most of walks and exercise, children’s teddy bear hunts, and the environment has been given a breather for the first time in a very long time.
As it should, electricity remains an essential commodity during this time. It’s helping to power households and essential businesses up and down the country. Renewable energy installations, such as solar power, are not considered essential in level 4.
As the lockdown shifts from level 4 to level 3, solar power companies will soon be able to operate, albeit with a slight change of course in the way they conduct their business. New Zealand’s solar power industry workers are trying to navigate through the level 4 restrictions as best they can whilst making sure to operate responsibly.
In the article below we hope to clarify restrictions and Covid-19 concerns.
Covid-19 Alert System
Level 4: No new solar power systems can be installed. Only urgent, off-grid maintenance work. Solar consultants and customer support workers can continue to work from home.
Level 3: Solar businesses are allowed to open, but cannot physically interact with customers, therefore physical distancing is still required.
Level 2: Edging towards business as usual, however physical distancing of 1 meter is still required.
Level 1: Business as usual, but physical distancing and safety measures are encouraged.
Read more about the Covid-19 Alert system from the Government website here.
Physical Distancing
Solar sales representatives don’t require face to face visits. Providing consults via phone, email and video chat offer convenience and are generally easy to organise. If a site visit is required (as advised from a professional) before a quote has been confirmed, an installer can be sent out to look at the roof and garage area (to know where they are placing the inverter). They’ll also look at the meter box and switchboard – all without bursting family bubbles.
Solar installers can operate while being two meters away from their customers at all times. Typically, a team of three people can complete an installation of a residential solar power system. The majority of solar panel installation time is spent having roof panels installed along with an inverter, so no worries with social distancing there. An inverter is usually mounted to the garage wall or to the outside wall of a building. Installers may need to enter the home to access crawl space in the roof, or to locate the switch board (often it is in the garage).
Now Is A Good Time to Consider Solar
Not comfortable with solar installers coming to your home/premises just yet? It’s a fantastic time to start learning or researching about solar power from home. Discovering what type of system will be best for your needs is really easy. All planning and arrangements for your system can be carried out before lockdown level restrictions have eased up. Once an order to get a system installed has been made it could take a couple of weeks, through to a couple of months, before the system is installed.
Receiving Quotes During Lockdown Restrictions
In most cases, solar power system quotes (or at least estimates) can still be received for your home or business during lockdown restrictions.
Solar installation companies provide rough price guides, so to firm up a quote they’ll need several key pieces of information.
If advice on the best sized system is required, this is the information needed:
- A clear image of your roof on google maps or house plans
- A copy of a recent power bill, or data on your power usage from the last year
- Roof type e.g. metal, tile
- How many stories the house or building has
If you know what sized system you’d like to purchase, then this is the information needed:
- Roof type e.g. metal, tile
- How many stories the house or building has
My Solar Quotes is New Zealand’s online marketplace for solar power. We can help you find 3 solar power companies quickly, providing you with 3, free, no obligation quotes.
To get your 3 Free Quotes, click here to fill out our online quote request form.
Post your own comment