Electrical Advice and Guides

Buying an Earthquake-Repaired House in Christchurch: Electrical Checks

Get an independent electrical inspection before you buy. Over 67,000 homes were repaired under the Canterbury Home Repai...

Electric Underfloor Heating in Christchurch: Cost to Install and Run

Mitre 10 lists electric underfloor heating at about 150 to 200 watts per square metre, so a 5 square metre bathroom floo...

Heated Towel Rail Running Costs for Cold Christchurch Bathrooms

A heated towel rail costs its wattage times the hours it runs times your price per unit. MBIE's May 2026 survey puts the...

Going All-Electric in Christchurch: Can Your Switchboard Handle It?

Most modern switchboards can take a heat pump, an EV charger and an induction cooktop, but an older board or a smaller s...

Orion Solar Export Limits: The 5 kW Rule Explained

On Orion's network, a home with single phase power can export up to 5 kW of solar. Two phase supplies can export up to 1...

Ripple Control and Controlled Hot Water on the Orion Network

Ripple control is a signal Orion sends through the power lines to switch hot water cylinders off for short periods when ...

Interconnected Smoke Alarms: Are They Worth It in a Christchurch Home?

Interconnected smoke alarms are linked so that when one detects smoke, every alarm in the house sounds. They are worth i...

Is Solar Worth It in Christchurch? Sunshine, Frost and Payback

For many Christchurch homes, yes. An EECA study reported by RNZ in June 2025 estimated returns of about 6 to 11 percent ...

Wood Burner Expiring? Switching to Electric Heating in Christchurch

In the Christchurch Clean Air Zone, Environment Canterbury treats a low-emission wood burner as non-compliant 20 years a...

Cheapest Electric Heater to Run in a Christchurch Winter

For the same amount of heat, a heat pump is the cheapest electric heater to run, because Consumer NZ says it is about th...

Solar Batteries in Christchurch: Worth It With Orion's Export Limits?

A home battery pays its way by letting you use your own daytime solar in the evening instead of selling it cheaply. Cons...

Power Out in Christchurch? Orion, MainPower and What to Check First

First check whether the outage is on the network or inside your home. Look at your switchboard for a tripped main switch...

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