FAQs
Within our system you can specify the Required Temperature and Schedule, for afternoon milking and morning milking:
- By setting Afternoon Milking to 85 °C @ 4pm, our system will utilise all Solar generated, and will supplement the Solar with additional afternoon AC Mains (if required) to make sure your tank is at 85 °C @ 4pm.
- By setting Morning Milking to 85 °C and a heating schedule of 1:00am to 5:00am, you will ensure you are using overnight off-peak rates to make sure your tank is at 85 °C by 5:30am.
Yes - if there is not sufficient Solar heating, the system will automatically top-up with grid power to make sure you are never without hot water.
We will supply and install 4 or 6 premium solar panels rated by manufacturers to produce up to 1.8kW or 2.7kW peak, covering about 8-12 square meters of sunny roof space. The number of solar panels may be expanded up to 10 panels.
A 10 panel installation into a Dairy Shed will have an expected payback of approximately 4.8 years, and your panels will produce electricity for more than 25 years - that's a great return on investment of around 20% pa.
Sol•Flare prioritises using all available Solar to heat your hot water. If by 5pm (this time is configurable) your cylinder is not fully heated to 60 °C because of weather conditions, then it will automatically mains boost it to 60 °C (this temperature is configurable) to ensure you have a full cylinder of hot water for the evening.
This varies a lot based on your cylinder size and how tepid your water is - using mains power it can take between 2 and 6 hours to fully heat your cylinder.
Yes, Sol•Flare may be configured to heat a second cylinder once the primary cylinder is fully heated. This mode of operation requires a mains cable to be connected between your primary cylinder and your secondary cylinder.
Yes, however you should not need to do this unless your household hot water consumption patterns drastically changes on a particular day.
For households using large amounts of hot water in the evening, Sol•Flare is also able to be scheduled to utilise low tariff rates overnight to mains boost your hot water to ensure you have sufficient hot water for morning showers.
Yes, it's fully configurable. To maximise use of Solar, Sol•Flare will heat your cylinder up to your Cylinder's maximum rated temperature which is often 70 degrees C.
Sol•Flare is a dedicated solar electric hot water solution designed specifically to cost effectively and optimally heat water using Solar panel power.
No. Mains power is not needed to heat solely from Solar and Sol•Flare will work completely fine without mains power. However, for comfort of guaranteed hot water on poor weather days, mains power may be required to provide a boost if you do not have enough stored hot water to carry you through inclement weather.
The system complements the seasonal performance of wetback cylinders very well. Many Southlanders use a combination of wetback heating in winter and Sol•Flare heating outside of winter - they are a perfect pairing for the deep south to remove all of your water heating power bills. When used in combination with a wetback, the number of Solar Panels can be reduced, as the wetback does all the heavy lifting during those shorter June days.
Sol•Flare takes every bit of energy produced by Solar Panels and channels it to heating your hot water. All hot water cylinders heat in a binary manner - generally consuming 3kWatts of power either on or off. However, Sol•Flare's magic is that it is able to heat cylinders in a non-binary way - by utilising every small bit of power produced from Solar Panels continuously over the whole day to heat your hot water. This makes it a very efficient way to heat your hot water with a great benefit of extending the life of your heating element and thermostat!
This is difficult to answer, and depends on many factors, including costs and payback periods. What we do know, is that Hot Water represents a consistent daily power drain on households (this is often referred to as a consistent base electrical load), and for this reason it makes sense to have a dedicated Solar Electric Hot Water system to supply this portion of your electrical load which does not fluctuate much day to day. This approach is referred to as maximising your self-consumption of solar, and is globally accepted best practice.
Hot water cylinders are generally set to heat to 60 °C by mains power because any temperature hotter than this wastes mains power. However Sol•Flare is able to heat water to a much higher temperature (70 °C or more) with the solar power, which increases the storage capacity of your HWC by more than 25%. We all love longer showers for no additional cost !!
Sol•Flare utilises the existing mains cable that is wired to your hot water cylinder, together with an additional temperature sensor. Its that easy.
All hot water cylinders rely on the principle that hot water rises. Cold water enters at the bottom of the cylinder and is heated by the heating element also located at the bottom of the cylinder, and then rises to the top of the cylinder once heated, and leaves the cylinder to supply the house from the top of the cylinder. The natural layering of the hot water inside the cylinder means that almost a full cylinder of hot water is able to be supplied to the household with very little blending of cold water from the bottom. By law, when hot water is drawn out of the hot water cylinders it must also be tempered to 45 degrees before it is circulated around the house - this is achieved by a mixing the hot water with cold water before it is circulated around the house.
Sol•Flare will only manage power to your hot water cylinder. It will prioritise solar power for heating and only use mains power when necessary to guarantee hot water.
Yes, Sol•Flare is compatible with all hot water cylinders, regardless of type, volume, brand or age. It works well with low-pressure cylinders, medium pressure cylinders, mains pressure or high pressure cylinders. We have even fitted Sol•Flare to cylinders from the 1950's.
Yes, Sol•Flare will utilise up to 10 solar panels and heat water to 85 °C for equipment sterilisation. For dairy applications it uses smart logic that works on a just-in-time principle to ensure it heats the cylinder to the target temperature by the required time. It will also manage mains power heating during the night to guarantee hot water availability for morning milkings.
The OneEnergy.nz system utilises your existing hot water cylinder element with no need to replace or modify anything. No plumbing is required. That's one of the real benefits of our system.
Yes, NZ electrical safety regulations require a dedicated DC isolator switch for the solar PV array, along with an AC isolator for the mains power connection, all of which are managed by our installer.
Yes, Sol•Flare includes connectivity features, allowing for system monitoring, performance data analysis, and remote control all via your desktop or mobile app. A WiFi connection is preferred but not essential.
Yes, Sol•Flare can be confgured to utilise preferred schedules to ensure any mains boosting occurs during cheaper, off-peak electricity periods. This will provide you with additional savings over and above the savings from Solar power.
Very well. Solar panels actually perform better the colder they become, and because the panels are rated to -25 °C, you will still get great performance on those cold clear frosty Otago mornings.
Hot Water Cylinders are usually set to heat to 60 degrees C so that you do not consume excess amounts of mains power. Sol•Flare will use any extra Solar energy to keep heating the water up to your cylinder's maximum temperature rating (usually 70 °C) and then automatically stop drawing power.
Absolutely. By heating your hot water to 70 °C rather than 60 °C this provides you with about 25% more tempered hot water. Your plumber will have installed a 45 °C tempering valve on your hot water cylinder outlet, so by heating the cylinder hotter means your 45 °C hot water circulated around the house will last 25% longer. We all love longer showers !!
Yes, Sol•Flare constantly monitors the water temperature just above the heating element. When target temperature is reached, Sol•Flare will stop the heating. All cylinders also have a mechanical thermostat fitted which will also stop the heating when the maximum operating thermostat of the hot water cylinder is reached. So your cylinder will have now have an additional safety layer to prevent any risk of water overheating !
NZ Building Code (G12) requires all hot water cylinders to heat to a minimum of 60 degrees weekly to avoid legionella. Sol•Flare enforces Legionella protection by making sure your cylinder is heated to 60 degrees daily, and if Solar has not taken your cylinder to 60 degrees then Sol•Flare will mains boost it to 60 degrees to ensure there is no legionella risk.
Sol•Flare includes many safety features to prevent both thermal and electrical hazards. These include water over-temperature cut-off and hardware over temperature cut-off. The German designed and manufactured Sol•Flare conforms to the high European Safety Standards. Electrical surge and over voltage protection is also incorporated, as is short circuit protection, making Sol•Flare a very safe product. The Sol•Flare has been certified locally to NZ Standards.
Yes, Sol•Flare works on any standard 1kW to 3.6kW Water Heating element and uses pulsed DC current to simulate AC current. Sol•Flare's approach prolongs the life of your heating element.
Sol•Flare enforces Legionella protection by making sure your cylinder is heated to 60 degrees daily, and if Solar has not taken your cylinder to 60 degrees then Sol•Flare will mains boost it to 60 degrees to ensure there is no legionella risk. This is configured by setting Legionella parameters to "0" in the configuration, and is set by default on Sol•Flare. We strongly suggest this setting is not changed.
PV panels generally degrade less than 0.5% per year. This means that after 25 years, the panels are producing no less than 85% of their initial energy output. We use superior Tier 1 panels that have a 30 year 87% Manufacturers Power Output Warranty.
Yes, the panels can be installed on a flat roof using a specialised anodised aluminium adjustable tilting mounting system. This system tilts the panels to the optimal angle for solar exposure while ensuring secure attachment and roof integrity.
Yes, the system can handle panels on multiple orientations like East and West. Sol•Flare uses advanced power management technology to maximise the energy harvest and to guarantee hot water.
Yes, however we generally recommend against it, unless you have roof space constraints. Fewer panels will means a lower percentage of your hot water heating will be solar-powered.
Yes, the system is scalable. Up to 10 solar panels (4.5kW) may be fitted if your household has substantial hot water consumption or a larger tank than normal.
Yes, Sol•Flare operates as an independent PV system and will work well alongside a mains connected PV system. In fact, having a dedicated PV system for hot water makes most sense, as Sol•Flare will remove the hot water cylinder's electrical load off your mains connected system, meaning that you do not need to over-size your mains connected inverter, battery and system to accommodate the additional 3kW heating requirements of hot water cylinders.
If your cylinder requires replacement then standard costs of replacing a hot water cylinder will apply. If you need a replacement cylinder please talk to us, as we have NZ wide relationships with cylinder manufacturers to get you great pricing.
No, you will not need to replace your hot water cylinder. Sol•Flare will operate with all existing hot water cylinders - using them as a giant battery.
No, the system uses roof-specific mounting kits that allow for secure, weathertight installation on almost any roof type, including corrugated iron, decramastic, long-run, concrete or ceramic tile, and flat roofs.
If the old thermal collectors still work, they can stay, but typically they will be replaced as there will be little to no need for them. The existing hot water cylinder can be reused, and the new Solar panels and Sol•Flare would be installed as an upgrade, converting your old system to the latest solar electric hot water technology.
Absolutely. You can adopt a much larger solar system at a later stage and Sol•Flare will take the hot water cylinder electrical load off your new inverter and batteries. This will prolong the life of your new inverter, and reduce the battery size you will require because Sol•Flare is already using the hot water cylinder as a giant battery.
The maximum distance between the panels and Sol•Flare is limited by voltage drop, which generally allows for long runs up to 50 metres. Sol•Flare is installed beside the hot water cylinder, which fits for 99% of houses. Typical installations will place the solar panels less than 15 metres from the hot water cylinder. There is no minimum distance.
Yes, we will issue an electrical certificate of compliance after the installation to certify that the installation was done according to relevant NZ electrical standards and safety codes.
The mounting system is engineered and certified to meet the wind load requirements governed under New Zealand building codes, ensuring the panels are securely and reliably secured.
Solar panels are secured using certified black anodised aluminium racking and mounting brackets screwed into the purlins of the roof structure. This creates a robust, structurally compliant anchor.
Our building code compliant and certified mounting system requires roofing screws to be fastened through the roofing material for the mounting brackets. These mounting brackets have a rubber foot that compresses to guarantee waterproofing once fitted. A cable penetration will be made and fitted with a UV approved flashing that is meticulously installed, sealed and waterproofed to maintain the long-term weatherproofing of your roof.
Yes, the mounting system is highly reliable, certified, and compliant with all relevant New Zealand building codes, including NZS 1170.2 (Wind Loads) for structural integrity and durability. For high wind areas, additional mounting brackets may be fitted for wind loading.
Yes, all solar panels are compliant to NZ standards and are highly reliable, durable, and suitable for withstanding harsh NZ weather conditions. This includes high UV exposure, rain and hail impact, and cold temperature and frost extremes. We supply Tier 1 solar panels backed with a manufacturer's warranty.
Yes - OneEnergy's Hot Water qualifies for green home loans from all NZ banks. You can view funding options here
No, this is not a DIY installation. Solar and mains require a certified electrician to ensure safety, compliance, and warranty validity. If you prefer to use your local electrician then please ask them to contact us directly so that we can enable them to perform your installation.
Building consent is not required for our system operating with less than 10 Panels.
Generally No - the panels are self-cleaning with rainfall, and no servicing of Sol•Flare is required. This is one of the massive benefits of our hot water heating approach compared to other technologies as it has no moving parts and uses solar panels that have a manufacturers warranty of 25 years. Whereas Heat Pump Hot Water cylinders are mechanical products with moving parts and fluids that require regular maintenance, and because of the moving parts they have a finite life of 6 - 10 years. Over a 25 year lifespan, our Solar Electric Hot Water system will provide much greater net savings and highest long-term return due to the free power source.
Absolutely not. When the electrician fits your new hot water cylinder, they will use the same wiring to wire the new hot water cylinder. No impact to your cost of replacement at all. If you need a replacement cylinder please talk to us, as we have NZ wide relationships with cylinder manufacturers to get you great pricing.
If a fault occurs, you should contact OneEnergy.nz immediately for technical support and troubleshooting. Please refer to our Support page for technical support Q&A.
The system is fully compatible with all NZ energy retailers. It will not change your plan but will significantly reduce your power consumption for hot water. Watch this space as OneEnergy.nz will be partnering with select energy retailers that have your cost saving interests at heart.
Warranty repairs are managed by OneEnergy.nz in the first instance. You should contact OneEnergy.nz to manage the claim.
Adoption is growing fast. Although this technology has been in Europe for a number of years, this technology is new to NZ and unknown to most. Help us spread the word - it just makes so much sense for households and for Aotearoa's power grid constraints.
Yes. Solar panels are now recyclable at end of life in NZ and OneEnergy.nz will provide guidance on end-of-life recycling and disposal programmes at the time of disposal.
A hot water heat pump consistently uses mains power to extract heat from the air with high electrical efficiency (CoP). Whereas OneEnergy.nz's Solar Electric Hot Water uses free solar electricity to run a heating element and tops up any heating shortfall with a mains boost. A hot water heat pump relies on mechanical moving parts and fluids, whereas OneEnergy's Solar Electric Hot Water has no moving parts and utilises solar panels that have a manufacturers warranty of 25 years. Over a 25-year lifespan, the Solar Electric Hot Water system will provide the greatest net savings and highest long-term return due to the free solar power source.
A thermal solar system consistently circulates a fluid through thermal collector plates or tubes to heat up a water cylinder. Whereas OneEnergy.nz's Solar Electric Hot Water uses free solar electricity to run a heating element and tops up any heating shortfall with a mains boost. A thermal solar system relies on a mechanical pump to move fluids, whereas OneEnergy's Solar Electric Hot Water has no moving parts and utilises solar panels that have a manufacturers warranty of 25 years. Thermal solar systems are now priced higher than a Solar Electric Hot Water system due to recent price drops in solar panels, and when maintenance and installation complexity of Solar Thermal is factored in, Solar Electric wins hands down.
Yes, Sol•Flare is designed to operate efficiently in all weather conditions, including early mornings and winter months, and regardless of weather conditions.
The system utilises all solar energy produced during sunlight hours to heat your water cylinders. At all times, morning, afternoon and overnight Sol•Flare is also monitoring your hot water temperature and supplementing heating with AC Mains boost to ensure your hot water reaches 85 °C on time every time for your milking requirements.
Yes, the panels can be installed on a flat roof using a specialised anodised aluminium adjustable tilting mounting system. This system tilts the panels to the optimal angle for solar exposure while ensuring secure attachment and roof integrity.
Yes, the system can handle panels on multiple orientations like East and West. Sol•Flare uses advanced power management technology to maximise the energy harvest and to guarantee hot water.
Yes, however we generally recommend against it, unless you have roof space constraints. Fewer panels will means a lower percentage of your hot water heating will be solar-powered.
Yes, the system is scalable. Up to 10 solar panels (4.5kW) may be fitted if your household has substantial hot water consumption or a larger tank than normal.
Yes, Sol•Flare operates as an independent PV system and will work well alongside a mains connected PV system. In fact, having a dedicated PV system for hot water makes most sense, as Sol•Flare will remove the hot water cylinder's electrical load off your mains connected system, meaning that you do not need to over-size your mains connected inverter, battery and system to accommodate the additional 3kW heating requirements of hot water cylinders.
If your cylinder requires replacement then standard costs of replacing a hot water cylinder will apply. If you need a replacement cylinder please talk to us, as we have NZ wide relationships with cylinder manufacturers to get you great pricing.
No, you will not need to replace your hot water cylinder. Sol•Flare will operate with all existing hot water cylinders - using them as a giant battery.
No, the system uses roof-specific mounting kits that allow for secure, weathertight installation on almost any roof type, including corrugated iron, decramastic, long-run, concrete or ceramic tile, and flat roofs.
If the old thermal collectors still work, they can stay, but typically they will be replaced as there will be little to no need for them. The existing hot water cylinder can be reused, and the new Solar panels and Sol•Flare would be installed as an upgrade, converting your old system to the latest solar electric hot water technology.
Absolutely. You can adopt a much larger solar system at a later stage and Sol•Flare will take the hot water cylinder electrical load off your new inverter and batteries. This will prolong the life of your new inverter, and reduce the battery size you will require because Sol•Flare is already using the hot water cylinder as a giant battery.
The maximum distance between the panels and Sol•Flare is limited by voltage drop, which generally allows for long runs up to 50 metres. Sol•Flare is installed beside the hot water cylinder, which fits for 99% of houses. Typical installations will place the solar panels less than 15 metres from the hot water cylinder. There is no minimum distance.
Yes, we will issue an electrical certificate of compliance after the installation to certify that the installation was done according to relevant NZ electrical standards and safety codes.
The mounting system is engineered and certified to meet the wind load requirements governed under New Zealand building codes, ensuring the panels are securely and reliably secured.
Solar panels are secured using certified black anodised aluminium racking and mounting brackets screwed into the purlins of the roof structure. This creates a robust, structurally compliant anchor.
Our building code compliant and certified mounting system requires roofing screws to be fastened through the roofing material for the mounting brackets. These mounting brackets have a rubber foot that compresses to guarantee waterproofing once fitted. A cable penetration will be made and fitted with a UV approved flashing that is meticulously installed, sealed and waterproofed to maintain the long-term weatherproofing of your roof.
Yes, the mounting system is highly reliable, certified, and compliant with all relevant New Zealand building codes, including NZS 1170.2 (Wind Loads) for structural integrity and durability. For high wind areas, additional mounting brackets may be fitted for wind loading.
Yes, all solar panels are compliant to NZ standards and are highly reliable, durable, and suitable for withstanding harsh NZ weather conditions. This includes high UV exposure, rain and hail impact, and cold temperature and frost extremes. We supply Tier 1 solar panels backed with a manufacturer's warranty.
Yes - OneEnergy's Hot Water qualifies for green home loans from all NZ banks. You can view funding options here
No, this is not a DIY installation. Solar and mains require a certified electrician to ensure safety, compliance, and warranty validity. If you prefer to use your local electrician then please ask them to contact us directly so that we can enable them to perform your installation.
Building consent is not required for our system operating with less than 10 Panels.
Sol•Flare prioritises using all available Solar to heat your hot water. If by 5pm (this time is configurable) your cylinder is not fully heated to 60 °C because of weather conditions, then it will automatically mains boost it to 60 °C (this temperature is configurable) to ensure you have a full cylinder of hot water for the evening.
This varies a lot based on your cylinder size and how tepid your water is - using mains power it can take between 2 and 6 hours to fully heat your cylinder.
Yes, Sol•Flare may be configured to heat a second cylinder once the primary cylinder is fully heated. This mode of operation requires a mains cable to be connected between your primary cylinder and your secondary cylinder.
Yes, however you should not need to do this unless your household hot water consumption patterns drastically changes on a particular day.
For households using large amounts of hot water in the evening, Sol•Flare is also able to be scheduled to utilise low tariff rates overnight to mains boost your hot water to ensure you have sufficient hot water for morning showers.
Yes, it's fully configurable. To maximise use of Solar, Sol•Flare will heat your cylinder up to your Cylinder's maximum rated temperature which is often 70 degrees C.
Sol•Flare is a dedicated solar electric hot water solution designed specifically to cost effectively and optimally heat water using Solar panel power.
No. Mains power is not needed to heat solely from Solar and Sol•Flare will work completely fine without mains power. However, for comfort of guaranteed hot water on poor weather days, mains power may be required to provide a boost if you do not have enough stored hot water to carry you through inclement weather.
The system complements the seasonal performance of wetback cylinders very well. Many Southlanders use a combination of wetback heating in winter and Sol•Flare heating outside of winter - they are a perfect pairing for the deep south to remove all of your water heating power bills. When used in combination with a wetback, the number of Solar Panels can be reduced, as the wetback does all the heavy lifting during those shorter June days.
Sol•Flare takes every bit of energy produced by Solar Panels and channels it to heating your hot water. All hot water cylinders heat in a binary manner - generally consuming 3kWatts of power either on or off. However, Sol•Flare's magic is that it is able to heat cylinders in a non-binary way - by utilising every small bit of power produced from Solar Panels continuously over the whole day to heat your hot water. This makes it a very efficient way to heat your hot water with a great benefit of extending the life of your heating element and thermostat!
This is difficult to answer, and depends on many factors, including costs and payback periods. What we do know, is that Hot Water represents a consistent daily power drain on households (this is often referred to as a consistent base electrical load), and for this reason it makes sense to have a dedicated Solar Electric Hot Water system to supply this portion of your electrical load which does not fluctuate much day to day. This approach is referred to as maximising your self-consumption of solar, and is globally accepted best practice.
Hot water cylinders are generally set to heat to 60 °C by mains power because any temperature hotter than this wastes mains power. However Sol•Flare is able to heat water to a much higher temperature (70 °C or more) with the solar power, which increases the storage capacity of your HWC by more than 25%. We all love longer showers for no additional cost !!
Sol•Flare utilises the existing mains cable that is wired to your hot water cylinder, together with an additional temperature sensor. Its that easy.
All hot water cylinders rely on the principle that hot water rises. Cold water enters at the bottom of the cylinder and is heated by the heating element also located at the bottom of the cylinder, and then rises to the top of the cylinder once heated, and leaves the cylinder to supply the house from the top of the cylinder. The natural layering of the hot water inside the cylinder means that almost a full cylinder of hot water is able to be supplied to the household with very little blending of cold water from the bottom. By law, when hot water is drawn out of the hot water cylinders it must also be tempered to 45 degrees before it is circulated around the house - this is achieved by a mixing the hot water with cold water before it is circulated around the house.
Sol•Flare will only manage power to your hot water cylinder. It will prioritise solar power for heating and only use mains power when necessary to guarantee hot water.
Yes, Sol•Flare is compatible with all hot water cylinders, regardless of type, volume, brand or age. It works well with low-pressure cylinders, medium pressure cylinders, mains pressure or high pressure cylinders. We have even fitted Sol•Flare to cylinders from the 1950's.
The OneEnergy.nz system utilises your existing hot water cylinder element with no need to replace or modify anything. No plumbing is required. That's one of the real benefits of our system.
Yes, NZ electrical safety regulations require a dedicated DC isolator switch for the solar PV array, along with an AC isolator for the mains power connection, all of which are managed by our installer.
Yes, Sol•Flare includes connectivity features, allowing for system monitoring, performance data analysis, and remote control all via your desktop or mobile app. A WiFi connection is preferred but not essential.
Yes, Sol•Flare can be confgured to utilise preferred schedules to ensure any mains boosting occurs during cheaper, off-peak electricity periods. This will provide you with additional savings over and above the savings from Solar power.
Very well. Solar panels actually perform better the colder they become, and because the panels are rated to -25 °C, you will still get great performance on those cold clear frosty Otago mornings.
Hot Water Cylinders are usually set to heat to 60 degrees C so that you do not consume excess amounts of mains power. Sol•Flare will use any extra Solar energy to keep heating the water up to your cylinder's maximum temperature rating (usually 70 °C) and then automatically stop drawing power.
Absolutely. By heating your hot water to 70 °C rather than 60 °C this provides you with about 25% more tempered hot water. Your plumber will have installed a 45 °C tempering valve on your hot water cylinder outlet, so by heating the cylinder hotter means your 45 °C hot water circulated around the house will last 25% longer. We all love longer showers !!
Yes, Sol•Flare constantly monitors the water temperature just above the heating element. When target temperature is reached, Sol•Flare will stop the heating. All cylinders also have a mechanical thermostat fitted which will also stop the heating when the maximum operating thermostat of the hot water cylinder is reached. So your cylinder will have now have an additional safety layer to prevent any risk of water overheating !
NZ Building Code (G12) requires all hot water cylinders to heat to a minimum of 60 degrees weekly to avoid legionella. Sol•Flare enforces Legionella protection by making sure your cylinder is heated to 60 degrees daily, and if Solar has not taken your cylinder to 60 degrees then Sol•Flare will mains boost it to 60 degrees to ensure there is no legionella risk.
Sol•Flare includes many safety features to prevent both thermal and electrical hazards. These include water over-temperature cut-off and hardware over temperature cut-off. The German designed and manufactured Sol•Flare conforms to the high European Safety Standards. Electrical surge and over voltage protection is also incorporated, as is short circuit protection, making Sol•Flare a very safe product. The Sol•Flare has been certified locally to NZ Standards.
Yes, Sol•Flare works on any standard 1kW to 3.6kW Water Heating element and uses pulsed DC current to simulate AC current. Sol•Flare's approach prolongs the life of your heating element.
Sol•Flare enforces Legionella protection by making sure your cylinder is heated to 60 degrees daily, and if Solar has not taken your cylinder to 60 degrees then Sol•Flare will mains boost it to 60 degrees to ensure there is no legionella risk. This is configured by setting Legionella parameters to "0" in the configuration, and is set by default on Sol•Flare. We strongly suggest this setting is not changed.
PV panels generally degrade less than 0.5% per year. This means that after 25 years, the panels are producing no less than 85% of their initial energy output. We use superior Tier 1 panels that have a 30 year 87% Manufacturers Power Output Warranty.
The system is fully compatible with all NZ energy retailers. It will not change your plan but will significantly reduce your power consumption for hot water. Watch this space as OneEnergy.nz will be partnering with select energy retailers that have your cost saving interests at heart.
Warranty repairs are managed by OneEnergy.nz in the first instance. You should contact OneEnergy.nz to manage the claim.
Yes. Solar panels are now recyclable at end of life in NZ and OneEnergy.nz will provide guidance on end-of-life recycling and disposal programmes at the time of disposal.
Generally No - the panels are self-cleaning with rainfall, and no servicing of Sol•Flare is required. This is one of the massive benefits of our hot water heating approach compared to other technologies as it has no moving parts and uses solar panels that have a manufacturers warranty of 25 years. Whereas Heat Pump Hot Water cylinders are mechanical products with moving parts and fluids that require regular maintenance, and because of the moving parts they have a finite life of 6 - 10 years. Over a 25 year lifespan, our Solar Electric Hot Water system will provide much greater net savings and highest long-term return due to the free power source.
Absolutely not. When the electrician fits your new hot water cylinder, they will use the same wiring to wire the new hot water cylinder. No impact to your cost of replacement at all. If you need a replacement cylinder please talk to us, as we have NZ wide relationships with cylinder manufacturers to get you great pricing.
If a fault occurs, you should contact OneEnergy.nz immediately for technical support and troubleshooting. Please refer to our Support page for technical support Q&A.
Adoption is growing fast. Although this technology has been in Europe for a number of years, this technology is new to NZ and unknown to most. Help us spread the word - it just makes so much sense for households and for Aotearoa's power grid constraints.
A hot water heat pump consistently uses mains power to extract heat from the air with high electrical efficiency (CoP). Whereas OneEnergy.nz's Solar Electric Hot Water uses free solar electricity to run a heating element and tops up any heating shortfall with a mains boost. A hot water heat pump relies on mechanical moving parts and fluids, whereas OneEnergy's Solar Electric Hot Water has no moving parts and utilises solar panels that have a manufacturers warranty of 25 years. Over a 25-year lifespan, the Solar Electric Hot Water system will provide the greatest net savings and highest long-term return due to the free solar power source.
A thermal solar system consistently circulates a fluid through thermal collector plates or tubes to heat up a water cylinder. Whereas OneEnergy.nz's Solar Electric Hot Water uses free solar electricity to run a heating element and tops up any heating shortfall with a mains boost. A thermal solar system relies on a mechanical pump to move fluids, whereas OneEnergy's Solar Electric Hot Water has no moving parts and utilises solar panels that have a manufacturers warranty of 25 years. Thermal solar systems are now priced higher than a Solar Electric Hot Water system due to recent price drops in solar panels, and when maintenance and installation complexity of Solar Thermal is factored in, Solar Electric wins hands down.
Absolutely not, the system is owned outright by you to enjoy the benefits of solar hot water heating powered by the sun for many years.
Within our system you can specify the Required Temperature and Schedule, for afternoon milking and morning milking:
- By setting Afternoon Milking to 85 °C @ 4pm, our system will utilise all Solar generated, and will supplement the Solar with additional afternoon AC Mains (if required) to make sure your tank is at 85 °C @ 4pm.
- By setting Morning Milking to 85 °C and a heating schedule of 1:00am to 5:00am, you will ensure you are using overnight off-peak rates to make sure your tank is at 85 °C by 5:30am.
A 10 panel installation into a Dairy Shed will have an expected payback of approximately 4.8 years, and your panels will produce electricity for more than 25 years - that's a great return on investment of around 20% pa.
Every 10 Panels deployed will produce approximately 20kWHrs / day (summer) & 15kWHrs / day (autumn / spring), equating to:
- For preheated water: 20kWHrs will heat approximately 490L from 50 °C to 85 °C.
- For non-preheated water: 20kWHrs will heat approximately 230L from 10 °C to 85 °C.
- Any energy shortfall, is topped up from AC Mains to ensure the tank is at temperature, on time.
Yes, during mains power outages our system will continue to use all the electricity available from the Solar Panels, however if an additional AC Mains boost is required to reach target temperatures, then during power outages the target temperature may not be attained in time for milking.
Absolutely not -
- For every 10 Panels deployed our system will heat up approximately 230L by 75 °C.
- For example, for heating 500L across 2 cylnders with no preheat, we would fit 2 Sol•Flares with 10 Panels each which would heat approximately 460L of water from 10 °C to 85 °C.
If the equipment fails and you receive an Alert from the Cloud advising your water is not coming up to temperature as expected, then you are able to manually switch a Bypass switch. All installations are fitted with a bypass switch to ensure that you can bypass the Solar Equipment to heat from AC Mains to ensure you always have a backup plan, in the event of equipment failure.
Yes - our system is cloud based and you can specify multiple Alert criteria. For instance, you could configure an alert if the tank has not reached 60 °C by 3am, and an alert if the tank has not reached 85°C by 3pm. These alerts are generated from the Cloud, so even if the Solar Equipment fails, you will receive an alert from the Cloud.
Solar produces the greatest economic return to consumers when they self-consume all the solar energy generated. Grid-Tied systems sell excess energy back to Energy Retailers at low rates - our view is that it makes no sense to over-invest in Solar systems to then sell excess electricity back to your Energy retailer. By implementing OneEnergy’s Solar Electric Hot Water system to heat hot water and store all of the energy generated as hot water, Dairy Farms get the most economic return for the least outlay, with the comfort of grid-boosting to top up any Solar shortfall.
Lets say we deployed 10 Panels for heating hot water:
- Over your milking season, your Panels will produce approximately 5.8MWHrs that will be directly utilised to heat your hot water. Solar Panel output also degrades marginally over time - so let's also assume an industry standard 0.5% output degradation each year.
- Assuming you pay 30c (ex) per kWHr of power during the day, then this equates to $1,740 (ex) of mains power expense that you have avoided in year 1, and this benefit increases to $1,921 for Year 5 if we assume day time power rates will increase by 3% each year.
- Lets also assume the Installed system costs $8,000 (ex GST) and you utilise the 20% Investment Boost Deduction together with 16% diminishing value depreciation on the balance - this equates to 32.8% ($2,624) of the installed price that may be depreciated in year 1, with diminishing depreciation thereafter.
- Projecting the math out to year 5, then the net impact is that your After Tax Payback / Net Cashflow becomes positive after 4.8 years , and your ROI is almost 600% over a 25 year system life.