Okay, been thinking about getting solar on and off for a few years now, and have finally decided to go ahead and pull the trigger… Been reading a bit through the forums and rather than reasking the salesman (who will give me a solar panel salesman answer). Thought I would post here seeking any feedback or guidance, as I’m just getting myself a bit confused about things and don’t want to spend the $ and then think oh if only I had thought about that.

The reasoning for solar is a bit powersaving , a bit of feel good factor, and a bit cos Westpac is going to give the funds for 5 years interest free.

Bit about the house, in Auckland with a roof around 25 degree pitch facing NE 50, SW 230, single phase. Inverter would be placed in a shaded wall a room along from the master bedroom (so was thinking about avoiding Fronius due to risk of noise being annoying (my partner sometimes works night shifts, so is sometimes sleeping during the day). 3 bedroom house with 3 young kids. I’m on gas for hotwater and hob so that impacts my ability to use the power.

At this stage I’m not wanting the added expense of a battery, but may consider it in the future.

System I have been recommended is 16 x 440 Longhi Panels, with a Solax X1-Boost 5k G4 inverter. Total quote around $11735 (including a bit extra to split the panels between the two sides of the roof). Not sure but likely to go 10/6 split or something to maximise afternoon generation.

Q1) Is there any advantage of going bigger, i.e. increase the number of panels and/or inverter. There is a bit of a step up again in price to do this, but I’m guessing potentially not much gain (if I cant actually use the power myself). The company indicated there wasn’t going to be any clipping at this size and setup during summer, although thinking about this now would there be advantages to having a couple more panels, clipping maybe in the height of summer but generating more outside of those months. Anyone have any experience with buyers regret with their systems. Should I consider adding a couple more panels or a bigger inverter, it seems to be the most effective time to be thinking about this now rather than later.

Q2) What do people out there think of Solax inverters and reporting software/app?

Q3) When I do decide to go ahead, should I call my electricity supplier immediately to try to get the ball rolling on a new meter?

Q4) Has anyone used micromall. They seem pretty cheap to get the system, however I would then need to get a separate installer. Leaning toward avoiding the hassle of this, just wondering if anyone out has done it this way