Solar options for home in 2022

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74 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 15

#3436155 20-Nov-2025 12:27

Dairusire:

An extra two years on their inverter warranty if replaced is pretty good imho. Considering it'll be a free replacement.

yeah, they’re in damage control. Now an official product safety recall in Oz: https://www.productsafety.gov.au/search-consumer-product-recalls/sigenstor-ec-80100120kw-sp-au-energy-controllers

Interesting detail:

https://pswenergy.com.au/sigenergy-voluntary-product-update-in-australia/

https://pswenergy.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Sigenergy-Official-Statement_Oct2025.pdf

not very happy with how quiet Sig have been on the issue, until recently

CYaBro

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#3436160 20-Nov-2025 12:57

Our installer came out the other day on their own accord to check our AC cable and they didn't see any issues.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

fastbike

448 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 321

#3436252 20-Nov-2025 19:55

CYaBro:

Our installer came out the other day on their own accord to check our AC cable and they didn't see any issues.

It's not a matter of "not seeing any issues", this requires a replacement as the design is faulty.

NZ Consumer laws fail the customer yet again.

Otautahi Christchurch

CYaBro

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#3436255 20-Nov-2025 20:47

fastbike:

CYaBro:

Our installer came out the other day on their own accord to check our AC cable and they didn't see any issues.

It's not a matter of "not seeing any issues", this requires a replacement as the design is faulty.

NZ Consumer laws fail the customer yet again.

The design isn’t faulty. It’s some installers not following the correct installation procedure for the type of connector.
As per Australia / ACCC SigEnergy are doing a voluntary recall, it’s not an enforced recall.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

fastbike

448 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 321

#3436309 20-Nov-2025 22:59

CYaBro:

The design isn’t faulty. It’s some installers not following the correct installation procedure for the type of connector.
As per Australia / ACCC SigEnergy are doing a voluntary recall, it’s not an enforced recall.

Who to believe, a Chinese company trying to evade product liability and consequent damages, or an independent regulator.

Your call, not my problem.

https://www.productsafety.gov.au/search-consumer-product-recalls/sigenstor-ec-80100120kw-sp-au-energy-controllers

Otautahi Christchurch

chimera

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Ultimate Geek
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#3436315 20-Nov-2025 23:31

You really got a thing against Chinese manufacturers huh? 🤣

A good number of Chinese manufacturers do actually make some pretty good quality gear. They are let down (as are all countries really) by the few cowboys that truly do cut corners and just try to make a quick buck.

I think Chinese manufacturers on a whole are starting to realise a good reputation on the world stage does count for a lot and they (the big Chinese businesses mostly) can get severely burned (pun not intended) by cutting corners.

There are also plenty of NZ companies selling under NZ brands that, when you peel the top sticker off, say made in China.

A bit of research into the parent company backing these manufacturers will tell you whether they are worth buying off or not.

fastbike

448 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 321

#3436317 20-Nov-2025 23:55

chimera:

You really got a thing against Chinese manufacturers huh? 🤣

Really ? If you want to be a fanboi rather than an informed consumer go ahead, but I think you have skin in the game.

Designing a product that is faulty if not installed in a particular way and selling it into the market, when they also have another product that is more tolerant of errors in the field, is an absolute shambles. A reputable manufacturer would have initiated a recall.

I'm glad the Australian regulator is holding SigEnergy's Y fronts to the fire. And I hold out no expectation that our pathetic Commerce Commission would do the same.

Otautahi Christchurch

Handle9

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#3436318 21-Nov-2025 00:57

fastbike:

chimera:

You really got a thing against Chinese manufacturers huh? 🤣

Really ? If you want to be a fanboi rather than an informed consumer go ahead, but I think you have skin in the game.

Designing a product that is faulty if not installed in a particular way and selling it into the market, when they also have another product that is more tolerant of errors in the field, is an absolute shambles. A reputable manufacturer would have initiated a recall.

I'm glad the Australian regulator is holding SigEnergy's Y fronts to the fire. And I hold out no expectation that our pathetic Commerce Commission would do the same.

You are really out of line here. As reported above in trade press it is a voluntary recall by the manufacturer. If you have any evidence of something else please provide it rather than accusing people of conflicts of interest.

Handle9

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#3436319 21-Nov-2025 01:18

CYaBro:

fastbike:

It's not a matter of "not seeing any issues", this requires a replacement as the design is faulty.

NZ Consumer laws fail the customer yet again.

The design isn’t faulty. It’s some installers not following the correct installation procedure for the type of connector.
As per Australia / ACCC SigEnergy are doing a voluntary recall, it’s not an enforced recall.

Reading the signenergy notice some of the installations are almost criminal.

Using a 6mm cable where an installation requires 10mm isn't a crappy design, it's at best an incompetent installer.

dantheperson

226 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 63

#3437315 25-Nov-2025 00:31

seems there is a recall in NZ too now. No idea if it's voluntary or required by the regulator.

https://www.productsafety.govt.nz/recalls/sigenergy-sigenstor-ec-8-010-012-0kw-sp-au-energy-controllers-with-quick-connect-ac-plug

CYaBro

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#3437316 25-Nov-2025 05:58

Good discussion about the Sig issue in this podcast.

Opinions are my own and not the views of my employer.

LightbulbNeil

71 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 16

#3437319 25-Nov-2025 07:30

Seeing some of the burnt plugs is rather concerning. I am not an electrical design engineer, but the plug does look on the small side to me. All that aside, it does bring home the importance of electrical safelty and training and equipment. Particulary around the termination of wires and using the correct tools for the job. Terminating ferrules looks really easy when you watch a person doing it with all the correct equipment and training. Something as simple as not using the correct crimping tool can adversely effect the quality of the termination and its thermal perfromance. At work, the electricians use a very sensitive thermal camera to monitor electrical connections on machine inspections due to the changes that have taken place with terminations and the increase in loads on some equipment. A poor termination can be easily seen with a FLIR camera. There is a real reason for electrical apprenticeships and a big difference with high current termination to low current terminations.

There is also the possibility of the plug not being correctly manufactured as well, not just a bad termination of a ferrule as being claimed by some on a quick internet search.

I know they are talking at the moment 1% are having issues with these plugs and that they are replacing the entire inverter due to a new plug design as a result. This is the area that the company could have been more upfront about a possible quality control issue of a manufacturer of components to them. It may well be, that they were relying on the supplier for the quality control and were not doing any testing of these themselves. A 1% or 2% of product being out of specification can be a difficult thing to detect unless every single part is being inspected at manufacture, ie like softdrink bottles. Every single wone is leak tested at manufacture.

In my view, every inverter should be replaced with the new series with the much better plug connection design.

It is one thing to have a design, quite another to have it correctly manufactured to the tolerances required for it's service to be functional.

To me, it is another reason for an outside mounted inverter. If a problem occurs, could be less likely to end in a devistating fire.

As they say, safety is No accident. As long as lessons are learnt along the way and all of the industry improves as a result going forward.

dantheperson

226 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 63

#3438444 29-Nov-2025 12:11

Electricity Authority wants 5kW export limits increased to 10kW.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/575408/electricity-authority-wants-wind-solar-export-limits-to-be-doubled-to-10kw

HarmLessSolutions

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#3440235 4-Dec-2025 15:51

Excellent explanation of the grid voltage issue as it relates to solar DG and suggestions to best remedy the situation.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

chimera

563 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#3441945 9-Dec-2025 10:44

The EA recently approved new rules that require large retailers (those with > 5% market share) to offer time-varying (TOU) pricing plans by 30 June 2026.

According to the EA, most consumers currently do not have access to TOU plans, only a minority of retailers offer them now, and often to only a specific group (eg: EV owners)

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