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Kit Sizing Tool
What kit do I need?
What are my power requirements?
We have a simple tool to help you. All you need to do is check the power label on the back or bottom of your appliances, input the power and time used into the chart and the rest is taken care of.
Any space in blue is for you to edit and change as you need for your situation.
Do not change the green spaces and the yellow spaces will give you the answers you need to get the correct kit for you. To supply you, with all the off grid juice you need with some to spare and at least one day back up in the case of full cloud cover.
Feel free to reach out if you need support using the spreadsheet
Three Kit Sizing Options
POWER
BILL
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MAINS
POWER
METER
APPLIANCE
LABELS
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Your monthly power bill is the easiest way to estimate your power usage. Power can fluctuate throughout the year depending on the season and other variables. Ideally you want to use months where your usage is highest so your system is sized to meet your needs all year round.
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Your electricity bill will show electricity used in kilowatt-hours eg.
543.483 kWh
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This power bill is from a household of 2 adults and 2 children with gas hot water and electric stove and oven.
To size your kit use this formula
kWh x 12 months / 365 days
543 x 12 = 6,516 / 365 = 18kWh per day
This household would be sized for our Large House Kit. If they swap to gas cooking and slightly lowered their power usage they could drop down to our Medium House Kit.
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A mains power meter is affordable ($25-$35), it takes a bit of time to set up, then it is simple and easy to use.
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To use it, unplug the appliance you want to meter and plug the mains power meter in its place. You then plug your appliance directly into the power meter and the watts being used in real time will show on the digital display.​
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TIP - If your plugs are in hard to reach places, use a short extension cord to plug your meter and appliance into so you can easily see the display.
Every appliance sold in New Zealand must show its max power input.
The information you are searching for looks different on each appliance but the most common is INPUT 220-240V ~ 50Hz 250W. The 250W at the end is the number you input into the Kit Sizing Spreadsheet.
Below are some examples of how the Power (W or Watts) could be displayed and where you might find it on your device. We have highlighted in red the information you are looking for.
Need help reading label info?
Every appliance sold in New Zealand must show how much power it uses.
The information you are searching for looks different on each appliance but the most common is INPUT 220-240V ~ 50Hz 250W. The 250W at the end is the number you input into the Kit Sizing Spreadsheet.
Below are some examples of how the power (W or Watts) could be displayed and where you might find it on your device. We have highlighted in red the information you are looking for.
