How-To Articles

Weekend warriors, find the power you need to take to go off-grid and get away from the city. With our Weekend Warrior campervan solar panel kit, NZ is yours to explore. Learn how to install solar panels on a caravan or bring power to a little cabin! 

Calling All Weekend Warriors 

With this campervan solar panel kit, NZ is yours to explore on a weekend getaway, whether you’re travelling in a campervan, or escaping to a little cabin. Simply use the power you need, then leave the solar batteries to recharge during the week!

How to Install Solar Panels on a Caravan

The Weekend Warrior kit is easy to set-up too, almost easier to install in a caravan than in a house. The main thing to keep in mind is making sure you have enough flat roof space to accommodate the 1mx1.75m solar panels because that will affect how to arrange them. On caravans and campervans, weight and placement are important to consider, and the total weight of this kit clocks in at about 160kg.

Power Your Cabin

The Weekend Warrior Kit is great for cabins which are already intended to be low power usage. You have enough power to light up your nights, keep your food cold, and charge any devices you’ve got. One customer even set this kit up on a playhouse for his kids so they can get into shenanigans without the parents listening in. 

Every Weekend, An Adventure

It’s so good for the soul to get away from the city and head into nature. But maybe you’re not quite ready or wanting to live off-grid full-time. The Weekend Warrior Kit gets you. It’s geared toward running your 24/7 essentials. Depending on your other power use, this kit can have the capacity to boil an electric kettle if you need a cuppa, or to toast bread for one, but that kind of power usage should be kept short and sweet. Find out what this kit can run.

Get Outdoors and Go Off-Grid on the Weekends

The main thing to consider with this kit is it gives just enough power to keep your essentials covered over the weekend, instead of covering the luxuries of home. We like to think that’s a good excuse to get outside and even get a woodburning stove for food prep. With two solar panels and two batteries, you’ll find the kit gives you everything you need to go solar at a low price. Learn more about the Weekend Warrior Kit contents.

Tips for Weekend Warriors

Make sure you check out our video about how to install solar panels on a caravan - it’s easier than you think! If you’re planning to run the kit for everyday use, it’s important not to let the battery drain too low—you never know if the weather might be overcast tomorrow. On the other hand, if you use up all your power on Sunday then drive home to the city, you’ve got five whole days for it to recharge. Think you need more power? Talk to us about upgrading the kit either now or later, and we can help you make the right plans.

If you’re already thinking you might need more power on those weekends, or plan to live full-time off-grid, consider the Tiny House Kit. If you’ve got the roof space to accommodate 4 solar panels, the Tiny House Kit will alleviate those power worries and the need to head back to a campground on rainy days. Plus, if you’re going to be using power more often or even everyday, the Tiny House kit offers more solar panel capacity to recharge the batteries, instead of running the risk of leaving the Weekend Warrior Kit batteries low for too long (which damages them). You might find that extra bit of power generation is just what you need.

With our campervan solar panel kit, NZ travels just got a lot easier.

Make every weekend a holiday with the Weekend Warrior Kit.

Need Less Power or More Power

Find the right power option for you. Check out our full range of DIY solar power kits - like the Starter Kit for leaner power needs, and the Tiny House Kit, offering more power than the Weekend Warrior.

Solar Power for Camper vans, Caravans, and More

You don’t have to live off-grid full time to take advantage of the freedom of off-grid power. The GridFree Starter Kit is ideal for providing solar power for camper vans and caravans when you want to go on holiday travelling around New Zealand. But beyond the campervan, this solar panel kit can also power a shed away from your house as a retreat when the kids get loud and you need me-time, or even to power a playhouse for the kids. 

Low Power Solution to Fit Your Lifestyle

The Starter Kit is the I-only-need-a-little-bit-of-power kit - like powering weekend camping trips in the caravan and then letting the battery recharge during the week. Or, if you’re planning summer holiday trips to just power a few lights, a mini fridge, and charge phones, you’ll be fine with the Starter Kit. How good would it be to have your batteries charging while you're down at the beach? To have the freedom to travel to the most remote places in NZ and still have access to power? The Starter Kit lets you do just that.

On the other hand, if you’re already living off-grid, the Starter Kit can make your day to day life easier. It’s a good solution if you’re sick of running a generator just to turn on the lights at night, and can mean you don’t have to go into town for ice because now solar power keeps a little fridge running. Find Out What This Kit Can Run.

Campervan Solar Panel Kit NZ

Setting up the GridFree Starter Kit is easy - it's a plug-n-play system that doesn’t require a technical degree to get up and running. Plus, since the battery comes fully charged fresh from the factory, as soon as you set it up you’ll have power. This kit is available at the lowest possible price with everything you need to get up and running with DIY solar power.

Learn more about the Starter Kit Contents

Know Your Needs: How Much Solar Power for Camper Vans, Caravans + Beyond

Before you get started, we recommend putting together a rough list of appliances you’d like to run and how long you’ll use them each day - split this list into must-haves and nice-to-haves. Keep in mind electric heaters, ovens/hobs, and hot water cylinders use heaps of power, and you should switch these to alternative sources such as gas and wood burners to keep your solar costs reasonable. 

Then, take your list, compare it to our example daily usage for each kit, and find the one that’s appropriate for what you want to run. You may find that making a few compromises on the nice-to-haves means you can choose a cheaper kit and save a few grand.

Keep in mind the power produced by the solar panels will change over the year as sunlight hours change. In the peak of summer, most places in New Zealand get between 6-8 hours of sunlight, whereas winter gets less sunlight, about 3-4 hours. This means you may need to adjust your usage to conserve energy over the year, however our example daily usage is based on winter averages. 

Get Started with the Starter Kit

Need to Power Up? Learn about Our 6 DIY Solar Panel Kits

If you think you might need more power than this solar power kit for camper vans in the future, level up with a kit that offers more power like our Weekend Warrior Kit or Tiny House Kit. Which kit is right for you?

Plan the life you’ve always wanted now. When choosing where to build on your lifestyle block, getting solar power for off grid living with a GridFree Kit means you don’t have to be constrained by the costs of getting grid power connected. You can have the comforts of city living while still enjoying a quiet, scenic location. Discover the Lifestyle Kit, designed to offer solar power for homes in rural locations.

Solar Power for Off Grid Living without Compromise

Unlike our other kits, the Lifestyle Kit is for the homeowner (or even small business!) that just wants power in their home and happens to be building in a place without power. Perhaps you’re moving your family out of the city, but you still need the energy to run the appliances and devices your family counts on. Maybe you’re retiring and looking for a different pace of life - being surrounded by the outdoors, raising sheep and chickens, selling fresh eggs at the farmers market… but in a home that can easily host your grandchildren. The Lifestyle Kit fits your lifestyle.

The kit features 12 panels and batteries giving you ample power. Unlike our other kits, the Lifestyle Kit comes with a hybrid inverter, so you don’t need a separate battery charger and you can plug a generator straight into the hybrid inverter. Because of this, an electrician needs to complete the installation of the Lifestyle Kit. Learn more about the Lifestyle Kit contents.

Easy Living in the Country

The Lifestyle Kit provides the ultimate solution when it comes to solar power for homes in the country. It will get you through winter easily and you won’t have to think as much about power conservation - run a washing machine without worry, and vacuum cleaner day or night. To make the best use of the Lifestyle Kit, pare back your power-hungry appliances - we recommend switching to natural gas or a wood burning stove for cooking and heating. Find out what this kit can run.

Experience the peace and freedom of not being tied to the electrical grid. Build solar power for off grid living into your plans, and lead the life you’ve dreamed about with the Lifestyle Kit.

Need Less Power or More Power

Find the right power option for you, whether it’s a small solar system for a cabin or abundant solar power for homes. Check out our full range of DIY solar power kits. Need less power than the Lifestyle Kit? Check out our Freedom Kit. Not sure what would be the right fit for your additional power needs? Contact us.

Building your life off-grid starts with the GridFree Freedom Kit, one of our bigger off grid solar power systems. Put the power in your hands with a DIY kit that includes solar panels, batteries, and everything you need to finish getting your off-the-grid home set up. 

Power your Lifestyle Block with Off Grid Solar Power Systems

Build a life away from the hustle and bustle of the city with one of our most popular off grid solar power systems - the Freedom Kit. It is ideal for houses and provides ample power for two adults without having to worry too much about power usage. Complete with 8 solar panels and 8 batteries, you will find you have more than enough power for most of the year. The kit also accommodates the power needs of two adults and two children if you’re willing to be a bit more conservative in your power use and be outdoors more. Learn more about what the Freedom Kit can power.

Our Freedom Kit is a favourite among our homesteading customers incorporating the changes we suggest for living with solar power. We call this kit the Freedom Kit because it gives you the freedom to live full-time wherever you want. It enables you to build a life in the country, or raise kids immersed in nature, not devices.

Upgrade to it from the Bach Kit

When you’re looking at our off grid solar power systems, we’ve created lots of tools to help you pick the kit best suited for your lifestyle. But sometimes your needs change down the line - another person moves in or your power needs increase - so we make it easy to upgrade. Some of our customers begin with our Bach Kit to start powering their off-the-grid life, and save up to upgrade to the Freedom Kit before winter begins. That totally works! Upgrading from a Bach Kit to the Freedom Kit is as easy as getting back on the roof to install a few more solar panels. But, if you can afford the Freedom Kit from the get-go, that also means you only do the installation once! 

Find the Right Fit with Our Freedom Kit

Maybe you're looking at the Lifestyle Kit and thinking it's got more power than you need. Our Freedom Kit is still large enough that it can accommodate all kinds of appliances and devices in a more affordable, DIY-friendly package. While it's always a good idea to structure your power load for when the sun is out, you're going to be able to run a lot with the Freedom Kit, without running out of power. Find out what this kit can run.

Upgrading from the Freedom Kit

If you are a major user of appliances and devices, you might find yourself pushing the Freedom Kit toward its limits throughout the year - luckily, this kit is easy to expand. You can add more panels and batteries, so you're not sitting on the edge of having to eat candlelit dinner! Learn about expanding your kit.

Become Your Own Power Company with DIY Solar Panels

One of the perks of setting up off grid solar power systems is that you are your own power company. That kind of independence and self-reliance is really important to many of our customers - knowing exactly how much power you generate and how much power you use, and creating a closed loop system just for your home. This means you're not beholden to power cuts and monthly electricity bills. Instead, the only person responsible for using your power is you. Plus, the price to set up solar versus connecting to the mains often speaks for itself!

The Freedom Kit provides ample power but it also offers a way to pare back your lifestyle too. Maybe you're sick of city life and looking to start fresh? Perhaps going off-grid means ditching the TV and taking more hikes. You get to decide if you want to maintain your lifestyle or change your relationship to how you use power.

Setting up solar power might also appeal to you as a sustainable solution. For families with children, it gives a very tangible way to teach kids about sustainability. One of our customers, Marcia, shared that she has taught her kids to look at the battery charge everyday. Localizing power through our off grid solar power systems and solar panels has become an incredible teaching tool too. 

Find the freedom to live the life you want today with the Freedom Kit.

Need Less Power or More Power?

Find the right power option for you: check out our full range of six DIY solar panel kits. Trying to figure out which kit fits? Look at the icons on kit pages and if you can see your lifestyle in one of them, then it's the right kit for you. Need less power than the Freedom Kit—go with the Bach Kit. Need more power than the Freedom Kit—consider the Lifestyle Kit.

Is it time to build a bach on your patch of land? Or, transform a bus into a house on wheels? Stop worrying about power with our Gridfree Bach Kit, the perfect small solar system for a cabin or bus. 

An Affordable Solution: Our Small Solar System for Cabin + Bach Use

Our Bach kit is the most popular of our six DIY solar panel kits for good reason. It’s the perfect kit to start with as you refurbish your bach, draft plans for a container home or to bring power to your dwelling on the Great Barrier Island. The Bach kit fits your lifestyle. 

Home Sweet House Bus

Our bach kit is also an ideal choice for customers redoing a bus into a house bus, looking to provide power for two adults or a family keen on conservative power use.Check out Rachel and Marius’ setup, or the Reboot Life housebus. 

Our Small Solar System for your Cabin is an Affordable Solar Solution

The bach kit hits the perfect balance between giving you enough to power your home comforts, and being an affordable option in a rural life. With four solar panels and four batteries, you’ll find the price point gives you a lot of power for less price than other companies. Unlike the leaner Tiny House Kit, the two extra batteries in the Bach Kit double the storage and mean you’ll experience more freedom with power use at night. Find out what this kit can run.

Like all off-grid living situations, the Bach Kit works best when you’re willing to adapt: using a outdoor wood burning stove to cook, switching to gas-powered hot water, or cutting back on media and TV are a few examples on how to minimize power use as you get ready to live a more back to basics lifestyle. Rethinking how power is used is important to many of our customers, as our DIY solar power kits help them reduce their reliance on electricity or make an environmentally-friendly choice. Learn more about the Bach Kit Contents.

Building with an Eye on Budget

If you are looking for the right DIY solar power kit to build up, the Bach Kit is it. Customers purchase this kit to get by during the summer while saving up to expand and upgrade to the Freedom Kit, to install before winter comes. Sunlight hours during NZ summer range from 6-8 hours, whereas winter sunlight hours decrease to 3-4 hours. We work with you to provide the right power solution for your particular power needs with either ready to go off grid cabin kits like the Bach Kit, or bespoke solutions.

Before you buy the Bach Kit, consider if and how soon you'll want to upgrade. Rather than buying one or two more panels or expanding your battery bank later, you’ll find greater savings in our kits. Sold at a discounted bundled price, they are significantly less than if each piece was bought on its own. If you can stretch your finances and expand to the Freedom Kit from the start, you’ll save.

Contact us if it’s time to expand and you’re looking for the right solution for your lifestyle.

Buy the Bach Kit

Need Less Power or More Power?

Find the right power option for you, whether it’s a small solar system for a cabin or a bigger system for a kitted-out homestead. Check out our full range of DIY solar power kits - the Tiny House Kit is a smaller option for leaner power needs, and the Freedom Kit is the step up from our Bach Kit.

Solar Panels for Tiny House Living

Making the move to a tiny house means something different to everyone. For our customers, it’s the freedom to find a patch of land and not be dictated by a grid connection. You decide where to go and set up home.

Tiny House Solar Kit, NZ

We’ve taken the guesswork out powering your tiny house and specifically designed a solar power kit for tiny house installs in New Zealand. This kit offers more solar panels than batteries to save on weight, and is easy to incorporate into your build. 

What Makes GridFree the Right Solar Solution for You?

You’ve put so much thought and energy into building your tiny house, why not save the money and install the solar for a tiny house yourself? GridFree provides full detailed instructions for you to DIY or to pass on to your electrician. We work with your lifestyle. Our exceptional customer service empowers people who want to do it themselves...but need a little help.

What Comes in this Solar Power Kit for Tiny House Living?

Our solar power kit for tiny house residents offers power anytime, anywhere. This kit comes with 4 solar panels for your tiny house roof, 2 batteries, and a 2000W inverter. 

You can always upgrade to a larger inverter, or a hybrid inverter for the freedom to plug into the grid or a generator. DIY your solar power or hire an electrician to set up the Tiny House Solar Kit, NZ.

Plan Your Power: Usage Tips for Tiny Homes

• Put the same amount of thought that goes into designing your tiny house into how to power it. Plan on running a few small things like lights to get you through the evenings. During the daytime, power is ample while the sun is out.
• Stay tuned to your local weather to plan ahead, especially for winter or inclement weather. There will be times when it rains for several days, and if you see that coming, pare back your power usage as you will need to rely on batteries. Or, plan on getting a generator to top off the batteries if that works better for your lifestyle. Most of the time, one clear day will help you get through cloudy periods and in the summer, you will have more power than you know what to do with. 

Think You Need More Power?

Consider purchasing our Gridfree Bach Kit if you’re a power user during the day and night, and have space for the 2 extra batteries in the Bach Kit. But if you’re more of a power user during the day than at night, you’re just looking to power a few lights and smaller appliances, the Tiny House Kit is a great option for you with more solar power than our Weekend Warrior Kit, maximising roof space with minimal footprint inside.

Too Much Power?

Consider our Weekend Warrior Kit that comes with only 2 solar panels but the same storage, perfect for lower power usage, or somewhere you won’t be everyday.

What Can The Kit Run?

Learn more about what a Tiny House Kit can run. Or, check out the set-up of satisfied Gridfree Tiny House Kit Customer Marie who describes her tiny house as her “sanctuary”. She runs a mix of electric and gas appliances including a mini fridge, washing machine, gas oven and cooktop, along with a projector to watch movies, and laptop that’s rechargeable. She even set up a wireless charging station in her desk!

So as you start planning or after you’ve built the shell of the structure, power your building project with our solar power kit for your tiny house.

Bring our GridFree Tiny House kit home