The Lifestyle Kit
The Lifestyle Kit
The Lifestyle Kit
Hercules-Generator

The Lifestyle Kit

$19,800.00

The Lifestyle Kit is a high-powered off-grid energy solution, designed to provide solar power for off-grid living in New Zealand with the comforts of home. This kit powers more everyday household appliances and gives you the luxury of running a washing machine, vacuum cleaner, battery power tools and more. Includes a hybrid inverter/charger as standard (electrician required). The Lifestyle Kit was built to provide off-grid solar power for homes in rural areas that prioritise energy efficiency.

Looking for an even easier solution? Check out the Tui Solar Nest for an all-in-one cabinet solution.

Kit Contents, Specs, Manuals, and other Downloads can all be found in the yellow section below.

The Lifestyle Kit Standard comes with Gel Batteries and a Hybrid Inverter. 

  • Gel Batteries are 60kg each, have a 3-5 year lifespan, with 50% DoD. 
  • A Hybrid Inverter requires an electrician to install, but allows you to wire in an auto-start generator by combining the inverter, charge controller, and battery charger. 

Change ‘Upgrade’ selection above to see differences. 
Click here to see full kit contents.

Scroll to Upgrades Info
Scroll to mounts info

Finance available for kits. Click here to learn more.

Need Help Buying a Kit?

Want to chat? Call 09 218 5533, or email info@gridfree.store.

Download the information on this page here.

Find shipping rates here, or at the bottom of the page. 

Information about upgrades can be found lower down the page.

Installation: The solar panels and their cables are the only parts in these kits that are okay outside. The charge controller, inverter, and hybrid inverter are not IP rated and should be kept away from moisture including condensation.

DoD: Depth of Discharge. Refers to what percentage of the total battery capacity can be used regularly without damaging the battery. For example, with a Lead Acid battery, a 50% voltage reading should be considered 0% power left, and you should stop using power. 

What are peak sun hours? Read this article.

How do you know how much power you need? Read this article.

What not to run on solar? Read this article.

 

<p>The Lifestyle Kit is the ultimate off-grid energy solution, designed to provide solar power for off-grid living in New Zealand with all the comforts of home. This kit powers more everyday household appliances and gives you the luxury of running a washing machine, vacuum cleaner, battery power tools and more. Includes a hybrid inverter/charger as standard (electrician required). The Lifestyle Kit was built to provide off-grid solar power for homes in rural areas that prioritise energy efficiency. <strong>You can find all contents, specs, and downloads further down the page!</strong></p>

What can the Lifestyle Kit run?

Below is an example of one day's total power usage, if you're getting at least 3 sun hours - this is ~14,400Wh of energy per day and can be expected for >80% of the year. (Learn more.) These items are a guide to what you might run over one day, and they can be swapped out to suit your needs within the generation estimate. (Read more.) We highly recommend having a back-up generator with these kits if you won't be able to conserve power during low-sun periods.
(Need a jargon breakdown?)

2000W Coffee Maker

10 minutes (300wh)

25W Phone Charger

12 hours a day (300wh)

50W Fan

8 hours a day (400wh)

Efficient Fridge/Freezer

24 hours a day (1000wh)

1800W Kettle

10 minutes (300wh)

60W Laptop

12 hours a day (720 wh)

2000W Microwave

20 minutes (600wh)

600W Water Pump

2 hours a day (1200wh)

20W Wireless Router

24 hours a day (480wh)

100W Television

6 hours a day (600wh)

2000W 4 Slice Toaster

12 minutes (200wh)

200W Cordless Vacuum

30 minutes (100wh)

500W Washing Machine

4x a week avg (250wh)

240W Lighting

8 hours a day (1920wh)

375L Chest Freezer

24 hours a day (460wh)

60W Cordless Tool Charger

12 hours a day (720wh)

1800W Dishwasher

1 hour a day (1800wh)

1500W Hair Dryer

15 minutes (375wh)

Not sure how much power you need? Read this article to learn how to calculate your needs.

This example doesn't account for days when you may have to cut back on power use (or supplement with a generator) due to several days of poor weather preventing your batteries from fully recharging each day. Learn more here. Our kits should not be used for vital or life-supporting systems, and we recommend finding alternative solutions for Water/Space Heating, Cooking, or EV charging to maximise your budget - Why?

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"We struck gold the day Scott found their website."

Watch this video: Customer Reviews

Includes everything you need to get up and running.

<p>Includes all the cables, crimp connections, circuit breakers, and mounting hardware required. (You may need to buy conduit to run the wire through, which is not included in the kit, as this will vary for every install). We also offer the tools required if you wish to make any changes or alterations to the base kit, and a number of related accessories. Product contents not showing? <strong>You can also download the installation instructions to see the list.</strong></p>

Change 'Upgrades' option at the top of the page to see different kit contents.

Standard Kit: (change selection at the top of the page to see upgraded kit contents)

Lithium Kit contains: 

Lifestyle Kit Specifications

Total Weight: 1000 kg

Panels: 20kg each
Batteries:
Gel: 60kg each
Lithium: 30kg each

Dimensions

Panels: 1100x1750x30mm
Batteries:
Gel: 522x224x240mm
Lithium: 650x260x170mm

Daily Expected Output

Array: 12 x 400W Winter: 14.4 kWh Summer: 32.5 kWh

Inverter Output

Hybrid: 5kW, 10kW Surge

Storage Capacity

Gel: 28.8kWh (14.4kWh Usable)
Lithium: 15.36kwh (12.3kwh Usable)

Charge Controller

Hybrid: 100A, up to 12 panels/unit
*Hybrid inverter can be paralleled up to 6 units.

Choose your battery

Gel or Lithium

Gel (Standard)

Our sealed Gel batteries weigh 60kg each, and should only be regularly discharged to 50% of their total capacity. They have an expected lifespan of 3-5 years depending on how well they are treated, and can easily become damaged from regularly being over-discharged or sitting partially charged. They work with either a standalone or hybrid inverter. They are a budget-friendly option for small scale set-ups.

more info

Lithium (Upgrade)

Our Lithium (LiFePO4) batteries weigh 30kg each, replace Gel batteries in our kits at a 1:2 ratio, and can be discharged up to 80% of their total capacity. They have an expected lifespan of 10-15 years with normal usage, and are more resistant to damage from over-discharging and sitting partially charged. They require a hybrid inverter to work. They are more economical in the long run for full-time living.

More Info

How to choose

Solar Panel Mounts

Universal

The Universal Roof Mount allows you to mount your panels flat on any type of roof along a pair of rails. The rails are attached to the roof with L-shaped brackets, and the panels are clamped to the rails, making it much easier to mount four or more panels on your roof.

Corrugated

The Corrugated Iron Roof mount performs similarly to the universal roof mount, but it is a rail-free option that sits in the grooves of corrugated iron. The mounts are secured to the roof and then the panels are clamped onto them directly instead of rails.  

Ground

The Ground mount allows you to mount your panels on the ground along a pair of rails attached to a triangular frame, and the panels are clamped to the rails. The frame is mounted on something secured in the ground, and the angle can only be adjusted during the install.

Tilt

The Tilt mount allows you to mount your panels on a flat/low pitch roof at an angle to maximise solar energy, adjustable by up to 15 degrees after the initial install. The rails are attached to a triangular frame mounted to the roof, and the panels are clamped to the rails.

The Lifestyle Kit at a Glance

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