The Lifestyle Kit
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.
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?
Not the right kit for you?
Includes everything you need to get up and running.
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)
- 12x 400W+ TW Solar PERC Mono Half-Cell Full Black Solar Panels
- 12x 200Ah 12V Deep Cycle Gel Batteries - 48V battery bank
- 1x Growatt 5kW 48V Hybrid Inverter (SPF 5000 ES)
- 2x 10m of 6mm2 PV Cable Pair (Red + Black)
- 1x 3m of 10mm2 Pre-Crimped Cable Pair (Red + Black)
- 1x 1m of 35mm2 Pre-Crimped Cable Pair (Red + Black)
- 1x 3m of 35mm2 Pre-Crimped Cable Pair (Red + Black)
- 11x 50mm² Battery Link Cable
- 4x 50mm² 2m Battery Link Cable
- 1x 200A MCCB
- 1x 8-Way Fuse Box with Combiner
- 4x PV Fuse + Fuse Holder
- 2x ANL Fuse + Fuse Holder
- 2x PV Isolator Switch
- 1x Tool Kit incl. 4x MC4 Connector pairs
- 1x PV Safety Sticker Set
- Choice of Panel Mount Set + Instructions
- Kit Instruction Manual
- Lifetime Support
Lithium Kit contains:
- 12x 400W+ TW Solar PERC Mono Half-Cell Full Black Solar Panels
- 6x Growatt ARK LiFePo4 batteries - 48V battery bank
- 1x Growatt 5kW 48V Hybrid Inverter (SPF 5000 ES)
- 2x 10m of 6mm2 PV Cable Pair (Red + Black)
- 1x 3m of 10mm2 Pre-Crimped Cable Pair (Red + Black)
- 1x 1m of 35mm2 Pre-Crimped Cable Pair (Red + Black)
- 1x ARK Battery Cable Set
- 1x ARK Battery Base
- 1x 200A MCCB
- 1x 8-Way Fuse Box with Combiner
- 4x PV Fuse + Fuse Holder
- 2x PV Isolator Switch
- 1x Tool Kit incl. MC4 Connector pairs
- 1x PV Safety Sticker Set
- Choice of Panel Mount Set + Instructions
- Kit Instruction Manual
- Lifetime Support
DIY Lockable Cabinet:
A lockable cabinet to install and wire the components into.
Add $600 for just the cabinet
Growatt WIFI-F Monitoring Device:
For use with Hybrid inverter
Wifi-F is a plug and play monitoring device to help monitor the status of system. This device is installed on the hybrid inverter. Add $150
For any of the following upgrade options, please contact us prior to purchase, as they may require additional components.
Solar Panels:
Add more solar panels, sets of 4: Add $500 per panel
Batteries:
Add Gel Batteries, sets of 4: $750 per battery
Add Growatt ARK Lithium Batteries: $3000 per battery
Hybrid Inverter:
Additional 5000W units: Add $2,550 per unit
- 12x 400W+ TW Solar PERC Mono Half-Cell Full Black Solar Panels
- GridFree 200Ah 12V Deep Cycle Battery Datasheet
- Growatt ARK Lithium Battery
- Installation Instructions + Wiring Diagram - Lithium
- Installation Instructions + Wiring Diagram - Gel
- Chiko Roof Mount Installation Instructions
- Chiko Ground Mount Installation Instructions
- Chiko Corrugated Mount Installation Instructions
- Chiko Tilt Mount Installation Instructions
- Growatt 5kW ES Hybrid Inverter Manual
- Gel Battery Warranty
- Growatt hybrid inverter Warranty Information
Lifestyle Kit Specifications
Total Weight: 1000 kg
Dimensions
Daily Expected Output
Inverter Output
Storage Capacity
Charge Controller
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 infoLithium (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 InfoHow 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.