Solar Hot Water Heating Wellington
Solar hot water is still the cheapest way to heat water once the sun does the work — reliable, proven, and most of your running cost becomes $0 during daylight hours.
Southern has been installing, servicing and repairing solar hot water across Wellington since 1982. 40+ years, ~29,000 jobs. We partner with Apricus (our preferred brand) for evacuated-tube systems and handle every brand’s repair and maintenance.
Call 0800 484 353 for a free on-site solar assessment.
Evacuated Tube Collectors — Our Preferred Tech
We install Apricus evacuated-tube solar collectors as our default. They outperform traditional flat-plate collectors — particularly in the cooler, windy, lower-sun conditions Wellington actually has most of the year.
- Significantly higher heat capture in low sunlight
- Excellent winter performance
- Vacuum insulation minimises heat loss on cold days
- Individual tubes can be replaced without swapping the whole collector
- Higher operating temperatures — more hot water from the same roof space
Typical sizing: 20 tubes for a smaller household, 30 tubes for medium-to-large, larger arrays for commercial. Requires a north-facing (or near-north) roof with decent daylight access.
Solar-Ready Hot Water Cylinders
Solar-ready cylinders integrate with your evacuated tubes while keeping backup heating on tap when the sun’s gone for the week.
- Electric element backup for cloudy stretches
- Gas boosting option if you’re already on gas
- Heat pump integration ready for future retrofit
- Temperature and pressure safety valves sized correctly for solar inputs
If you’ve got an existing cylinder, we’ll advise whether to swap it or keep it — most modern cylinders under 10 years old can be retrofitted.
Solar Hot Water vs Heat Pump — Which Wins?
Both work. Which one fits depends on your roof, your shading, and whether you want heating 24/7 or just during daylight.
Solar wins when you have:
- A good north-facing roof with clear sun access
- Free rooftop real estate
- A long time horizon (equipment lasts 20+ years)
- A preference for silent operation
Heat pump wins when you have:
- Shaded or south-facing roof
- Tight roof space
- Need for consistent output day and night
- Faster install and lower upfront cost
We’ll tell you which one genuinely suits your property during the site assessment.
Repairs, Servicing & Flat-Plate Upgrades
Already have a solar hot water system? Great — they last. But they need servicing, and older flat-plate systems often underperform in Wellington conditions.
Maintenance work we do regularly:
- Pump replacement and performance testing
- Controller faults and upgrades
- Sensor replacement
- Fluid change-out and air purging
- Temperature/pressure valve servicing
- Leak detection and seal replacement
- Annual performance efficiency testing
Flat-plate to evacuated-tube upgrade: if your old flat-plate system is underperforming, upgrading to Apricus tubes is often cheaper than nursing the old one along for another winter. See solar hot water repairs.
Commercial Solar Hot Water Systems
High hot water demand plus long payback horizons make commercial premises some of the best solar candidates in the country:
- Apartment buildings and body corporates
- Hotels, motels and retirement villages
- Schools and sports facilities
- Food production, kitchens and commercial laundries
We design, supply, install and maintain commercial-scale evacuated tube arrays with the backup and boosting you need for peak demand periods. Full compliance sign-off and warranty coverage.
Why Southern for Solar Hot Water
We’ve been installing solar in Wellington conditions for decades. That matters because the cheap solar install in a showroom isn’t the same install that survives 120 km/h southerlies.
- Apricus partner — premium evacuated tube systems
- Plumber, gasfitter and electrician on one team — all trades covered in-house
- Master Plumbers Guarantee — 25+ years of membership
- Fixed-price quotes before work starts
- Annual servicing plans available — set-and-forget maintenance
- Your Job On Time, or It’s Free
Request a free solar assessment or call 0800 484 353.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes — if you have a north-facing or near-north roof. Evacuated tubes work well even in cool, windy and cloudy conditions, which is why we prefer them over flat-plate collectors. Southerly-facing or heavily shaded roofs are better candidates for heat pump water heaters.