Solar and electrical contractor in Federal, NSW
Federal and the acreage around it
Federal is a small village in the Byron Shire hills, about 140 metres above sea level, with a general store and post office, the School of Arts hall and a few streets. Most of our work is not in the village. It is out on the acreage around it, on land that was once Big Scrub rainforest and was cleared for dairy farming from the 1880s. Old farmhouses, owner built houses and paddock sheds sit well back from the road, each at the end of its own driveway.
The roads matter here. Federal Drive was closed by a landslip after the 2022 floods and took until mid 2024 to reopen, and heavy rain can still close hill roads. Driveways are long, steep and often unsealed, with creek crossings and gates to open and shut. We ask what the driveway is like, whether a two wheel drive van will make it up, and where the meter box is, because on acreage it can be on a pole at the road boundary rather than at the house.
Around Federal the housing is mixed. There are old dairy farmhouses with timber floors and older wiring, owner built houses with their own layouts, and newer homes on large blocks. Many sit under regrowth trees in wet hill country, so shade falls across roofs and we check which part of a roof gets the sun before suggesting panels. The distance from pole to house is often long, which affects the cable, and some of these properties suit a battery or running partly off the grid.
What we do here most
What Federal properties keep needing
Properties around Federal tend to be old, shaded and a long way from the pole. The jobs below come from that.
Solar
Panels on a farmhouse roof shaded by trees
An old farmhouse on cleared hill land often has big trees close by, and a roof that looks sunny at noon can be shaded by mid afternoon. We stand on the property at different times of day if we can, look at which roof planes get the longest sun and how tall the trees will grow. Sometimes the answer is panels on a shed or a ground mount instead.
Electrical
Old dairy farmhouse wiring and switchboard upgrade
A farmhouse built long before modern appliances may have a small switchboard, few circuits and wiring of an older type. We open the board, look at what each circuit feeds and test before anything is added. If a house needs new circuits for solar, a battery or an air conditioner, we say whether the existing board can take them or whether it should be replaced first.
Batteries
Battery backup for outages on a hill road
A fallen branch on a hill road can take a line down, and a house at the end of a long driveway may wait a while for it to be restored. A battery can keep lights, a fridge and a water pump running while that happens. We ask what you want to keep on, size the system to that list, and explain what it will and will not run.
Repairs
Tracing a tripping circuit in an owner built house
Owner built houses often have wiring done in stages by different people, and a circuit that trips for no obvious reason can be a damp junction box, a damaged cable or an overloaded circuit. We start with the switchboard, isolate each circuit and test until we find the cause. We then explain what we found in plain words and what a lasting repair would involve.
If it is urgent
If the power fails on a Federal property
- 1Look from a distance at the pole, the lines along the road and the line to your house, and check for a fallen branch, a sagging or broken line or a burn mark on a pole.
- 2Stay well clear of any fallen line and treat it as live. Leave your solar inverter, battery and switchboard alone if there is smoke, a burning smell or water on them.
- 3When you call, give us the road name, how the driveway runs from the road, whether Federal Drive and the road to you are open, and any gate code or key we will need.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Which areas do you cover?
The Northern Rivers of New South Wales, from our base at Dorroughby, between Lismore and Byron Bay. Twenty places have their own pages on the service areas page, but they are a starting point rather than a boundary. If you are not sure we reach your address, call and we will check.
Do you answer the phone after hours?
Yes. The phone is answered at any hour, every day, on the number at the top of this page. Call with your address and what you are seeing, and we will tell you what to leave alone and what happens next.
Do you work on farms and businesses as well as homes?
Yes. The work runs from a single house roof to sheds, workshops, shops and farm buildings, on mains power and off it. Tell us what the building is used for and when it is busy, because that decides when the work can happen.
What should I send when I enquire?
A photo of your switchboard with the door open, a photo of the roof or the spot where equipment would go, and a recent power bill if you have one. If you already have a system, add a photo of the inverter and any error on its screen. Photos let us give you straight answers before anyone visits.
Will my solar keep working in a blackout?
A standard grid-connected system switches itself off when the grid goes down, even in full sun, and that is a safety feature. To keep some power on during an outage, the system needs a battery set up with a backup circuit. Which circuits go on that backup is decided with you before the work starts.
Can I add a battery to the solar I already have?
Often yes, but it depends on the inverter you have now and how the system is wired. Some inverters take a battery as it is, and others need replacing or adding to first. Send a photo of the inverter and we will tell you which it is likely to be.
What is the difference between grid-connected, hybrid and off-grid?
A grid-connected system works alongside the street supply and has no battery. A hybrid system uses one inverter to run the panels and a battery together. An off-grid system has no street connection at all, so the panels, battery and a backup generator input carry the whole property.
Can you work on a system someone else installed?
Yes. The first step is finding out exactly what is there, which means opening the switchboard, checking the cabling and reading what the inverter reports. After that we tell you what can stay, what should be repaired and what should be replaced.
Why does my solar system keep switching off or showing an error?
There are many possible causes, from a failing part to a loose connection or a fault on one string of panels. We trace the fault step by step and read the error codes before anything is replaced. Send a photo of the inverter screen and tell us when it happens.
What should I do if I see damage or smell burning near electrical equipment?
Keep clear of it and keep children and pets away. If there is fire or smoke, call emergency services first. Then call us, tell us what you saw and where, and leave the equipment alone until it has been checked.
Will the power go off while you work?
For most solar, battery and switchboard jobs the power is switched off for part of the day. We tell you when it will go off before we start, so you can plan around fridges, medical equipment and anything else that needs to keep running. Ask about it when you book.
Do you work on properties with no mains power?
Yes. Off-grid work starts with a list of what you run and when, because that decides the size of the panels, the battery and the inverter. We also look at the site itself, including shade, access and how far the equipment sits from the house.
Everything we do here
Services in Federal, NSW
These are the twenty things we do across the Northern Rivers, and around Federal the long driveways, shaded roofs and old farmhouse wiring decide how most of them are done.
Also nearby
We work in these suburbs too
Local, and on the phone
Solar and electrical work in Federal
Call or email with the road name and tell us how far the house is from the road and whether the driveway is sealed. That decides what vehicle we bring and how we plan the day. A photo of the roof taken from the ground would also help.
0417 415 47424 hours a day, 7 days a week
Not urgent? Send us the job instead