‘How much?’ is usually the second question people ask about solar, right after ‘is it worth it?’ The honest answer is: it depends — but there are good independent benchmarks to check a quote against, and it helps to understand what you’re paying for.
What a system typically costs
The government’s energy agency, EECA, publishes indicative prices you can use to sanity-check any quote. As a rough guide, including standard installation and GST: a small 3 kW system (around 7 panels) runs about $8,500; a medium 5 kW system (around 12 panels) about $11,500; and a large 10 kW system (around 24 panels) about $20,000. Adding a battery typically adds another $5,000–$15,000 depending on its size — for example, a medium system with a 10 kWh battery comes to around $21,500. A battery isn’t essential, though, and solar without one usually gives the best return.
What you’re actually paying for
A solar system isn’t just panels. Your quote covers the panels, the inverter (the brains of the system), mounting and racking, cabling and isolation, the labour to install it safely, and the compliance and paperwork to sign it off legally. On a battery system, the battery is often the single biggest line item.
What moves the price
- System size: more panels means more power and a higher price — though the cost per watt usually drops as systems get bigger.
- Battery or no battery: adding storage can add anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000.
- Your roof: a simple, accessible single-storey roof is cheaper to work on than a steep or multi-storey one.
- Switchboard and wiring: older boards sometimes need an upgrade before solar can go on.
- Component quality: cheaper panels and inverters exist, but they can cost more over the system’s life.
What you’ll save
EECA estimates the average New Zealand home saves around $1,000 or more a year on power with solar, wherever they are in the country. Here in Taranaki the figure sits higher — EECA’s December 2025 numbers put it around $1,415 a year — because savings depend on local sunshine and power prices. The single biggest lever is self-consumption: the more of your own solar you use rather than export, the more you save.
What about payback?
On EECA’s figures, a typical payback is around 7–10 years for a household that can use most of what its system generates — meaning decent daytime use, and electric heating and hot water. High-sun, high-price regions can do better; adding a battery generally lengthens the payback because it adds to the upfront cost. After payback, the system keeps producing effectively free power for the rest of its 25-plus-year life.
Financing it
You don’t necessarily need the cash up front. Most major New Zealand banks now offer 0% to 1% home energy loans for upgrades like solar, usually added as a top-up to your mortgage, and often payable off well within the panels’ warrantied life. As with anything, read the terms and get independent advice if you’re unsure.
Cheapest isn’t the same as best value
It’s easy to compare quotes on the bottom-line number alone. But two systems at very different prices can look identical on paper and perform completely differently over 25 years. A slightly dearer system with better components, honest sizing and proper compliance often works out cheaper per unit of power produced — and far less likely to give you callbacks and headaches.
How to compare quotes properly
Look past the headline price. Check the panel and inverter make and model, the production estimate and its assumptions, what’s included and excluded (scaffolding, switchboard upgrades and the like), and the warranties. A good quote is transparent about all of it. If you’re not sure which is genuinely better value, an independent second opinion is exactly what SolarLink is for.
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