Home > Reviews From Solar Power System Owners
We have asked people that brought a solar power system after getting 3 quotes through My Solar Quotes how their solar power systems are going! We asked:
What size system did you install?
How long has your solar power system been running for?
How did you find the solar installation?
How have you found the performance of the solar power system?
Do you have any other comments that you would like to share with New Zealanders thinking about going solar?
Review Date: 17/07/2024
Size: 6.6kW
Running for: 7 weeks
Expected return on investment: Unsure as alterations to Meter Box only just done last week.
Expected pay back period: 10-15 Years
Comments on the installation: "Great installers, all done in under a day due to fine weather & 2 installers present."
Comments on the system performance: "No not so far. On sunny days only just achieving 50 per cent utilisation! Would have expected more & hopefully this will improve in summer! Delay in Genisis installing changes to meter box means nil savings so far from them."
Advice: "Still relatively expensive in NZ without any Govt Incentives. My daughter in Melbourne recently installed a 9.9kW system for less than AU$3300 with VIC State & National Incentives."
Review Date: 08/07/2024
Size: 8KW
Running for: Installation completed in early May
Expected return on investment: 100%
Expected pay back period: ~8 years
Comments on the installation: "Excellent. 1 day to install inverter & 14 solar panels Half a day to install the tesla battery."
Comments on the system performance: "Considering we are into winter it has performed as expected so far. When we have full sun shine days the battery is fully charged by early afternoon. We are still waiting for the new meter to be installed so we can get the full benefit of having solar. The power co we are currently with needed a bit of a rev up to action the new meter, why is it so difficult to speak to someone on the phone these days?"
Advice: "Initially I wasn't considering installing solar. As retirement loomed with associated concerns over soaring energy prices, it seemed a no brainer. A friend in Wanaka installed solar over 10 years ago & added more panels after some years. They enjoy total independence for most part & still have enough power to recharge the EV at the end of the day."
Review Date: 04/07/2024
Size: 5.74kW (14 panels)
Running for: 3 months
Expected return on investment: 331
Expected pay back period: 8yrs 9mnths
Comments on the installation: "Very efficient and pleasant installers"
Comments on the system performance: "Pleased with performance. Only had one bill to include exporting to grid as meter installation wasn’t until May."
Advice: "Go for it"
Review Date: 27/06/2024
Size: 6.6kW
Running for: 3 months
Expected return on investment: 15%
Expected pay back period: 6.5 years
Comments on the installation: "Despite bad weather the whole system was installed in a day and a half."
Comments on the system performance: "Our system has performed as expected and given it is mid winter, we have saved a minimum of $100 per month with the savings in May reaching an amazing $160 when compared to the same month, last year."
Advice: "I always thought solar was too expensive but thanks to My Solar Quotes we were able to get a great system at a great price. Our system is battery ready and if battery prices drop, that will be the next thing we do."
Review Date: 18/06/2024
Size: 5.28kW
Running for: 11 weeks
Expected return on investment: 25%
Expected pay back period: 8-10 y
Comments on the installation: "Installation was completed efficiently over a couple of days. Slight delay due to weather."
Comments on the system performance: "Performing well. Limited saving due to the time of the year and weather. Savings around 10 -15%"
Advice: "Happy with our decision. Will see greater benefits as we head towards spring and summer."
Review Date: 25/03/2024
Size: 6kW
Running for: 1 month
Expected return on investment: 10
Expected pay back period: 9
Comments on the installation: "One day, they were all good"
Comments on the system performance: "Looks good so far, although it has only been a month"
Advice: "Getting 3 quotes made it easier to compare and decide."
Review Date: 28/02/2024
Size: 6.2kW
Running for: 5 weeks
Expected return on investment: Don’t know really.
Expected pay back period: Less than 17 years
Comments on the installation: "Excellent timely installation over 2.5 days. Sending power to the grid the following day. "
Comments on the system performance: "Performance excellent. Power output surprisingly good on a cloudy day. Use of grid has declined about 65%. "
Advice: "Just do it. Help yourself, help the planet "
Review Date: 16/02/2024
Size: 6kw
Running for: 2 months
Expected return on investment: Not willing to share
Expected pay back period: Not willing to share
Comments on the installation: "Took two days, installers were superb. They kept us advised of each stage of the installation, worked quickly and tidily, were good humoured and vacuumed the floors after each internal stage."
Comments on the system performance: "Yes, bills have already halved, though of course it is a sunny summer, winter will be the real test"
Advice: "None"
Review Date: 14/02/2024
Size: 7.2kw
Running for: 2.5 months
Expected return on investment: 100
Expected pay back period: 22
Comments on the installation: "Freenergy were awesome from start to finish. Local and experts. Communication was amazing and everything went smoothly."
Comments on the system performance: "We have not paid for power since installing it, in fact we are in credit for those winter months ."
Advice: "Choose a local company that employ locals and have a proven reputation. "
Review Date: 12/02/2024
Size: 13kw
Running for: 3 months
Expected return on investment: Don't know
Expected pay back period: 5 years
Comments on the installation: "The installers were amazing. It took 2 days to install and set up."
Comments on the system performance: "The performance is brilliant, had a couple of hiccups which were sorted straight away."
Advice: "Going solar with a battery was an expensive outlay but it has been well worth it, our power bill is now next to nothing, we have had power in outages which has been a huge bonus."
Review Date: 09/02/2024
Size: 5kW battery
Running for: 4 months
Expected return on investment: Can't remember but believe I'm well ahead as EV charging all solar
Expected pay back period: Don't know, am looking for an easy to use spreadsheet to recalculate as I expect this wkill be greatly reduced.
Comments on the installation: "Very impressed with installation, everything from products to procedures and results."
Comments on the system performance: "I must be well ahead of ROI. All my EV charging is solar so I am saving a bundle there as well as well as running the house. At present my electricity bill is in credit so it will be interesting to check results after 12 months."
Advice: "Go for it. Get as many panels as will fit, a battery with at least 5kW, and if you have an EV, install an Evnex charger."
Review Date: 29/01/2024
Size: 4.5kw
Running for: 5 months
Expected return on investment: Unknown
Expected pay back period: 10-11 years depending on power consumption
Comments on the installation: "Excellent. Installers were respectful of our property and it took less than a day and then the electrical inspection on a later day only took a short period."
Comments on the system performance: "Quite happy with the performance of the system although it is producing less power than I would have thought for some of the very hot days we have had this summer. We haven't paid anything for power bills since the system was installed due to credits given for swapping power supplier, credits for power exported, and credit for the meter swap despite using our heat pump to cool the house on very hot days. We are in credit and hope this will continue so that the credit gets used up in the winter months when we use more power and the solar power system produces less power. The Goodwe inverter can feel very hot to the hand but we wanted a smaller inverter and one that did not have a noisy fan."
Advice: "Well worth it if you would like to contribute to a greener future and be more self-sufficient. We found both the NZ and AU solar quotes websites very useful for learning about panels, inverters etc so we were more knowledgeable when speaking with the 4 different companies we got quotes from and think this knowledge contributed to us getting a good price. We chose Lightforce."
Review Date: 21/01/2024
Size: 5kW i.e. 14 panels plusTesla Battery
Running for: 1 month
Expected return on investment: 100% Feel good factors
Expected pay back period: Don't care
Comments on the installation: "Installer worked efficiently but took a week to complete installation due to family commitments restricting him to half days and having to travel 1 hour to the site."
Comments on the system performance: "I chose a split array to give me longer generation time as opposed to peak generation yet am still getting peak of 4.5kW from a 5kW system and am generating from 0630 until 1930, as at 1 January, thus with battery use overnight I am 99% self sufficient. Last power bill showed I imported 3kWh at a cost of 46 cents however supply charges of $17.21 boosted the bill to $17.67 This is compared to $76 for the same period last year. Note: This was prior to the Export meter being installed so I confidently expect my next and subsequent bills to be in credit."
Advice: "Do independent research on components offered in quotes as some use near end of production components to keep costs down. Bottom line ...... don't skimp for the sake of a few dollars."
Review Date: 13/01/2024
Size: 3kW
Running for: 1.8 kwatt added another 3k watt 4 years for the 1.8 k watt 3 months for the extra 3 kw
Expected return on investment: currently i have no electricity bills am running a credit
Expected pay back period: approx 4 years
Comments on the installation: "absolutely fantastic,.installed the six panels in 4 hours"
Comments on the system performance: "currently with the two systems no bills 12 panels total"
Advice: "do it, get latest technology with small inverters mounted under each panel "
Review Date: 27/12/2023
Size: 5kW
Running for: 1 week
Comments on the installation: "From day we payed the deposit it took 4 months and the communication was appalling."
Comments on the system performance: "It is limited to 5 kW and on sunny days it produces this"
Advice: "Make sure your installer knows what they are doing. I would not recommend Harrison's Blenheim."
Review Date: 26/12/2023
Size: 11 Panels circa 4.5kW
Running for: 3 months
Expected return on investment: 8-10 year payback; hard to gauge at this stage, need to see what the performance is during winter months
Expected pay back period: 8-10 year payback; hard to gauge at this stage, need to see what the performance is during winter months
Comments on the installation: "The installation process was average and the inspector deemed it "satisfactory". He was unsure why they chose not to place 5 of the panels on the north facing roof (Instead all 11 panels were installed on the east facing roof). The whole process was expected to take one day but took almost two full days."
Comments on the system performance: "We included a battery which has been hugely beneficial given our usage profile. In three months we have only had to take power from the grid 4 times (rainy / overcast weather) and only an average of 5KWh each time. Because we are also using surplus power to charge our new EV we estimate we are savings over $250 a month (a combination of generating our own power, selling surplus to the grid and no longer having to purchase fuel for the car). We have yet to top up our car from the grid so we're approaching 1,000km travelled at no cost to us!"
Advice: "Overall we are happy with the performance however until we see how the system performs over a full 12 month cycle it is way too early to gauge whether or not it is a good return on investment (& impossible at this stage to quantify the expected ROI). We like the independence it brings and the fact that during the last three months we have almost been fully self sufficient running our house and car from power we have generated through the solar system. I personally would only get solar panels installed if it's coupled with a battery; ours stores 10kWh which to date is perfect for our usage profile. "
Review Date: 23/12/2023
Size: 5kW inverter
Running for: 7 months
Expected return on investment: Don't know
Expected pay back period: Don't know
Comments on the installation: "They were excellent. Very respectful and aware that I was working from home so minimised the disruption."
Comments on the system performance: "My September power bill was nearly zero and I've been in credit since. I might even have enough credit by winter to cover my winter bills entirely!"
Advice: "It is an investment in not only your own future/independence but also New Zealand's. The more people creating their own power and even feeding the country's grid, the better. It makes you feel really good to be contributing."
Review Date: 12/11/2023
Size: 6.8
Running for: I week
Expected return on investment: 12%
Expected pay back period: It is part of the house , will go up and down with real estate value
Comments on the installation: "Very good and all done in under 2 days"
Comments on the system performance: "Way better than expected, especially on cloudy days "
Advice: "My solar system has only been running a week , I don't have enough data to share with others "
Review Date: 26/09/2023
Size: 6.15W
Running for: 1 month
Expected return on investment: not sure on this question but it is estimated sola will, make up 59% of power usage.
Expected pay back period: 7.15 years
Comments on the installation: "they were great"
Comments on the system performance: "power powers saving as per the model indicated."
Review Date: 26/09/2023
Size: 5.74
Running for: 10 weeks
Expected return on investment: 13%
Expected pay back period: 8 yrs
Comments on the installation: "Very respectful. 1st class service. "
Comments on the system performance: "Producing more than predicted. "
Advice: "Batteries still too expensive. "
Review Date: 13/09/2023
Size: 5.46kW with a Tesla battery
Running for: Nearly a month - haven't had our first power bill that factors in the solar system yet.
Expected return on investment: Hard to calculate unless a time frame is set. Probably break even at 12 years. Thereafter low to no power bills. System might last 20-25 years. Maybe 50% but this is fairly unscientific and there are a lot of variables.
Expected pay back period: Between 10 and 15 years. System cost around $35,000. Our power bill was around $300 a month. Will have to hope we can put a fair amount into the grid to reduce the fixed charge on our bill.
Comments on the installation: "Installers were very tidy and respectful. Installation took about a day and a half with me doing some of the preparation (digging the trench for the cable from the ground mounted panels) and building the frame. I also filled in the trench and gave the installation guys some assistance."
Comments on the system performance: "Haven't got first bill from Mercury yet. Power production has been pleasantly surprising. We have been generating more than the house uses and fully charging the Tesla batttery, therefore sending some to the power co."
Advice: "I would encourage it. Especially if you can orient your panels to precisely face North and at the maximum sun harvest angle. Hopefully the buy back rate increases from power companies over time."
Review Date: 07/03/2023
Size: 8kW
Running for: 2.5 months
Expected pay back period: 8 years
Comments on the installation: "They were great, done in a day"
Comments on the system performance: "Performance is as expected. Power bill was $250/month, now $0 and that includes charging an electric car so no more petrol bills either"
Advice: "I have installed solar because I wanted to do my bit to limit global warming, not because the payback stacks up. "
Review Date: 04/03/2023
Size: 6.8kW
Running for: 2 weeks
Expected return on investment: 14%
Expected pay back period: 8 years + cost of finance
Comments on the installation: "Installed professionally, requested landscape panels to prevent leaf buildup and birds nesting in the support rails."
Comments on the system performance: "Has performed great, even survived an ex-cyclone. Our offpeak power (11am to 5pm) dropped lots despite hot water heating at this time, and total daily power is about half."
Advice: "Dont bother with batteries, but get a system with DC charging output so you have the most battery options if you choose to add them later when costs and technology improves."
Review Date: 12/02/2023
Size: 5kw
Running for: 1 month
Expected return on investment: Don't know not the cheapest but definetly best help information and service
Expected pay back period: 9-10 years
Comments on the installation: "Great, took 3 days due to rain half day"
Comments on the system performance: "More than thought but still getting used to it, still need to import power at times as no battery . We produce 2-5 times amount used but buy back 17c/kw whereas peak charges 30c /kw"
Advice: "Octopus great company to sign up with no hassle and did it within 2days. Check solar company communicates as over Christmas ball was dropped and we had to chase up compliance ."
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