Is plug-in solar legal in New Zealand?
Not yet.
Expected around mid-2027, no date set.
A 2012 prohibition notice still bans inverters fitted with a plug, and the standard plug-in kits need hasn't been written.
Checked 21 October 2026 against the Ministry for Regulation, the Electricity Authority and the Beehive. We look again every week.
Six steps from the ban to the hardware store
Three are done, the safety standard is under way, and two have no date yet.
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Done · 30 Jul 2026
Review says legalise it
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Done · 10 Aug 2026
Cabinet agrees
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Done · 8 Sep to 6 Oct 2026
Electricity Authority asks
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Under way · Being worked on, not published
Safety standard
The Electricity Authority says it is working with MBIE, WorkSafe, EECA and Standards New Zealand on a standard for plug-in kits, looking at Germany's and the UK's, and that the public will be consulted before decisions. No draft has been published.
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Not yet · No date set
Rules changed
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Not yet · Expected around mid-2027
First legal kit on sale
Then it plugs in.
Latest
- National promises plug-in panels "off the shelf" within six months if it is re-elected.
- The Electricity Authority's consultation closes. Lines companies, retailers, installers and Rewiring Aotearoa have their say; the submissions are public.
- Australia's energy ministers agree to explore ways to allow plug-in devices safely.
Every party with a policy says yes
New Zealand votes on 7 November 2026. Cabinet has already agreed to legalise plug-in solar, so the result changes how fast it comes and whether anyone helps pay for a kit. It doesn't change whether it happens.
SolarSaver, the Home Energy Fund and what they would pay for
Legalise plug-in solar?
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National
Shops selling plug-in panels "off the shelf" within the first six months of a re-elected National government. No watt limit or subsidy for kits.
15 October 2026 · National Party
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Labour
SolarSaver: change the rules so renters can use plug-in panels, and subsidies of up to $3,000 for low- and middle-income households.
8 July 2026 · Labour Party
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Greens
Urgently legalise plug-in solar and set up a renters' right to solar.
20 July 2026 · Green Party
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ACT
No separate policy found. Its leader, as Minister for Regulation, led the review and said the government will legalise plug-in solar.
17 August 2026 · Beehive
What a kit would save you
An 800 W kit in would pay for itself in 5.7 years, saving about $261 a year.
At $1,500 for the kit, 35c a kWh and 70% of the power used at home. Sun data from PVGIS, checked against NIWA. An estimate, not financial advice.
Years to pay back, by city
Before you buy anything
- What plug-in solar is
One or two panels, a small inverter and a cable to a normal socket.
- Why it is banned now
A 2012 prohibition notice and one clause in AS/NZS 4777.1.
- Cost and savings
Kit prices overseas, what NZ sellers expect to charge, and payback by city.
- Plug-in batteries
What a battery adds, what it costs, and what the rules say so far.
- Renters and body corporates
Why this matters most to people who can't put panels on a roof.
- Plug-in or rooftop
Size, price, payback and who each one suits.
Get one email the day it is legal
We watch the Ministry for Regulation, the Electricity Authority and the Beehive every week. When plug-in solar is legal, or the standard it needs is published, we write once with what changed and which kits qualify.