Our 13-Step Installer Vetting Process

Before any installer earns a spot on our recommended list, they pass a 13-step vetting process that goes well beyond "are they licensed." We check their electrical registration against the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB), confirm current public liability cover (we want to see at least $2 million, and most carry $5 million or more), pull their company file from the Companies Office to check they're solvent and actually trading, and read their workmanship warranty line by line. Roughly one in three installers who approach us don't make it through. That's the whole point. We'd rather have a short list of people who do the job properly than a long list that pads our inbox.

Here's why this matters more in solar than in almost any other home trade. A solar system is a 25-year decision bolted to your roof, wired into your switchboard, and feeding power back into the grid. If the company that installed it has folded by year four, your "25-year warranty" is a piece of paper nobody will honour. So we don't just check whether someone can do good work today. We check whether they'll still be standing to back it up.

Why installer vetting is the part nobody talks about

The New Zealand solar industry is largely self-regulated. There's no single government licence that says "this company is a competent solar installer." The electrical work itself must be done or supervised by a registered electrician under EWRB rules, and the grid connection must meet your lines company's requirements, but the rest, the panel mounting, the system design, the sales pitch, the warranty wording, is wide open.

That gap is where homeowners get hurt. Consumer NZ has repeatedly flagged solar as a sector where high-pressure sales tactics and overstated savings claims show up, and the Commerce Commission enforces the Fair Trading Act against businesses that mislead on price or performance. But enforcement happens after the damage. Vetting happens before.

We built our process to catch the things a homeowner can't easily see from a glossy quote: the company that's technically trading but hasn't filed accounts in two years, the "lifetime warranty" that's actually backed by a one-man-band with no insurance, the installer subcontracting to whoever's cheapest that week.

The 13 steps, in plain English

We won't pretend each check is glamorous. Most of it is unglamorous homework. But every step exists because we've seen what goes wrong when it's skipped.

1. Electrical registration and licensing

We confirm the business employs or contracts EWRB-registered electricians with current practising licences, and we verify those registrations directly on the public register. Solar PV connection is prescribed electrical work. No valid registration, no further discussion.

2. Companies Office and financial stability

We pull the company record from the New Zealand Companies Office: incorporation date, director history, any strike-off notices, and whether annual returns are up to date. A warranty is only as good as the company behind it. Stats NZ business demography data shows a meaningful share of new small businesses don't survive their first five years, so we weight longevity heavily. A company that's been installing in your region for eight years is a very different risk to one incorporated last spring.

3. Public liability insurance

We sight a current certificate of currency for public liability cover. Drilling into a roof and wiring into your switchboard carries real risk. If a worker puts a foot through your ceiling or a fault causes damage, you want a properly insured company, not a personal apology.

4. Workmanship warranty, read word for word

We read the actual installation warranty, not the headline number. There's a world of difference between a 10-year workmanship warranty backed by a stable company and a "lifetime" claim with so many exclusions it covers nothing. We check what's actually promised: the mounting, the waterproofing, the labour to fix a fault, and crucially, whether call-out and travel are included or quietly billed back to you.

5. Product warranties and who honours them

Panels and inverters carry their own manufacturer warranties (typically 10 to 12 years on product and 25 years on performance for panels, and 5 to 12 years on inverters). We check that the installer uses brands with a genuine New Zealand distributor or local representation. A 25-year panel warranty is worthless if the only way to claim is through a factory that won't answer a Kiwi homeowner's email.

6. Track record and references

We look at how long they've been installing solar specifically (not just doing general electrical work), how many systems they've completed, and we follow up real customer references, including some that are a few years old. Anyone can have a happy customer in week one. We want to know what the relationship looks like in year three when something needs sorting.

7. SEANZ membership and industry standing

Membership of the Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand (SEANZ) isn't compulsory and it isn't a guarantee on its own, but it signals a company willing to be held to an industry code of practice. We note it, and we treat its absence as a question to ask rather than an automatic fail.

8. Quote transparency and pricing honesty

We check that they quote in a way a homeowner can actually understand: itemised gear, clear total installed price, and realistic savings estimates rather than best-case fantasy. As a sanity check, a fully installed quality 5kW system in 2025 generally lands around $9,000 to $13,000 depending on roof complexity and gear, per current NZ installer pricing and broadly consistent with EECA guidance. A quote wildly outside that range, in either direction, gets a hard look.

9. Realistic performance and savings claims

We test their savings maths against reality. We use NIWA solar irradiance data and regional sun-hour figures, and we know that a system in Blenheim or Central Otago will generate more per kW than the same system on the West Coast. If an installer is promising savings that assume you'll use every kilowatt you generate, that's a red flag. Most homes self-consume only a portion and export the rest at a lower buy-back rate. We dig into that maths properly over here: The Solar System Cost & ROI Calculator.

10. Grid connection competence

Every grid-tied system needs approval from your lines company, whether that's Vector in Auckland, Orion in Canterbury, Wellington Electricity, Aurora in Dunedin and Central Otago, or any of the others. We confirm the installer handles this application properly and understands the local network's specific requirements, including export limits where they apply. A botched or skipped connection application can leave you unable to legally export, or worse, in breach of network rules.

11. Sales conduct

We won't recommend anyone who runs the high-pressure playbook: today-only pricing, "sign now or lose the deal," or scare tactics about future power prices. The Fair Trading Act and the Commerce Commission take a dim view of misleading conduct, and so do we. Good solar sells itself on honest numbers. If you ever feel rushed, that's your cue to walk. We've written a proper field guide to the warning signs over here: The Solar Scam Checklist: How to Avoid Shady Installers.

12. Subcontracting and who actually shows up

This is one most homeowners never think to ask. Some companies sell the job and subcontract the install to a rotating cast of crews. We want to know who physically does the work, whether they're the same team accountable for the warranty, and how quality is controlled across jobs. Consistency is everything when the work is on your roof for a quarter of a century.

13. Aftercare and the year-five test

The final check is the one that separates the good from the merely adequate: what happens when you call them in year five with a fault? We ask about response times, monitoring, and whether they proactively flag if a system's output drops. An installer who walks away the moment the invoice is paid doesn't make our list.

The check installers hope you'll skip: financial stability

Here's the insight most comparison sites won't give you, because it takes effort. The single biggest risk to your solar warranty isn't the panels failing. It's the installer disappearing.

A panel that fails in year nine is a manufacturer warranty claim, often straightforward if the brand has NZ distribution. But a leak around a roof penetration in year six, or an inverter mounting that works loose, or a wiring fault, that's a workmanship issue. And a workmanship warranty is only ever as strong as the company holding the pen.

So we treat the Companies Office check as seriously as the technical ones. We look at:

• How long they've actually been trading under the current company, not a freshly minted shell with an old brand name slapped on it.
• Whether annual returns are filed and current. A company that can't be bothered keeping its statutory filings up to date often can't be bothered keeping its warranty promises either.
• Director history and any pattern of companies being wound up and reborn under new names, a tactic that lets the same people walk away from old warranty obligations.

None of this guarantees a company will survive 25 years; nobody can promise that. But it stacks the odds heavily in your favour, and it filters out the operators most likely to vanish when you need them.

A worked example: two quotes that looked identical

Picture a homeowner in Tauranga (Powerco network) getting two quotes for a 6kW system, both landing around $13,500, both promising a "25-year warranty."

Quote A is from a company incorporated 11 months ago. The warranty document is two paragraphs long and the "25 years" turns out to refer only to the panel manufacturer's performance figure. Workmanship is covered for 12 months. No public liability certificate offered. The salesperson pushed hard for a deposit on the spot.

Quote B is from a company that's been installing across the Bay of Plenty for nine years, carries $5 million public liability cover, offers a genuine 10-year workmanship warranty with call-outs included, uses panels and an inverter with established NZ distribution, and quoted without any pressure to sign.

On price they're a dead heat. On everything that protects you when something goes wrong, they're not remotely the same purchase. The vetting is what surfaces that difference before you've handed over a cent. This is exactly the gap our wider promise to homeowners is built to close, and we lay that promise out in full over here: Homeowner's Advocate.

Where our process has limits (and we'll say so)

We're not going to pretend vetting is a force field. A few honest caveats:

• We can't predict the future. A solid company today could still hit hard times. We reduce the risk; we can't erase it.
• Vetting checks the installer, not your roof. Even the best installer can't make solar pencil out on a heavily shaded, south-facing roof with low daytime occupancy. The maths still has to work for your specific situation.
• We don't vet on price alone. The lowest quote isn't automatically the best, and the most expensive isn't automatically the safest. We look at value: gear, warranty, and the company behind both.
• Standards evolve. Network export rules, product availability, and pricing all move. We re-check our recommended installers rather than vetting once and forgetting.

How to run these checks yourself

You don't need us to do this. If you're vetting an installer on your own, here's the short version you can do in an afternoon:

• Search the Companies Office register (free, online) for the company name. Check incorporation date and that annual returns are current.
• Ask for the electrician's EWRB registration number and verify it on the public register.
• Request the certificate of currency for public liability insurance. A legitimate company will hand it over without fuss.
• Get the workmanship warranty in writing and read what's actually covered, especially whether call-outs and travel are included.
• Confirm the panel and inverter brands have a NZ distributor. Ask directly: "If this fails in year eight, who do I call?"
• Ask who physically does the install and whether they're employees or subcontractors.
• Get at least one reference from a job two or three years old, not just last month.
• Walk away from anyone who pressures you to sign today. A good deal is still a good deal next week.

When you ask for quotes through us, this homework is already done. We pass you to installers who've cleared all 13 steps, and we never sell your contact details on. We're careful about your information for exactly the reasons we're careful about installers, and we explain how we handle your data over here: How We Protect Your Data (Compliance with the Privacy Act 2020). If you're curious how secure data sharing is reshaping the wider energy market, there's a related rundown here: Understanding the Consumer Data Right (Open Banking for Energy).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do solar installers need a special licence in New Zealand?

There's no single dedicated "solar installer licence." The electrical work must be carried out or supervised by an EWRB-registered electrician with a current practising licence, and the grid connection must meet your lines company's rules. The mounting, design, and sales side are largely self-regulated, which is exactly why independent vetting matters.

What insurance should a solar installer carry?

At a minimum, public liability insurance. We want to see a current certificate of currency, ideally for $2 million or more; most reputable companies carry $5 million. This protects you if the installation causes property damage or injury during the work.

How can I check if a solar company is financially stable?

Search the company name on the free New Zealand Companies Office register. Check the incorporation date, whether annual returns are filed and current, and the director history. A long, clean trading record under the same company is a strong positive signal for a warranty that depends on the business still existing years from now.

What's the difference between a product warranty and a workmanship warranty?

A product warranty covers the panels and inverter against manufacturing faults (often 10 to 25 years for panels, 5 to 12 for inverters). A workmanship warranty covers the installer's labour: the mounting, waterproofing, and wiring. The product warranty is honoured by the manufacturer or distributor; the workmanship warranty depends entirely on the installer still trading.

Is SEANZ membership necessary?

It isn't compulsory and it isn't a guarantee on its own, but membership of the Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand signals a company willing to sign up to an industry code of practice. We see it as a positive marker rather than a deciding factor, and we'd happily recommend a strong non-member that passes every other check.

What does a fair price for solar look like in 2025?

As a rough guide, a fully installed quality 5kW system generally runs around $9,000 to $13,000, with a 6kW to 7kW system scaling up from there, based on current NZ installer pricing and broadly consistent with EECA guidance. Roof complexity, gear quality, and your region all move the number. You can model your own situation with our cost and return calculator at The Solar System Cost & ROI Calculator.

Why is high-pressure sales a warning sign?

Good solar stands up to scrutiny, so there's no honest reason to rush you. "Today-only" pricing and demands for an immediate deposit are classic pressure tactics, and the Commerce Commission can act under the Fair Trading Act where conduct is misleading. If you feel rushed, take that as your signal to slow down and get a second quote.

Will vetting guarantee my system never has problems?

No, and we won't claim otherwise. Vetting heavily reduces the risk of a bad install or a vanishing warranty, but no system is fault-free and no company's survival can be promised 25 years out. What it does is stack the odds firmly in your favour and weed out the operators most likely to let you down.

What it comes down to

Anyone can sell you panels. The hard part, the part that protects your money for the next two and a half decades, is making sure the people on your roof know what they're doing and will still be around to back it up. That's the whole reason our 13 steps exist.

If you want to see the bigger picture of how we hold ourselves accountable to homeowners, the full promise sits over here: Homeowner's Advocate. And if you'd rather skip the homework and just get honest quotes from people who've already cleared every check, we can sort that for you below.

Where to go from here

If you take one thing away, make it this: do the financial-stability check before you fall in love with a price. Five minutes on the free Companies Office register tells you whether the company behind your "25-year warranty" is likely to still be answering the phone when you need them. Pair that with a written workmanship warranty and a sighted insurance certificate, and you've already filtered out most of the operators who cause Kiwi homeowners grief.

From there, get two or three quotes, compare them on warranty and the company behind them rather than the headline number alone, and never let anyone rush you into signing on the day. A good install is a good install next week too. If you'd like that legwork already done, we're glad to point you at people who've cleared every one of these checks.