The kits, and what they cost overseas
Nobody can sell you a plug-in kit to connect in New Zealand yet. These are the kits already on sale where they are legal, so you know what to expect, and what the NZ shops say so far.
The short answer to "which kit meets the NZ standard?" is none, because the standard hasn't been written. Not yet: expected around mid-2027, no date set. Follow it on the tracker. Until then, any kit sold here as "plug-in" can't be legally connected, and the NZ versions that come later will need an NZ plug and whatever the new rules ask for.
Plug-in kits are not legal to connect in New Zealand yet. When they are, follow the new standard and the maker's instructions, and ask a registered electrician if you are unsure about your wiring.
On sale in the UK and Germany
Germany has allowed kits with an inverter of up to 800 W and up to 2,000 W of panels since 2024 (ADAC). The UK followed on 27 August 2026 with an 800 W cap on the inverter's output and no charging of batteries from the mains (SI 2026/848). Prices are as each shop showed them on 21 October 2026, and the NZ$ column is a straight conversion at the ECB rate that day (£1 = NZ$2.35, €1 = NZ$1.97), before shipping or GST.
| Kit | Panels | Inverter | Battery | Price | About NZ$ | Meets the NZ standard? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atmoce MI-500 with one Trina 465 W panelUK · Quality Heating | 465 W | 500 W | None | £222 | $520 | Standard not published yet |
| TSUN 400 W kitUK · Hampshire Generators (launch price) | 400 W | Not stated | None | £349.99 | $820 | Standard not published yet |
| Atmoce MI-1000 with two Trina 465 W panelsUK · Quality Heating | 930 W | 800 W | None | £391 | $920 | Standard not published yet |
| UKSOL Pro Duo 890 WUK · Argos | 890 W | Not stated | None | £849 | $2,000 | Standard not published yet |
| Kleines Kraftwerk Duo XLGermany · Kleines Kraftwerk | 1,000 W | 800 W | None | €309 | $610 | Standard not published yet |
| Yuma Flat 920 with an EcoFlow STREAM inverterGermany · Yuma | 920 W | 800 W | None | €359 | $710 | Standard not published yet |
| Kleines Kraftwerk Quattro XLGermany · Kleines Kraftwerk | 2,000 W | 800 W | None | €509 | $1,000 | Standard not published yet |
| Yuma 2000 W with EcoFlow STREAM UltraGermany · Yuma | 2,000 W | Not stated | 1.92 kWh | €949 | $1,870 | Standard not published yet |
| Kleines Kraftwerk Duo XL with Anker SOLIX Solarbank 3 ProGermany · Kleines Kraftwerk | 1,000 W | Not stated | 2.7 kWh | €1,189 | $2,350 | Standard not published yet |
| Priwatt priBalcony DuoGermany · Priwatt | 910 W | 800 W | 3.84 kWh | €1,249 | $2,460 | Standard not published yet |
German prices are at Germany's 0% VAT on small solar; UK prices include 20% VAT. New Zealand adds 15% GST.
What the numbers tell you
- A two-panel kit without a battery costs about £390 to £850 in the UK and €310 to €360 in Germany. MyMiniSolar is aiming for about NZ$1,100 for its smallest system (MyMiniSolar), a target rather than a price.
- Many kits carry more panel watts than their inverter can pass on. The extra helps in the morning, the evening and on dull days, when the panels make less than the inverter's limit.
- Battery kits cost two to four times as much. The UK's rules leave out kits that charge a battery from the mains, and New Zealand hasn't said anything about batteries yet (plug-in batteries).
What New Zealand sellers say
Only what each company has published. We add a seller the day it says it will stock a kit.
| Seller | What they sell or say today | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| MyMiniSolar | An NZ start-up taking a waitlist for 1 to 4 panel kits with a micro-inverter. It is aiming for about $1,100 for its smallest system and expects plug-in solar to be legal sometime in 2027. | 21 October 2026 |
| Noel Leeming | Sells portable power stations from Bluetti, EcoFlow and Anker (for example the EcoFlow DELTA 3 at $1,699). No plug-in kit, and nothing published about stocking one. | 21 October 2026 |
| Bluetti NZ | Sells power stations and folding panels from its own NZ shop (the Elite 100 V2 is $1,499). Nothing published about a plug-in kit for NZ. | 21 October 2026 |
| EcoFlow | Sells STREAM plug-in inverters and batteries in Germany and the UK, and power stations in NZ through retailers. Nothing published about STREAM for NZ. | 21 October 2026 |
| Anker SOLIX | Its Solarbank balcony batteries sell in Germany; in NZ, Anker power stations sell through retailers. Nothing published about Solarbank for NZ. | 21 October 2026 |
| Mitre 10, Bunnings NZ, PB Tech, Harvey Norman | Nothing published about plug-in kits. We add each one the day it announces them. | 21 October 2026 |
The power stations on sale now (a battery box you charge from a folding panel or a wall socket) are legal because they never connect to the grid. They don't lower your power bill the way a plug-in kit would.
Before you buy one on launch day
- Check it is listed as meeting the NZ standard, once there is one. We will show that in the table above.
- Check the inverter's output against whatever limit NZ sets. No NZ limit is set yet; 800 W is Germany's and the UK's.
- Run your own numbers in the payback calculator: a shaded south-facing railing and a sunny north-facing one are very different buys.
Questions people ask
Can I buy a plug-in solar kit in NZ now?
Not one you can legally connect. Not yet, expected around mid-2027, no date set. Shops sell portable power stations, which never connect to the grid.
Can I import a kit from the UK or Germany?
You can buy one, but you can't legally plug it in here yet, and a UK or German plug and inverter may not meet the NZ rules when they are written. Waiting for an NZ version is the safer buy.
Which kits will meet the NZ standard?
None yet, because the standard hasn't been published. We will mark each kit the day it is.
How much will a kit cost in NZ?
Nobody sells one yet. MyMiniSolar is aiming for about NZ$1,100 for its smallest system; two-panel kits cost about NZ$610 to NZ$2,000 at today's exchange rates in the UK and Germany, before shipping and GST.
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.
More guides
-
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.
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Plug-in or rooftop
Size, price, payback and who each one suits.
Sources
- Balkonkraftwerk: Kosten, Ertrag, Anmeldung, ADAC.
- The Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994 and Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002 (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/848), legislation.gov.uk, 16 July 2026.
- Euro foreign exchange reference rates, European Central Bank, 21 October 2026.
- Plug-in solar UK: balcony kits buying guide, Quality Heating.
- MyMiniSolar, MyMiniSolar.
- Outdoors and portable power, Noel Leeming.