Plug-in or rooftop solar
They are the same panels doing the same job at very different sizes. A rooftop system is a building project; a plug-in kit is closer to buying an appliance.
Plug-in kits aren't legal to connect in New Zealand yet (see where the rules stand), so this compares rooftop solar as it is today with plug-in solar as it works in Germany and the UK, and as our payback calculator estimates it here.
| Plug-in kit | Rooftop system | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical size | 800 W (one or two panels) | 6 kW (about 13 to 15 panels) |
| Cost | $1,500 in our calculator; MyMiniSolar aims for about $1,100 | About $12,000 installed, $2.04 a watt |
| Power a year | About 1,066 kWh in Christchurch | About 7,992 kWh for 6 kW tilted on a roof |
| Payback | About 5.7 years with our default assumptions | Median 6.9 years (9 with a battery) |
| Who fits it | You, once the rules allow it | An installer and a registered electrician |
| Permission | Rules not written yet | Your lines company's approval to connect |
| Can you take it with you? | Yes, it unplugs | No |
| Buy-back for spare power | Unknown; most of it should be used at home | Yes, from your retailer |
Rooftop figures from MySolarQuotes and its 279 residential quotes in 2026 (payback data).
Where a plug-in kit wins
- Renters and apartments. No roof of your own, no landlord's building consent, and it comes with you when you move. That is why the parties talk about it for renters (renters and body corporates).
- A small, fixed outlay. It is an appliance-sized spend rather than a loan.
- Daytime use. A kit's power mostly goes into what is running at the time: the fridge, a heat pump on a sunny winter afternoon, a home office.
Where a rooftop system wins
- Size. A few kilowatts on a roof can cover a big share of a family's power, where a kit covers a slice of the daytime base load.
- Buy-back. A rooftop system is approved by your lines company and your retailer pays for what you export.
- Batteries and EV charging. Both fit a rooftop system now; plug-in batteries wait on rules that aren't written.
Can you have both?
Overseas, the network has to know about a plug-in kit: the UK asks owners to tell their network operator, and Germany asks them to register it. New Zealand hasn't said how a kit would sit alongside a rooftop system that is already connected. Until the rules say, plan on one or the other.
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.
More guides
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What plug-in solar is
One or two panels, a small inverter and a cable to a normal socket.
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Why it is banned now
A 2012 prohibition notice and one clause in AS/NZS 4777.1.
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Cost and savings
Kit prices overseas, what NZ sellers expect to charge, and payback by city.
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Plug-in batteries
What a battery adds, what it costs, and what the rules say so far.
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Renters and body corporates
Why this matters most to people who can't put panels on a roof.
Sources
- Solar panels in New Zealand: costs, savings and how to get started, MySolarQuotes.
- What is the payback on solar for NZ homeowners? 2026 data, MySolarQuotes.
- MyMiniSolar, MyMiniSolar.