Solar Zero system by Solar City NZ

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Solar Zero system by Solar City NZ

1 | 2 | 3

136 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 30

Trusted

#3048075 9-Mar-2023 13:14

I had mine installed many years ago. I don't remember any issues. Straight forward.

They kept their promise of price protection.

Currently (GST not yet applied)

Silvrav

477 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 173

ID Verified

#3048076 9-Mar-2023 13:18

ren1316:

I had mine installed many years ago. I don't remember any issues. Straight forward.

They kept their promise of price protection.

Currently (GST not yet applied)

Thanks Jon, so in essense you paid $41 dollars for grid power + the monthly fee?

The rate they gave me with the potentiall saving is a bit more then my current power bill so I am a bit confused how they work that out. I am waiting for them to phone me back.

Granted its summer rates but my current bill is about $220 per month and they proposing 180 per month + roughly $80 of grid power.

ren1316

136 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 30

Trusted

#3048105 9-Mar-2023 14:56

Yes. My monthly fees is $97.75.

I have only 7 panels (plus battery) although it is a big household of 6 adults.

Nate001

677 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 465

#3048120 9-Mar-2023 15:16

How do the numbers stack if you go somewhere like Harrisons and get a system installed? Obviously no battery for simple installs. With all banks now offering some sort of sustainable/green energy loans it seems silly to sign a 20 year contract with solarZero and instead put the monthly payments towards buying it yourself.

I've always seen solarZero installations as a liability if you ever decide to sell the house, vs a system that has no contract would actually add value to the house.

Silvrav

477 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 173

ID Verified

#3048123 9-Mar-2023 15:25

Nate001:

How do the numbers stack if you go somewhere like Harrisons and get a system installed? Obviously no battery for simple installs. With all banks now offering some sort of sustainable/green energy loans it seems silly to sign a 20 year contract with solarZero and instead put the monthly payments towards buying it yourself.

I've always seen solarZero installations as a liability if you ever decide to sell the house, vs a system that has no contract would actually add value to the house.

I am investigating that option now as well after seeing Harrisons pop up on facebook adverts, lol. They also offer an easy finance plan but yes I can get a bank loan as well on our mortgage. I agree, I much rather own the system but do not have the capital to pay it up front.

eonsim

403 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 192

Trusted

#3048135 9-Mar-2023 16:07

ANZ and BNZ are the same loan is 3 years at 1%, Westpac 5 years no interest (just principle), Kiwi Bank will contribute $2k towards paying back the loan over a number of years.

https://www.anz.co.nz/personal/home-loans-mortgages/loan-types/good-energy/

https://www.westpac.co.nz/home-loans-mortgages/options/warm-up/

https://www.kiwibank.co.nz/personal-banking/home-loans/managing-your-loan/sustainable-energy-loan/

AliExpress

Shop now on AliExpress (affiliate link).

meowsqueak

43 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 7

#3049538 13-Mar-2023 12:46

Just a little anecdotal warning with regards to SolarZero, and perhaps this is an isolated case, but I was visited by SolarZero's travelling agents recently, who took a few photos of my property and scheduled a meeting with one of their sales people. He turned up a few weeks later, with a prepared proposal for my property. We sat down and he explained that he had to go through several steps before he could show me the proposal, including a background on where SolarZero's funding comes from, and a few other things. It sounded legitimate.

Then he presented me with ~14 pages of legalese to read that I was urged to sign before "he could let me see the quote". He assured me that this was legit as otherwise how else could they be such a successful company? I tried to read the entire document but it was copious and he kept insisting that it's just a formality. In the end I conceded, taking him at his word (and I had a witness too), and signed it so I could see the proposal, which he then gave to me. Normally I don't sign things without careful reading but I was assured that this was just a thing the company required before he could show me the quote. The form was called "Accept Proposal" and I queried this, but he insisted that yes it was a bit ambiguous but this meant that I would be "accepting receipt of the proposal". I was in a hurry, didn't want to argue the toss, just wanted to see the numbers, and I took him at his word.

But in fact he was mistaken, or perhaps worse, and I discovered shortly afterwards that their system now has me recorded as actually having accepted their proposal, I have an account on their site, and now I have four separate people from SolarZero trying to contact me about booking an installation time and payment of $125 per month. I never intended to accept the quote, I was "accepting receipt of the quote". Therefore my agreement is invalid, but they haven't figured that out yet.

I am FURIOUS about this. It was never my intention to accept their proposal, and the deal wasn't that good anyway. I don't even have a copy of the document I signed - I can't find it on the SolarZero website, just a "Next Step" button that is already "completed". The story continues...

Frankly, I wouldn't touch this company with a forty-foot barge pole.

gcorgnet

1096 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 273

ID Verified

#3049639 13-Mar-2023 15:31

Same here... would definitely advise against it...

Long story short, I purchased a house that had had a SolarZero installed the year before and I had the option of "taking over" the remaining 19 years of contract (@NZ$125 per month + GST)

The sales guy was very pushy and kept telling me how much money I'd be saving. They sent 12 months of historical data (usage + cost) which was formatted in a way that made it seem better than it was.

The only saving came from the lower kWh rate, rather than any kind of Solar Energy. In fact, I managed to figure out that in the past 12 months, the house had generated more than $125 of solar power once only (in one of the summer months) and for all the other months in the year, the monthly fee was more than what was generated...

Since then, I found out that a current colleague of mine used to work there and they were pretty clear that they would never recommend to anyone to sign with them... They even mentioned that they were worried they would end up on Fair Go with the kind of practices they had, pushing 20 year contracts to 85 year old pensionneers...

Anyways... Keep your eyes peeled, please!

networkn

Networkn
32864 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15454

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3049679 13-Mar-2023 17:56

Meow that sounds absolutely horrendous!

Won't help at all now but I wouldn't sign a single thing to see a quote and I'd have ejected him quick smart if he wasted my time in making a time to go over the proposal and then wouldn't show it to me for any reason.

I've heard a few stories similar to this, they approached us a few years back and my wife tore their proposal and the sales person to shreds as she is very analytical.

We would love solar we are a very high energy consumption household but what it would cost vs how long it would take to get return on investment just doesn't make sense, esp with a battery. The last time we looked was before covid and I know they are more efficient now but when I see people spending 30k plus I wonder how they will ever get pay back.

Handsomedan

7769 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 7402

ID Verified

Trusted

Subscriber

#3049680 13-Mar-2023 18:00

Just had a nice chap from Solar Zero turn up and rather insistently try to talk me into the deal they have (with no obligation).

I asked about a few things, like the overall cost who retains ownership, how long it takes to recoup the cost of the installation and equipment etc.

He ended up leaving without a sale.

Handsome Dan Has Spoken.
Handsome Dan needs to stop adding three dots to every sentence...

Handsome Dan does not currently have a side hustle as the mascot for Yale

*Gladly accepting donations...

meowsqueak

43 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 7

#3049691 13-Mar-2023 18:26

networkn: Won't help at all now but I wouldn't sign a single thing to see a quote and I'd have ejected him quick smart if he wasted my time in making a time to go over the proposal and then wouldn't show it to me for any reason.

Yeah, in hindsight it was red flags everywhere, and in fact I felt it acutely at the time. I asked, quite skeptically, why on Earth would I need to sign anything to see a quote? And why is this form labelled "Accept Proposal"? And why does this look like I'm accepting the terms of trade? I was actually really hesitant, and my wife who overheard the conversation confirmed what I thought I'd heard - he reassured me that it was standard practice, that a company as successful as SolarZero wouldn't get away with dodgy practices, and that actually I wasn't "accepting the proposal", I was "accepting the receipt of the proposal". I tried to read as much of the legalese as I could in the short time I felt I had, but I guess, frankly, he bamboozled me and I didn't call him out on it. I doubt I was his first confused potential customer, nor his last.

I'm not afraid to admit that I do feel a little foolish after the fact. Live and learn I guess.

However I've since had contact with SolarZero's "Customer Care" department and they have now agreed to stop bothering me until I get back to them (if ever!). So they aren't holding me to it.

And technically the proposal didn't add up anyway. $125 per month for 2/3rds of my average consumption, resulting in a monthly bill of around $170 according to my calculations, yet my current power bill is only averaging $130 a month (I do use gas a lot, but maybe that won't last forever...). Also I'd rather own the infrastructure.

But the main reason I'm not interested in roof-based solar power is the 90+ holes that will appear in my roof. I have 400 square metres of north-facing 45-degree rock slope I want to look at mounting ground-based solar, but I think we're limited to 16 (or is it 20?) square metres of ground-based panels in suburban areas, without going through the resource consent process, which isn't much really. Also I'm waiting for the newly developed copper-based panels out of Australia, that will be cheaper than current gen eventually since they won't be using silver, and don't have the same durability problems current copper-based panels are suffering. Anyway, that's all aside from SolarZero.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

networkn

Networkn
32864 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15454

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3049695 13-Mar-2023 18:33

Sorry, my comments weren't meant as a criticism of you. Pushy sales people are a scurge, but rest assured they wouldn't have had a legal leg to stand on in enforcing that 'contract' as I am sure you are aware.

It's as scummy technique as I have come across in a long time. I'd email fair go just for s&g if it were me.

Truly gross behaviour.

eonsim

403 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 192

Trusted

#3049787 13-Mar-2023 21:13

meowsqueak:

But the main reason I'm not interested in roof-based solar power is the 90+ holes that will appear in my roof.

If you've got a standard metal roof a good installer can likely mount the racks using the existing nail or screw holes. If tiles they slide the tile back and put in attachment points that screw in under the tile then run down with the tile until they reach the end of it before coming back up for the rack. Good installers can pretty much do a job with no damage to the roof, and there are different mounting systems designed for many different roof type these days.

eonsim

403 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 192

Trusted

#3049789 13-Mar-2023 21:24

networkn: Meow that sounds absolutely horrendous!

We would love solar we are a very high energy consumption household but what it would cost vs how long it would take to get return on investment just doesn't make sense, esp with a battery. The last time we looked was before covid and I know they are more efficient now but when I see people spending 30k plus I wonder how they will ever get pay back.

If you don't include batteries a typical system will pay it's self off in around 10 years (with a 25-40 year life expectancy) assuming a 50-60% self consumption. If you have high daytime use (pools, a big family, WFH) or manage a high self-consumption rate (time shifting load) and go for a cheaper system or a system from a smaller player it can be less than that. Batteries often double or triple the cost of the system, and unless you are worried about frequent power cuts or want to be able to go off grid they're not worth it. A lot of people tend to go for the more premium systems but they can cost 20-30% more than a comparable basic system which will do a very similar job.

Given what is happening with inflation, and the likely flow on to power prices I'd expect most solar systems are going end up paying them selves off some what quick than expected.

You can use https://genless.govt.nz/for-everyone/at-home/explore-solar-energy/solar-power-calculator/ to get a conservative estimate (they assume inflation is closer to 2% than the current 7%). Also in a decent part of NZ there is recent research showing a house with solar power sells at a premium compared to similar nearby houses without solar. So even if you end up selling before your system pays it's self back it's likely you'll get the capital value back in an increased house price, and in some regions a premium compared to what you paid for it.

networkn

Networkn
32864 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15454

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3049794 13-Mar-2023 21:53

eonsim:

networkn: Meow that sounds absolutely horrendous!

We would love solar we are a very high energy consumption household but what it would cost vs how long it would take to get return on investment just doesn't make sense, esp with a battery. The last time we looked was before covid and I know they are more efficient now but when I see people spending 30k plus I wonder how they will ever get pay back.

If you don't include batteries a typical system will pay it's self off in around 10 years (with a 25-40 year life expectancy) assuming a 50-60% self consumption. If you have high daytime use (pools, a big family, WFH) or manage a high self-consumption rate (time shifting load) and go for a cheaper system or a system from a smaller player it can be less than that. Batteries often double or triple the cost of the system, and unless you are worried about frequent power cuts or want to be able to go off grid they're not worth it. A lot of people tend to go for the more premium systems but they can cost 20-30% more than a comparable basic system which will do a very similar job.

Given what is happening with inflation, and the likely flow on to power prices I'd expect most solar systems are going end up paying them selves off some what quick than expected.

You can use https://genless.govt.nz/for-everyone/at-home/explore-solar-energy/solar-power-calculator/ to get a conservative estimate (they assume inflation is closer to 2% than the current 7%). Also in a decent part of NZ there is recent research showing a house with solar power sells at a premium compared to similar nearby houses without solar. So even if you end up selling before your system pays it's self back it's likely you'll get the capital value back in an increased house price, and in some regions a premium compared to what you paid for it.

I can't see the point without batteries, honestly, even a small one. We are unlikely to be able to change our lifestyle that much, we are both incredibly busy people, a LOT of our power gets consumed in the evenings.

I don't really see power prices increasing significantly, certainly not what is being predicted, but I've been wrong once or twice in my life previously.

Life of solar systems seems to have jumped significantly, when we looked they ranged from 12-15 years, and our payback was about 17-22 years depending on how conservative.

We are in Auckland, and our place gets some sun but it's not as much as many other places.

1 | 2 | 3