Kiwis can get 2x higher
solar buy-back rates
2x higher solar
buy-back rates
Upload a recent power bill and we read it line by line, then price every plan on your network against how you actually use power. You will see what your export rate is worth, every retailer ranked, and what staying put costs you. Free, about 2 minutes.
Upload your power bill
Compared against 10 NZ retailers
What’s in your report
Quick answers
Four things. Your 20-year lost-export forecast: what staying on your current plan costs you over the lifetime of a solar system. Every NZ retailer ranked by the rate they'd actually pay you for export, best payer first. A stay-or-switch breakdown showing your costs at 1, 5 and 20 years on each plan. And your bill decoded: rates, plan name, peak windows, usage, the stuff that's normally buried in the fine print.
Yes. No hidden fees, no card needed. Solar Scout is free for all New Zealanders. Installers pay us a small fee for each introduction, whether or not you go ahead.
It uploads over an encrypted connection to our private database. We pull out only what the report needs: retailer, rates, plan name, usage. If you're matched with installers, we may pass it on to them so they can quote from your real numbers. We don't sell your bill document.
It's yours to use however. Switch retailers directly to lock in the better buy-back, or compare quotes from up to 3 vetted SolarScout installers if you want to add or upgrade your solar setup. Most people switch first, then come back.
Very. Your rates come straight from your bill, not averages. We compare against our internal database of every NZ retailer's solar buy-back plan, refreshed regularly as rates shift. The only place we estimate is your monthly export volume, since that depends on your system size. If your bill shows export kWh directly, we use that.
No. If you don't have solar yet, this is exactly the time to run it. We'll show you which NZ retailer pays the highest solar buy-back rate at your address, so you can switch before the panels go up. Saves having to switch twice. If you already have solar, the bill check shows whether your current retailer is paying you fairly, or whether you're leaving money on the table.
PDFs work best. Photos miss about two-thirds of the data, so the report ends up partial. Most NZ retailers email you a PDF every month: search your inbox for one with your retailer's name attached, or grab the latest from their app. The green pill above has retailer-specific steps.
Solar Scout. Independent and NZ-owned. We built this because Kiwis are losing thousands every year on retailers paying 7-8c/kWh for solar exports when better plans pay 17-23c. Same power, double the buy-back.