If you have solar panels in New Zealand, any electricity your home does not use can usually be exported back to the grid.
Your electricity retailer then credits you for that exported power at what is commonly called a solar buy-back rate.
In 2026, those rates vary significantly between retailers. Some providers offer a flat rate throughout the year, while others now pay considerably more when solar or battery power is exported during peak demand periods.
That makes choosing the right electricity plan increasingly important for Kiwi solar households.
As of mid-2026, some published solar buy-back rates are as high as 24 cents per kWh during selected peak periods, while standard rates can be below 10 cents per kWh.
Quick answer: Among the major publicly listed offers reviewed for this article, Meridian offers up to 24c/kWh during winter peak periods, Powershop up to 23c/kWh, Ecotricity offers 21c/kWh on its ecoSOLAR plan, and Electric Kiwi offers up to 20c/kWh on its MoveMaster plan. Rates and eligibility conditions can change, so always check the current plan before switching.
A solar buy-back rate is the amount your electricity retailer pays you for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity your solar system exports to the grid.
For example, if your retailer pays 15c/kWh and you export 1,000kWh over the year, your export credits would total around $150, subject to the retailer’s terms and how GST is treated.
The important distinction is that the price you receive for exported electricity is generally lower than the price you pay when buying electricity from the grid.
That is why using your own solar electricity inside your home will usually provide greater value than exporting it. EECA specifically recommends maximising solar self-consumption for this reason.
Here are several of the most relevant publicly listed residential solar offers available in New Zealand.
| Electricity Retailer | Standard / Off-Peak Buy-Back | Highest Available Buy-Back |
| Meridian | 15c/kWh on eligible open-term plans | 24c/kWh winter peak |
| Powershop | 13c/kWh | 23c/kWh winter peak |
| Ecotricity | — | 21c/kWh ecoSOLAR |
| Mercury Flex | 9.17–15.75c/kWh depending on season/time | 20.38c/kWh winter peak |
| Electric Kiwi MoveMaster | 10c/kWh off peak | 20c/kWh peak |
| Pulse Energy | Around 14.2c/kWh depending on location | Around 14.2c/kWh |
| Genesis | 12.5c/kWh | 12.5c/kWh |
| Nova Energy | 10c/kWh | 10c/kWh |
| Contact Energy | 8c/kWh on selected plans | 8c/kWh |
These figures are based primarily on Powerswitch’s published retailer information and retailer information available in 2026. Some rates exclude GST and may depend on your location, network, electricity plan, meter type or other eligibility requirements.
Because electricity plans change, homeowners should treat this comparison as a starting point rather than choosing a retailer solely from the headline rate.
Based on the publicly available plans above, Meridian currently has one of the highest headline residential rates, offering up to 24c/kWh during its winter peak export periods on eligible open-term plans.
Meridian’s standard rate on those plans is 15c/kWh, increasing to 24c/kWh for electricity exported between 7am–10am and 5pm–9pm during July, August and September.
That does not necessarily mean Meridian will be the cheapest retailer overall for every solar household.
We’ll come back to why that distinction matters.
Meridian’s eligible open-term plans currently offer:
Some other residential Meridian plans, including selected fixed-term plans, receive 12c/kWh.
For households with a battery, the winter peak rate is particularly interesting because stored daytime solar can potentially be exported during periods when electricity is more valuable.
Powershop offers:
The higher rate applies during selected weekday morning and evening periods in July, August and September.
Again, this increasingly rewards households that can control when they export electricity rather than simply exporting excess solar whenever it happens to be generated.
Ecotricity advertises a 21c/kWh solar buy-back rate on its ecoSOLAR plan.
That makes it one of the stronger headline rates in New Zealand.
When comparing it with other retailers, however, look at the complete electricity tariff rather than only the export rate.
Mercury now has more complex time-of-use export pricing.
Its Flex rates listed by Powerswitch include:
Summer
Winter
Mercury’s standard plans are listed at 11.1c/kWh.
Mercury also has a separate promotion associated with eligible Harrisons Solar installations that adds 6.9c/kWh to its standard buy-back rate for two years, subject to conditions and an export cap per billing cycle.
Electric Kiwi offers different export rates depending on the electricity plan.
Its MoveMaster plan currently offers:
Its Everyday and GO250 plans are listed at 8c/kWh.
This is another example of where a solar battery can potentially change the economics.
Instead of exporting most excess generation around midday, a household may be able to store some of that electricity and discharge it during higher-value periods.
This is one of the biggest developments for New Zealand solar owners this year.
The Electricity Authority has introduced changes designed to reward households that supply electricity when the network needs it most.
From 1 April 2026, electricity distribution businesses have been required to provide rebates for qualifying electricity exported by households and small businesses during peak periods. Retailers determine how these rebates are incorporated into their customer tariffs.
New rules also require large electricity retailers to offer plans that better reflect the value of electricity exported during peak demand periods, with those plans expected to be widely available from 1 July 2026.
This helps explain why we’re now seeing offers such as:
15c → 24c/kWh
or
13c → 23c/kWh
depending on when electricity is exported.
Historically, rooftop solar systems have had a simple problem.
Solar production is usually highest around the middle of the day.
But electricity demand — and therefore the value of electricity — is often higher in the morning and evening.
A battery changes that equation.
Instead of immediately exporting surplus midday solar, you can potentially:
Generate → Store → Export later
That may allow you to export electricity during higher-priced periods.
EECA modelling has found that time-of-use buy-back pricing can improve the value of solar-plus-battery systems compared with flat export pricing.
This doesn’t mean everyone should suddenly buy a battery just to sell electricity.
Battery economics still depend on:
But it makes battery optimisation considerably more interesting than it was under flat buy-back rates.
This is probably the most important point in this article.
The retailer paying the highest buy-back rate is not automatically the cheapest electricity provider for your household.
Suppose Retailer A pays:
20c/kWh solar export
while Retailer B pays:
13c/kWh.
Retailer A sounds obviously better.
But if Retailer A also charges substantially more for the electricity you import from the grid or has a higher daily fixed charge, you could still end up paying more overall.
Powerswitch recommends comparing the full electricity plan, including both variable electricity charges and daily fixed charges.
Imagine your retailer:
If you produce one kWh of solar electricity, using it yourself potentially avoids buying 30 cents’ worth of electricity.
Exporting the same electricity only earns 15 cents.
So in this simplified example:
Self-consumption value = 30c
Export value = 15c
That is why a well-designed solar system should not necessarily aim to export as much electricity as possible.
EECA similarly advises households to shift electricity use into daylight hours where practical — for example, running appliances or charging an EV while the panels are generating.
For most Kiwi homeowners, the priority order should generally be:
That could mean running your:
during periods when solar production is strongest.
Smart timers and home energy management systems can increasingly automate this.
There has also been an important change here.
In May 2026, new Electricity Authority rules introduced a default 10kW export limit for straightforward small-scale residential distributed generation, where network conditions allow it.
Previously, lower export limits could restrict how much electricity some larger residential solar installations were allowed to send into the network.
The new rules don’t guarantee that every property can export 10kW at all times — local network constraints can still apply — but they should make exporting larger amounts of rooftop solar easier in many areas.
Potentially, yes.
Solar economics in New Zealand have traditionally been driven mainly by avoided electricity purchases, rather than money earned exporting power.
That remains true.
However, three developments are now working in solar owners’ favour:
Together, those changes allow solar and battery systems to interact with the electricity market much more intelligently.
Rather than simply producing electricity whenever the sun shines, modern systems can increasingly decide whether the best option is to:
use it, store it or sell it.
There isn’t one universal winner.
If you export large amounts of electricity, a high flat buy-back rate could be attractive.
If you have a battery capable of exporting during peak periods, a retailer offering premium peak pricing could be more valuable.
And if you use almost all your solar generation yourself, the retailer’s normal electricity price may matter far more than its buy-back rate.
The best plan therefore depends on:
Among the plans reviewed here, Meridian offers up to 24c/kWh during qualifying winter peak periods, while Powershop offers up to 23c/kWh and Ecotricity advertises 21c/kWh on its ecoSOLAR plan. Conditions vary by retailer.
Yes. Many NZ electricity retailers offer solar buy-back arrangements that provide bill credits for surplus electricity exported from a grid-connected solar system.
Tax treatment depends on your circumstances, particularly for businesses and GST-registered customers. If exporting electricity is material to your situation, check the current Inland Revenue requirements or seek tax advice.
In most cases, using solar yourself provides greater financial value because retail electricity prices are usually higher than solar export rates.
It can. Batteries can allow surplus daytime electricity to be stored and potentially exported during higher-value peak periods. Whether the additional export revenue justifies the battery cost depends on the household and electricity plan.
Generally, yes. You should confirm that the new retailer supports solar exports and check its eligibility requirements, meter requirements, consumption rates and buy-back tariff before switching.
Solar buy-back rates in New Zealand are becoming more sophisticated.
In 2026, it’s no longer simply a question of:
“Who pays the most per kWh?”
The better question is:
“Which electricity plan gives my particular solar system the greatest total value?”
For some households, that will mean chasing a strong flat export rate.
For others — particularly homes with battery storage — the increasingly attractive peak export rates could matter considerably more.
And for households able to use most of their solar production themselves, maximising self-consumption may still produce the biggest savings of all.
Before changing electricity retailers, compare your import rates, daily charges, export rates and time-of-use periods together rather than making a decision based purely on the headline solar buy-back rate.
Rates in this article were checked against publicly available information in August 2026 and can change. Individual eligibility, electricity plans, network areas and GST treatment may affect the rate you receive.