SolarZero after the liquidation: who holds your contract, and what to do if you sell or buy

Who holds the contract now

SolarZero Limited was placed into liquidation on 26 November 2024. Its own website, which now exists only to support existing subscribers, says the company’s 15,000 subscribers’ Energy Service Agreements continue. SolarZero says it does not sell or install systems any more.

The agreements allowed SolarZero to transfer its rights and obligations to someone else, and that is what happened. According to SolarZero’s customer FAQs and its About page:

Verofi’s disputes page names the two trusts as SolarZero Residential No.1 Trust and SolarZero Residential Warehouse Trust, each with its own contract servicer company, and says your contract is with one or the other. Customer care can tell you which applies to your home.

For most households the practical point is simple: you deal with SZ Servicing, still trading as SolarZero, on 0800 609 647.

What still applies

• You do not own the system. The panels, inverter and any battery belong to the trust, as they belonged to SolarZero before.
• The term. SolarZero’s FAQs describe the agreements as 20 or 25-year Energy Service Agreements. A home bought with a system already on it carries the years left from when the original owner signed up.
• Repairs and replacement. SolarZero says it is responsible for repairing and replacing the solar and battery system, whether it is a warranty claim, end of life, fire, flood or anything else except deliberate damage. It says it will keep using the battery until it affects the performance guarantees, then replace it.
• Monitoring. Systems are monitored centrally, and you can see yours in the MySolarZero dashboard and app. SolarZero notes that the battery and monitoring features do not apply to panel-only subscribers or systems with microinverters.
• The terms themselves. When Verofi took over servicing, Consumer NZ reported that customers could end their contracts only in specific circumstances, that the change of servicer was not one of them, and that Verofi needed customers’ agreement to change the terms and conditions.

What has changed

The pricing. SolarZero’s FAQs say SZ Servicing had to reassess the subsidised power rates it inherited, and moved customers from one flat rate all day to several time-of-use rates. New rates are announced by email. If your bills went up after the change, check which hours are now cheapest and move what you can, such as the dishwasher, washing machine and hot water, into the times your plan rewards. Our battery or no battery guide explains how time-of-use plans interact with a home battery.

The retailer. SolarZero’s grid power came through Pulse until 1 April 2025, and its partner is now Ecotricity. The FAQs say your Energy Service Agreement lets you change power company, but that doing so affects the savings guarantee. Get SZ Servicing to tell you in writing what you would lose before you switch, then compare that against a plan you find yourself. Our buy-back rates guide shows what other retailers pay for exported power.

An older Consumer NZ review, written before the liquidation, said SolarZero customers were locked into one retailer. That is no longer how SolarZero describes it, which is a good reason to read the current FAQs rather than older articles.

Selling a house with a SolarZero system

The system stays on the roof, so the agreement has to go somewhere. SolarZero says SZ Servicing has a team for customers moving house, and that it will support transferring the agreement to the new owner. Before the liquidation, Consumer NZ described three outcomes: the new owners take on the agreement, you pay out the rest of it, or you have the system moved to your next home if that roof suits. SolarZero’s current pages describe only the transfer, so ask whether the other two are still offered and on what terms.

Start before you list the house:

• Call 0800 609 647 or email transfers@solarzero.co.nz and say you are selling.
• Ask for a copy of your Energy Service Agreement, the start date and years left, the current monthly fee and the current power rates.
• Ask what the transfer process involves for a buyer, how long it takes, and whether there are any fees.
• Ask for a payout figure in writing, so you know your fallback if a buyer will not take the agreement on.
• Give all of it to your real estate agent and lawyer early. A buyer who learns about a 25-year agreement after making an offer is a buyer you may lose.

Consumer NZ warned in 2024 that the agreement could make selling a house messy and expensive. Having the paperwork ready is the best answer you can give a cautious buyer.

Buying a house with a SolarZero system

Panels on the roof are not proof the seller owns them. If the listing or the property file mentions SolarZero, a subscription or an energy service agreement, treat it as a contract you are being asked to take on, and price it in.

Ask the seller and SolarZero for:

• The agreement and the years left. You inherit the remaining term, not a fresh one.
• The monthly fee and current tariff. Compare the total with what you would pay for grid power alone and with the cost of owning a system outright; our solar cost guide has current EECA figures.
• What is installed. Panels only, or panels and a battery? Microinverters? Panel-only and microinverter systems do not get the battery and monitoring features.
• Which trust and servicer company holds it, and who to contact for faults.
• The transfer steps and any fee, and what happens if you do not want to take it on.
• The power retailer, and what you would lose under the savings guarantee if you used a different one.

Talk to your lawyer before you sign, so the agreement is covered by a condition in the sale and purchase agreement and you have time to read it. NZ Solar is not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice.

If you are buying in Christchurch and would rather own your own system later, the roof still has to suit it and the lines company still has to approve the connection. Our roof suitability guide and Orion export limits guide cover both. Do not plan any roof or electrical work around SolarZero equipment without asking SZ Servicing first.

Ending the agreement early

SolarZero’s current customer pages do not publish exit or buy-out terms, and we could not find a payout formula anywhere SolarZero or Verofi publishes. Consumer NZ reported in December 2024 that the agreements can be ended only in specific circumstances.

If you want out, ask SZ Servicing in writing for the exact clause that would let you end the agreement and the amount you would pay, and get legal advice before you agree to anything. Do not remove or disconnect the system yourself; it is not yours.

Complaints and your rights

Raise the problem with SolarZero customer care first, in writing, and keep a record. If it is not resolved, Verofi’s disputes page says SolarZero customers go to Utilities Disputes, the free scheme for complaints about energy providers. Verofi says energy service agreements are not financial services agreements, so its financial services dispute scheme is not the route for them.

SolarZero’s website terms say nothing in them affects your rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 and the Fair Trading Act 1986. If you bought a system outright from an installer rather than subscribing, the route is different; our quote guide FAQs explain what to do when an installer will not fix a fault.

If you are choosing solar now

SolarZero no longer signs up new customers, but its story is a useful test for any long contract. Before signing a subscription, lease or long finance deal, ask who owns the system, who you deal with if the company changes hands, whether prices can change, what it costs to leave, and what happens when you sell the house.

Owning the system outright, paid with savings or a loan, keeps those questions simple: the system is part of the house and there is nothing to transfer. Our solar finance guide compares green home loans and other ways to pay, and our common quote mistakes guide covers what to check in any solar contract.