Best Solar Installers in Dunedin
We assessed 6 solar installers in Dunedin and ranked the top 5 on public rating quality, review volume and how recent the reviews are. The businesses listed below hold 333 Google reviews between them. No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Last updated 21 September 2026. How we rank →
Before you hire
Whether you use a dedicated solar power company or an electrician who installs solar panels, panel quality and installer experience vary significantly. Ask for the payback period calculation based on your actual power bills, check whether they use tier-1 panels, and confirm what happens to your warranty if the installer goes out of business.
Top 5 Solar Installers in Dunedin
The top 5 solar installers in Dunedin are #1 A1 Electrical, #2 Think Solar Dunedin, #3 Aotea Electric Southern, #4 Future Energy, and #5 Southern Electrical, ranked by Top5 score. Scroll for our take on each, plus what to ask before you hire.
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1
A1 Electrical Contractors Limited
★ 4.9 119 reviews +5 Top5 Score 167 -15★ 112 4★ 4 1★ 3A1 Electrical draws repeat business across EV charger installs, outdoor lighting, heat pump wiring, and switchboard work, with clients returning year after year for the same crew. Quotes come in fast, final bills match original figures, and installers like Thomas return after a job to fine-tune sensors or resolve issues without needing to be chased.
location_on 405 Kaikorai Valley Road, Kaikorai Valley, Dunedin
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2
Think Solar Dunedin (formerly Dunedin Solar)
★ 5.0 93 reviews +5 Top5 Score 1665★ 92 4★ 1Think Solar Dunedin coordinates the full solar installation journey, from initial in-person consultation and system design through panel and Powerwall installation to grid connection, approvals, and compliance paperwork. Installers like Joe, Grey, Tom, and Eddie update clients at each stage of the install and take time to walk through the monitoring app before handing over.
location_on 10a Midland Street, South Dunedin, Dunedin
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3
Aotea Electric Southern Ltd
★ 4.9 74 reviews +2 Top5 Score 157 +45★ 70 4★ 2 1★ 2Aotea Electric Southern covers solar panel installation, battery storage systems, and switchboard upgrades, with named staff like Jarrod, Joe, and Riley handling the process from quoted scope through to commissioned system. When supplier delays arise, they push ahead to keep timelines moving, and installers leave sites clean and tidy at the end of each day.
location_on 25 Macandrew Road, South Dunedin, Dunedin
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4
Future Energy Dunedin
↑ 2★ 4.6 29 reviews +3 Top5 Score 140 -15★ 24 4★ 3 1★ 2Future Energy completes solar panel and battery installations to a standard that has drawn specific praise from third-party inspectors, with one inspector noting the install was perfect and wishing all his solar inspections were done to that level. Their crews arrive and finish on the same day, and clients report clear communication from the office before, during, and after the job.
location_on 329 Kaikorai Valley Road, Bradford, Dunedin
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5
Southern Electrical Ltd
↑ 3★ 4.6 14 reviews Top5 Score 130 -15★ 11 4★ 2 1★ 1Southern Electrical covers kitchen downlight replacements, bathroom electrical work, and commercial and residential jobs, with clients noting same-day turnaround on pre-purchase inspection reports and quotes. Long-term clients point to fair pricing across fifteen years of repeat work, and the team has a track record of turning up on weekends for urgent callouts.
location_on 171 Kaikorai Valley Road, Belleknowes, Dunedin
Before you hire a solar installer in Dunedin
Drawn from 134 customer reviews collected for this page. The first answer is what it costs.
What does a solar installation typically cost in New Zealand? expand_more
A standard 5kW to 6.6kW residential solar system costs between $10,000 and $14,000 installed, covering panels, inverter, and labour. Larger systems or those requiring battery storage push costs toward $20,000 or beyond, since battery units add several thousand dollars on their own.
Roof complexity, shading, and inverter brand all affect the final price, with difficult roof angles requiring more labour and specialised mounting hardware. There is no government subsidy for residential solar in New Zealand as of 2025, so get at least three quotes and ensure each one is based on your actual power usage, not a generic household estimate.
How do I check if a solar installer is properly accredited? expand_more
Every installer connecting a solar system to the grid must hold a current Registered Electrician licence issued by the Electrical Workers Registration Board (EWRB), and you can verify this through the public register at ewrb.govt.nz before signing anything. Beyond that legal minimum, look for membership of SEANZ, the Sustainable Energy Association of New Zealand, whose members are required to meet competency and conduct standards specific to the solar industry.
Asking whether the installer holds SolarCert certification is a useful extra step, as it confirms specialist solar PV knowledge rather than just a general electrical licence. Installers who coordinated grid connection and retailer approvals on behalf of customers, as several Dunedin reviewers noted, are demonstrating exactly the kind of end-to-end competence these credentials are designed to signal.
How accurate are the payback period and savings estimates I'm being given? expand_more
Payback estimates in New Zealand for a typical 5kW to 10kW system range from 8 to 12 years under realistic conditions, but that figure shifts significantly depending on how much generation you consume directly rather than export. Export buy-back rates from most retailers sit around 8 to 17 cents per kWh, while you pay 28 to 35 cents to import power, so households that are home during the day and run appliances through the day will see much better returns than those who export most of their generation.
Adding battery storage often pushes payback beyond 15 years given current battery costs, so treat any estimate below that with scepticism unless the installer can show the assumptions clearly. One local installer was noted by reviewers for providing upfront solar generation and cost estimates that proved accurate over time, which is the benchmark to hold others to.
What are the warning signs of a solar installer you shouldn't hire? expand_more
- –An installer who fails to visit your property in person before quoting is likely working from assumptions that may not match your roof, shading, or switchboard situation.
- –Vague or shifting timelines with no proactive updates are a red flag, since well-run installations involve coordinating third parties like lines companies and retailers, which requires active management.
- –No clear plan for post-installation support, including who to contact if the system or monitoring app has issues after handover, is a serious gap.
- –A salesperson who is knowledgeable and responsive but hands the job to an installation crew with no briefing or continuity increases the risk of details being missed on site.
- –Reluctance to provide an itemised quote makes it hard to compare prices or understand what you are paying for, and leaves you exposed if something is excluded.
- –One negative review in this category described an installer who failed to follow instructions and did not honour commitments, which points to checking recent reviews carefully before committing.
What should you ask before hiring a solar installer? expand_more
- –Ask whether they hold current EWRB registration and can provide their licence number, and whether they hold SEANZ membership or SolarCert certification.
- –Ask what assumptions underpin the savings estimate, specifically the export buy-back rate used, the assumed percentage of self-consumption, and the annual panel degradation rate applied.
- –Ask who handles grid connection applications, retailer paperwork, and lines company approvals, and whether those are included in the quoted price.
- –Ask whether app setup, a walkthrough of the monitoring system, and user training are included as part of the installation handover, since several reviewers specifically valued this.
- –Ask what the workmanship warranty covers and for how long, separate from the manufacturer warranties on panels, inverters, and batteries, which are different documents with different claim processes.
- –Ask for a fixed or capped quote rather than an open estimate, since at least one Dunedin reviewer confirmed their final bill matched the original quote exactly, which is the outcome to aim for.
Also recommended solar installer in Dunedin
Ranked 6 on the same public review record.
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6
Solar Guys NZ LTD
↑ 3★ 5.0 4 reviews Top5 Score 118 -15★ 4We generate summaries once a business has enough reviews for a reliable sample.
location_on 614 Hillside Road, Caversham, Dunedin
About this ranking
What the 6 solar installers listed above hold, at the 21 September 2026 check.
We first assessed solar installers in Dunedin in March 2026 and have rechecked the ranking four times since. Two different businesses have held first place; A1 Electrical has held it since April 2026. A1 Electrical and Think Solar Dunedin have been in the top 5 at every check. Across the 14 locations we assess solar installers in, the 126 businesses listed have a median rating of 5.0, and one-star reviews are 2.1% of their total.
What has changed since March 2026? expand_more
- Sep 2026
Future Energy returned to the top 5, up from #6. Southern Electrical returned to the top 5, up from #8.
- Aug 2026
Scoring method updated. Future Energy left the top 5, down to #6.
- Jun 2026
Scoring method updated. Aotea Electric Southern entered the top 5 at #3. Southern Electrical left the top 5, down to #8. Solar Guys NZ left the top 5, down to #9.
- Apr 2026
Scoring method updated. New first place: A1 Electrical.
- Mar 2026
First check. Think Solar Dunedin #1.
How are the top solar installers in Dunedin chosen? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for solar installers in Dunedin. Each one is scored on its public rating and review record. Businesses outside the area, or whose reviews describe a different line of work, are left out, and a business whose main Google category is a different trade is held back until a person has checked what it does. A business whose website no longer resolves and that has had no Google review for six months is treated as dormant and left off the page until either changes. Every category and city is rechecked on a rolling cycle, about every two to three months. A location with a subscribing business is rechecked every month, and the whole page updates with it. See how we rank for the full method.
What does a business subscription offer? expand_more
No business can pay for a place in these rankings. Claiming and verifying a listing is free. It adds a phone number to the card and a small trust bonus (+3 points) to its score, for confirming a real operator stands behind the listing. The owner also gets a dashboard showing how their score is made up. A paid subscription provides an enhanced card with more ways to reach the business, including a website link and a detailed profile page. It also refreshes this page monthly and adds ranking history and competitor analysis to the owner's dashboard. The subscription adds nothing to the score. Claim your listing or see what a subscription includes.
Why isn't my business listed? expand_more
We build this page from Google Maps results for solar installers in Dunedin. The usual reasons for missing out are a Google Business category that does not match, too few reviews to score near the top, or an address outside the area we cover. Sometimes we miss a business that should be here. Check where you rank first. If you are not there and think you should be, get in touch.