solarZero

What solarZero does

solarZero is a New Zealand residential solar and battery subscription company headquartered in Auckland, founded in 2014. It sells a 20/25-year Energy Service Agreement to homeowners that bundles solar panels, battery storage, inverter, metering, monitoring, maintenance, fault replacement (including natural disaster damage), and 20/25-year service and performance guarantees at zero upfront hardware or consumer finance cost. Customers pay a fixed monthly subscription fee plus variable grid energy charges at preferential rates, with savings underwritten against a standard grid-only benchmark via an Annual Sunshine Report and a non-saver credit mechanism.

Underpinning the subscription is a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) platform operated by SZ Servicing Limited, which aggregates approximately 30MW of residential battery capacity and dispatches it daily to reduce customer grid usage during peak Time of Use pricing windows, thereby reducing pressure on New Zealand's national grid and reliance on coal-fired generation. Customers interact with the system through a native mobile app and the MySolarZero web dashboard for real-time monitoring of generation, battery state-of-charge, grid import/export, and hot water heating control. Exclusive grid energy supply is provided through Ecotricity (Climate Positive Toitū Certified Energy), which became the sole retailer from April 2025 after the Pulse Energy arrangement ended.

solarZero Limited (the original corporate entity, previously owned by US private equity firm BlackRock) was placed into liquidation on 26 November 2024 after lenders asked the Public Trust to intervene. The Public Trust assumed ownership of the two trust entities that hold customer Energy Service Agreements, shielding those contracts and monthly payments from the corporate insolvency. SZ Servicing Limited now delivers ongoing billing, maintenance, customer support, and engineering services to those trusts, and the ~15,000 subscribers continue to be served. Liquidators had recovered approximately $2.7M against nearly $24M owed to unsecured creditors and almost $1B claimed by the two trusts, and the prior $195M split-series debt facility from Société Générale and NZGIF (announced July 2024) remains the largest disclosed financing event.

Name

solarZero

Legal name

SZ Servicing Limited

Website

https://solarzero.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

solarZero is a New Zealand residential solar and battery subscription company serving approximately 15,000 homeowners under 20/25-year Energy Service Agreements with zero upfront cost, backed by a 30MW Virtual Power Plant. Operations continue under SZ Servicing Limited and Public Trust following SolarZero Limited's November 2024 liquidation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Solar Subscription Services

NAICS

Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Electric Services (4911), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Solar Development & Subscription Management (EUAMAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Demand Response & Load Flexibility Services (EUAMAJAF), Renewable Distributed Generation (Rooftop/Onsite Solar, Small Wind, Small Hydro) (EUACALAJ), Distributed Generation (DG) Solar & Small Wind (EUAMAJAD)

Keywords

• Residential solar subscription
• Virtual power plant
• Energy service agreement
• Solar battery storage
• Time-of-use pricing

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Solar Subscription Fees: Monthly subscription fees charged to customers under 20/25-year Energy Service Agreements. The subscription covers solar panels, battery, inverter, framing, wiring, energy management systems, meters, repairs, fault resolution, and product replacements for the contract duration. Customers pay a fixed monthly fee plus variable grid energy charges.
2. Grid Energy Supply: Revenue from preferential grid energy rates negotiated with partner retailers (Ecotricity, previously Pulse Energy). Customers import electricity from the grid at negotiated Time of Use rates, with pricing differentiated across peak, shoulder, and off-peak periods.
3. Solar Export Payments: Customers can export excess solar energy back to the grid and receive payments for exported solar production, which is deducted from their total cost calculation in the Annual Sunshine Report.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

solarZero sells a 20/25-year residential solar and battery subscription (the Energy Service Agreement) that delivers solar panels, battery storage, inverters, two-way meters, 24/7 performance monitoring, fault resolution, repairs, and product replacements to New Zealand homeowners for a fixed monthly fee with zero upfront hardware or consumer finance cost. Customers also receive preferential Time-of-Use grid energy rates via the exclusive Ecotricity partnership and emergency backup power during outages. The underlying Virtual Power Plant platform aggregates the distributed battery fleet (30MW) to optimize customer self-consumption and reduce grid pressure during peak demand.

Product overview

SolarZero operates as a single, unified subscription-based offering — the Energy Service Agreement — which provides residential customers with solar panels, battery storage, 24/7 performance monitoring, time-of-use energy pricing, and emergency backup power at zero hardware cost over a 20/25-year contract. This core subscription is delivered in conjunction with Ecotricity (exclusive electricity retail partner) and managed by SZ Servicing Limited under Public Trust supervision. The product portfolio also includes two customer-facing digital tools: the MySolarZero web dashboard and the SolarZero mobile app, which provide monitoring, hot water control, and account management capabilities atop the subscription.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SolarZero Energy Service Agreement (Residential Solar and Battery Subscription) A 20/25-year residential solar panel and battery subscription delivering hardware-free solar panels, battery storage, 24/7 performance monitoring, multi-decade service and performance guarantees, hot water heating control, emergency backup power, and preferential Time-of-Use grid energy rates via Ecotricity, with no upfront cost and a fixed monthly fee. Targeted at New Zealand residential homeowners seeking energy security and price predictability.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50% customer base expansion enabled through new financing structure
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EcotricitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Zealand electricity retailer providing preferential Time of Use rates exclusively to SolarZero customers. SolarZero collaborates with Ecotricity to assess the current market landscape and make informed decisions regarding pricing. From April 2025, SolarZero transitioned grid energy billing to Ecotricity, which also provides Climate Positive Toitū Certified Energy for remaining grid needs.
• Public TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Zealand Crown entity that supervises financial services businesses and protects customer interests. The Public Trust was asked by lenders to step in before SolarZero's insolvency, assuming ownership of the two companies holding customer contracts. Monthly subscription payments are protected from SolarZero's insolvency and managed by the Public Trust.
• SZ Servicing LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompany appointed to deliver energy services following SolarZero's liquidation, providing contract servicing to the trust of which Public Trust is the trustee. SZ Servicing manages billing, maintenance, customer support, energy system engineers, senior development engineers, and the loyalty/care team. Responsible for ensuring systems meet performance requirements and negotiating preferential energy prices.
• Pulse EnergyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFormer energy retailer partner providing grid energy to SolarZero customers. Partnership discontinued on April 1, 2025, with customers transitioning to Ecotricity for grid energy supply. Customers previously billed through Pulse for SolarZero monthly fees were transitioned to direct billing from SolarZero Energy Services.
• Chapman TrippminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNew Zealand law firm that confirmed its role in the $195 million financing structure deal involving SolarZero and NZGIF, establishing the split-series debt model for solar and battery project funding.
• DLA PiperminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInternational law firm that confirmed its role alongside Chapman Tripp in the $195 million financing structure deal involving SolarZero and NZGIF, establishing the structured debt model for New Zealand solar and battery projects.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/solarZeronz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about solarZero