No, you don’t need to wait. None of the proposed election solar funding schemes are guaranteed to happen, and delaying your decision could mean joining a rush of demand if one is confirmed, right when installer availability may tighten. Getting your property assessed now costs nothing and commits you to nothing, it just means you’re ready to act quickly whenever your finance path becomes clear.
It’s a completely understandable instinct. If there’s a chance a better finance deal appears in a few months, why lock anything in now? The trouble is, this logic assumes waiting is free. In practice, waiting has its own costs, they’re just less visible than a quote sitting in your inbox.
If National, Labour or the Greens’ proposed solar finance schemes do become law, demand for solar installation is likely to spike quickly. We don’t need to guess what that looks like, Australia has already lived through it.
When Australia’s federal battery rebate scheme launched, demand surged so fast that installers reported wait times stretching to two to four months, and a University of Technology Sydney inspection programme later found more than 60% of installations checked under the scheme were substandard, with genuine safety and compliance failures.
Industry commentators there have openly warned about “rebate cowboys,” operators who show up to chase a subsidy rush rather than do the job properly. Being “assessment-ready” now, with your system already sized and your property already reviewed, puts you ahead of that kind of queue rather than caught in it.
There’s a real possibility that some, or all, of these proposals don’t survive the political process in their current form. Policy can change during campaigning, get watered down in coalition negotiations, or simply take years to implement even if passed. If that happens and you’ve spent months waiting, you’ll have delayed a genuinely useful upgrade for a scheme that never arrived, all while your power bills kept climbing in the meantime.
A solar assessment isn’t a purchase decision. It’s a conversation about your property, your power use, your roof space and your switchboard capacity, with no obligation to proceed afterwards. Understanding your numbers now means that whatever happens after the election, you’re making a decision based on facts, not guesswork under time pressure.
It’s also worth remembering that election promises aren’t the only finance option. Several major New Zealand banks already offer green loans for solar, available today, independent of any election outcome. For some households and businesses, this may already be a workable path, without needing to wait for anything to be confirmed in November.
You don’t have to choose between “install tomorrow” and “wait indefinitely.” Getting assessed now, understanding your system and your numbers, is the middle ground that keeps every option open. You can still choose to wait on the actual installation decision, but you’ll be waiting with real information instead of assumptions.
Not ready for a full assessment? Have a no-obligation, 15-minute chat with a Solar Electrician and get your questions answered first.
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09 634 3220
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189 Captain Springs Road,
Auckland 1061
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