Is Builderscrack Worth It for Solar Installers? (2026 Cost Breakdown)

Executive Summary

The honest maths on Builderscrack for a solar installer

A homeowner posts a job for free, and you chase the ones you want, with tokens coming off your subscription plan when the homeowner accepts your connection
A homeowner can connect with up to three tradies at a time, so you are quoting against two others who also paid
On solar the homeowner was always going to get two or three quotes anyway: EECA tells them to, so the chase fee stacks on top of a shop-around habit that is baked in
The number that matters is cost per booked install, not cost per chased job, on a single high-ticket system, from roughly $8,500 for a 3kW system to $11,500 or more for a 5kW system
The alternative: own your solar pipeline so the install jobs come straight to you, with no chase fee and nobody else quoting the same job

This is the solar-specific version. For the full tradie breakdown see is Builderscrack worth it for tradies. To get found without paying to chase, see SEO for solar installers.

Builderscrack is a New Zealand job marketplace, acquired by the hipages Group in December 2021 7. A homeowner posts a job for free, installers chase the ones they want, and tokens come off your subscription plan when the homeowner accepts your request to connect 5. It can put work in front of you fast. The catch is that a connection is not a booked install, you share each job with up to two other connected installers, and the moment you stop paying the work stops. Before you sign up, the fastest sanity check is to see what you already rank for. Our free Google listing audit shows whether homeowners can already find you without paying a cent in chase fees.

Solar is an unusual fit for a chase-and-pay marketplace, and here is why. A homeowner spending $8,500 to $11,500 or more on a rooftop system was always going to shop it around, because the likes of EECA actively tell them to get two or three quotes before they buy. So unlike a plumber's emergency callout, a solar job was never yours alone, and paying a chase fee on a job the buyer is already sending to your competitors just stacks a platform charge on top of a habit that is baked in. Here is how to work out whether the platform is worth it for your business.

A few numbers worth knowing before you commit:

A typical home solar system in New Zealand runs about $8,500 for a 3kW system up to $11,500 for a 5kW system, and around $20,000 for a 10kW system, with a battery adding $5,000 to $15,000 on top. There is no rebate to knock it down, so this is a single high-ticket purchase, not a repeat low-ticket callout, which changes the lead maths completely 4.

The homeowner was probably always going to compare you against others. EECA's guidance tells buyers that, as with any large purchase, it pays to get two or three quotes so they can compare the advice and the cost. So a solar enquiry was heading to your competitors with or without a lead platform, and paying to chase it does not change that 3.

Grid-connected solar is Prescribed Electrical Work: EWRB lists solar photovoltaic systems as specialist high-risk work requiring inspection 9, so only someone registered and holding a current practising licence with the Electrical Workers Registration Board can carry out or supervise it, and SEANZ membership sits on top of that as an industry-body signal 1.

How Does Builderscrack Work for a Solar Installer?

Two costs stack up:

A subscription plan, which carries a balance of tokens and varies by your area and how competitive solar is locally
Tokens deducted on connection: when a homeowner accepts your request to connect, tokens come off that balance, whether or not you go on to win the install 5. Chasing a job the homeowner never accepts costs you nothing

When a homeowner posts "quotes for a 5kW system with battery in Manukau" or "solar panel installation, after a couple of quotes", the platform makes the job visible to other installers in your area, and any number of you can chase it. Chasing is free; the homeowner then connects with up to three tradies 8, and those three spend the tokens. Only one wins the install. On solar, where the buyer has been told to line up two or three quotes anyway, that competition is baked in from the start.

One thing is worth checking before you sign. Know the subscription term, the notice period and the cancellation terms up front. The Commerce Commission enforces the Fair Trading Act 1986 against misleading conduct, so read the contract before you commit and make sure you understand how to stop paying 6.

Action: Before you subscribe, ask Builderscrack for typical job volume, the plan cost, and the token cost of a solar connection in your exact area. Builderscrack does not publish tradie pricing, so get it in writing. Inner-Auckland rooftop solar is not priced like a regional install.

Why Do Shared Jobs Hurt Solar Installers More Than Other Trades?

Most trades on Builderscrack live on emergency or low-ticket callouts, where the platform can genuinely create demand that was not there. Solar is the opposite, and three things make the same shared job a much worse deal.

The homeowner was always going to get two or three quotes. A blocked drain is an emergency: the first plumber who answers often wins. A $10,000-plus solar system is a considered purchase, and EECA tells buyers to get two or three quotes so they can compare 3. So paying to chase a solar job does not create a sale you would not otherwise have had a shot at, it just adds a charge to a job the buyer was already going to send to your competitors.

It is a single high-ticket purchase with real room to negotiate. At $8,500 to $11,500 or more for an installed system, and more again with a battery, there is enough money on the table for a homeowner to push hard on price 4. Being the cheapest anonymous quote on a shared job is a race to the bottom on exactly the kind of work where your margin matters most. Being the trusted, well-reviewed local installer with real rooftop photos is what wins it, and a chase-and-pay listing does not let you be that.

Solar carries a heavier trust stack a serious buyer will check. Grid-connected solar is Prescribed Electrical Work 9, so only an EWRB-registered installer holding a current practising licence can carry out or supervise it 1. Since 1 September 2025, EWRB has also required a Mains Parallel Generation Systems endorsement on that licence to work on grid-connected solar 10, and SEANZ membership on top of that signals you meet the wider industry's standards 2. A homeowner spending five figures will check your registration and reviews, and a shared-job form gives you no room to show them off.

What Does a Booked Solar Job Actually Cost You?

Cost per chased job is the wrong number. The number that matters is what each install you actually win costs you.

Say a chase costs you $50 and you win one install in every four jobs you pay to chase. That is $200 in chase fees per booked job, before your subscription. On a single $10,000-plus system that one booked job can absorb comfortably. The problem is not usually the fee itself, it is that you are paying it to compete on a job the buyer was always going to shop around, so your conversion rate on shared solar jobs is often lower than on work that comes to you direct.

So the maths depends on how you use it:

Chasing every job (including the price-shoppers collecting a third quote to beat you down): the fees stack up and your win rate drops, because you are the quote they use to negotiate someone else down
Chasing the buyers who came to you first (your own Google listing, referrals, repeat battery retrofits): no chase fee, higher trust, and far less price pressure

Action: Track your real numbers for a month. Add up the chase fees and subscription you paid, count the installs you actually booked from them, and divide. That is your true cost per job, and on shared solar jobs it is often higher than it looks.

When Does Builderscrack Make Sense for a Solar Installer?

It is not all bad. Builderscrack can be a reasonable tool when:

You have just gone out on your own and have no Google presence yet
You hit a quiet winter patch and need to fill the diary
You are breaking into a new area where nobody knows your name
You are disciplined enough to chase the genuine buyers and ignore the tyre-kickers collecting a third quote to beat you down

Used like that, as a tap you turn on when you need work and off when you are busy, it has a place.

When Does Builderscrack Stop Paying?

It stops being worth it when:

You are paying to chase solar jobs you could be getting for free off your own Google listing
You are stuck quoting against the other connected installers on every job, as the third quote someone uses to negotiate
The subscription is a fixed monthly cost grinding away whether the jobs convert or not
You have built no asset of your own, so if you stop paying, you are back to nothing

That last point is the big one. Every dollar into Builderscrack rents you a chase at a job. The same effort into your own Google presence builds an asset you own, and on high-ticket solar work, one owned install lead a month can outweigh the lot.

The Alternative: Own Your Solar Pipeline

When someone searches "solar installer near me", "solar battery Papakura" or "5kW system Tauranga", you want to be the installer who shows up on the map and gets the call directly, with no chase fee and nobody else sharing it.

That comes from three things working together: a complete Google Business Profile, a steady flow of reviews (the exact thing a buyer spending five figures checks before they call), and a website with a page for each system you install and each area you cover, your EWRB registration and SEANZ membership on show. It takes longer to build than switching on Builderscrack, but the calls come straight to you, you stop paying to chase, and your registration and real install photos do the selling.

Most smart installers run light Builderscrack early, lean on their own Google presence as it grows, and turn the platform down once the owned calls are steady. Enquiries spike after every power price rise and cold-snap bill shock, so it pays to own your ranking before the rush, not rent it.

Action: Build the pipeline you own. Full plan: SEO for solar installers. Want it built for you? See websites and marketing for solar installers, or book a call and we will map it out with you.

Want to Know What You Should Show Up For?

We are the alternative to renting leads: instead of paying to chase every shared job the buyer was always going to shop around, you own the calls. The quickest way to see the gap is to check where you already rank.

Free Google listing audit: we check whether you appear in the map for solar searches in your suburbs, and what is costing you the free calls. PDF in 24 hours.
Free website audit: if you already have a site, we check whether it is built to turn a solar search into a phone call.

No call required. No pitch. Just a straight read on what renting leads is costing you.

What a solar installer website costs

Core Multi-Page$2,199
core site, About, Reviews, Contact + a page per service
Max Multi-Page$3,299
everything in Core + 10 local suburb pages
Pro Multi-Page$6,998
everything in Max + 10 more suburb pages, GBP optimisation and 30 directory listings

Maintenance: optional, from $59/month.

Free strategy call →

A 20-minute call and a plan for more leads. No sales pitch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Builderscrack worth it for solar installers?

It depends how you use it. Because a solar system is a high-ticket purchase, a single booked install can absorb the chase fee comfortably. The catch is that homeowners are told by EECA to get two or three quotes, so you are often paying to be the quote they use to negotiate someone else down. Work out your real cost per booked install, and your win rate on shared jobs, before deciding.

How much does Builderscrack cost a solar installer?

Homeowners post for free. Installers take a subscription plan carrying a balance of tokens, and tokens are deducted when a homeowner accepts your request to connect, not merely for chasing and not only when you win. Builderscrack does not publish one flat price: the cost depends on your area, the job and demand, so ask for it in writing. The number that matters is per booked install: your plan and token spend, divided by the jobs you actually won.

Do other installers chase the same Builderscrack job as me?

Usually yes. Any number of installers can chase a posted job, and a homeowner can connect with up to three tradies at a time, so you are typically quoting against two others who also spent tokens. On solar that competition is baked in anyway, because the homeowner has been advised to line up two or three quotes for the same system.

Why is a shared job worse for a solar installer than for a plumber?

A plumber's blocked drain is an emergency, so the first to answer often wins. A $10,000-plus solar system is a considered purchase the buyer was always going to compare across two or three installers. Paying to chase it does not create that sale, it just adds a charge to a job already heading to your competitors, on work where the buyer has real room to push you down on price.

Do I need to be registered to install solar in New Zealand?

Yes. Grid-connected solar is Prescribed Electrical Work under the Electricity Act 1992, so it can only be carried out or supervised by someone registered and holding a current practising licence with the Electrical Workers Registration Board. Since 1 September 2025 that licence also needs a Mains Parallel Generation Systems endorsement to cover grid-connected solar work. SEANZ membership on top of that signals you meet the wider industry's installation standards. There is no separate "solar installer licence", and no rebate to sign off, since New Zealand has no national solar subsidy.

Is SEO better than Builderscrack for a solar installer?

They do different jobs. Builderscrack gives instant but paid, shared jobs. SEO takes longer but the quote requests come straight to you, you pay nothing to chase, and your registration, reviews and install photos do the selling. Because solar job values are high, a single owned install lead a month can outweigh a full Builderscrack subscription. Many installers use light Builderscrack early, then rely on their own Google presence as it grows.

How do I stop relying on Builderscrack?

Build your own pipeline: complete your Google Business Profile, get a review after every install, and put up a website with a page for each system you install and the areas you cover, with your registration and membership on show. As your own calls grow, turn the platform down. See SEO for solar installers.

References:

This is the solar-installer-specific version. For the full tradie breakdown, see is Builderscrack worth it for tradies.

Published by Made 4 Tradies. Kiwi-owned, run by a Hawke's Bay local. Serving Hawke's Bay, Hastings, Napier, and nationwide.

Is Builderscrack Worth It for Solar Installers? An Honest Look at the Cost