The EEA represents its members and acts as the voice of the industry, developing industry guides and providing submissions to government, regulators and industry groups to protect and enhance industry interests.
Developing and reviewing Industry Guides
The EEA facilitates the development and maintenance of guidelines and best practice documents that support and build on the knowledge and understanding of engineering, technical, and safety standards.Ā Ā We invite member input into this process.
Visit the EEA Guides page for guides currently under development or review
Public Submissions and Consultations
Consultation
Distributed Generation (Residential up to 10kW) Connected at LV Network – Technical Guideline – Draft for consultation
Background
Aotearoa New Zealand is experiencing rapid growth in distributed energy resources (DER) and other low-carbon technologies (LCTs) such as rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, battery energy storage systems (BESS), electric vehicles (EVs), EV charging equipment, and flexible electric appliances.Ā These technologies are increasingly installed behind the meter at low voltage (LV) and are fundamentally reshaping how electricity is generated, distributed, and consumed.Ā More residential customers are seeking to connect DER systems to local electricity distribution networks, both to meet their own energy needs and to export surplus electricity and this guide will support customer uptake and reduce barriers in the connection processes for residential DER installation.
This draft guideline has been developed by the Electricity Engineersā Association (EEA), in collaboration with the Electricity Authority (EA) and Electricity Networks Aotearoa (ENA), as part of the Streamlining Connections Programme. Ā As part of programme, the EA has proposed amendments to the Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010 (EIPC): Part 6, including a default 10 kW export limit for new small- scale distributed generation connected at low voltage.
This document is designed to support consistent practice across the industry when connecting residential inverter-based DER systems (ā¤10 kW) to LV networks.
Guide coverage
The scope of this guideline covers the technical connection of residential inverter-based DER systems up to and including 10 kW (total inverter nameplate generating capacity) that are intended to operate in parallel with, and export electricity to, an electricity distribution business (EDB) LV network. This includes:
- Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems
- Battery energy storage systems (BESS)
- Hybrid inverters and systems incorporating integrated energy storage (IES)
- Smart inverters using AS/NZS 4777.2 compliant functions
For clarity, the 10kW limit refers to the total rated AC output capacity of the inverter system connected at the point of supply.
This guideline does not cover non-inverter-based generation technologies (e.g., small wind turbines, micro-hydro) unless the EDB separately assesses and approves such installations under their own processes.
The guideline covers general information (Part 1) on regulatory and non-technical provisions and technical information (Part 2) (including voltage management, alignment with international standards including AS/NZS 4777, frequency response, SCADA, protection and control, network study requirements.
The guide also provides a series of appendices that provide practical tools such as installer guidance and commissioning checklists.
While not a regulatory instrument, this guideline reflects industry-agreed minimum expectations and electricity distribution businesses (EDBs) are expected to align with this guideline as the default basis for their connection requirements.
Consultation Documents
DG (Residential) Connected at LV Network Technical Guideline – Draft for Consultation July 2026
EEA Guide Consultation Comment Form – 2026
Email your feedback toĀ admin@eea.co.nz.
Consultation feedback closes Friday 31 July 2026 at 5pm.
Submissions made by the EEA in 2026
- Electricity Authority;Ā Future Security and Resilience Parts 1 7 and 8 Common Quality Requirements
- Electricity Authority;Ā Non-discrimination obligations ā Retail Price Consistency Assessment (RPCA) uncommitted capacity and other matters
- Electricity Authority;Ā Reducing Barriers for New Connections ā Up-Front Charges and Distributor Obligations January 2026
- NZ Parliament – Transport and Infrastructure Committee; Public Works Amendment BillĀ January 2026