How are rates calculated?
In our Get a Price tool the rates displayed are based on the following:
Buying specials
The rates you see are based on you buying our Monthly Staying Powerpack and all the limited time Specials we release within your billing period. By doing this you will reach what we call your ‘Special Rates’. If you don’t buy any of the monthly Staying Power Powerpack or the limited time Specials throughout the month, you will pay your ’Standard Rates’ for the power you use.
Note: Your Special Rates are what you pay if your actual usage equals the amount of power we estimate you’ll use in a month, provided also you have bought the Powerpacks described above (read more about this in our FAQs). Our Special Rates don't include the additional savings you can get from buying Future Packs and Value Packs.
The season
With Powershop your usage rate (the price you pay per kWh for the electricity you use) differs from month to month. Our usage rates are typically greater in autumn and winter when demand is higher, and lower in spring and summer. Our Get a Price calculator shows your Special Rates for the current month by default, but you can use the back or forward arrows at the top to see your rates over the year.
Where you live
Powershop is available in around 30 different electricity networks in NZ. Each network has their own pricing, so someone in Northland will not have the same rates as someone in Southland.
Your meter set up
How your meter is set up is called your tariff. This affects what you pay per kWh of electricity used. Examples of different meter set ups/tariffs include Controlled, Uncontrolled, Inclusive. You may have more than one tariff. Find out more.
Our rates are based on information about your property’s current meter set up in the Electricity Authority Registry.
How much power you use
If you use less than 8000 kWh of electricity a year at your primary residence (and not, for example, a holiday home), low user pricing may be best for you. This rises to 9000 kWh in parts of the lower South Island.
On low user pricing, your daily charge may be lower than a standard user’s but your usage charge may be higher.
Some properties may have the same low user and standard user pricing. Low user pricing is only available for primary residences.