Powershop is your local online power company that’s got you sussed in the Auckland region, including Auckland City, North Shore, South Auckland, West Auckland and Rodney. We’ve been powering your homes and businesses around here since 2009.
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Why choose Powershop in the '09
Customers in Auckland shopping for power
If you’re in Auckland, we’ve put the power in your hands, so you can manage your power your way – giving you freedom, flexibility and insights to help you sort your power bills and save money. Powershop does things a little differently but in a great way! We’re crazy about digital, with an online Shop and an awesome app that lets you buy power in the form of Powerpacks. Most Powerpacks give you discounts off your Standard Rates * – helping you get great value for money for the power you use. We don’t lock you in with fixed-term contracts, so you’ve got total flexibility and no exit fees – win-win!
* Standard Rates (also called Standard Power) are the rates you’re charged for your power if you don’t buy any Powerpacks. Our Standard Rates are still competitive, but by buying certain Powerpacks in the Shop, you reach what we call your Special Rates.
Your Special Rates are the discounted rates you’ll pay if your actual power usage is equal to what we estimate to be your usage for your Account Review period (billing period), provided you have bought our Monthly Staying Power Powerpack and all the Special Powerpacks we make available during your Account Review period. See Estimated Usage to find out more about how we estimate your usage. If you get an estimate from our website or via Powerswitch, the rates you see are your Special Rates.
Future Packs and Value Packs do not count towards the calculation of your Special Rates, but they do contribute to your overall savings.
Check what your Standard Rates and Special Rates are by selecting the ‘Usage’ tab in your desktop account and choosing the ‘Your rates’ heading on the left.
Voted People's Choice
We’re stoked that for the seventh time in ten years, Powershop took the top spot and won the Consumer NZ People’s Choice award in 2024. In the Consumer NZ survey, 67% of Powershop customers said they were “very satisfied” – smashing the industry average of 53%. We also topped the rankings for ‘total satisfaction’ with a whopping 96%. We’ve been awarded Consumer NZ People's Choice award for energy retailers five times – in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023 and now 2024 (daaaaamn).
Flexible payment options
You can relax with flexible payment options too: Pre-pay, pay later, pay now – whatever suits you, suits us! Instead of paying for your power when you get a bill, shop for power and pay as you go, or shop for power and pay later. That means you can buy Powerpacks when they’re released and pay for them later in your billing cycle, so you don’t miss out on any of the great savings if the budget’s a little tight. You also have the option to move the payment date out a couple of days if it doesn’t suit (there’s a limit on how far you can move it, but it’s a handy option).
Choose the promo deal that suits you
Watt a steal! Right this way for $150 free power* or 12 free weekends^ on us.
Switching to Powershop is easy. All you need is your address and 4 minutes. It’s that easy.
Shop for power and save!
It’s easy as. We’ll show you how.
Instead of paying for power when you get your bill, shop for savings and pay when it suits you within your billing cycle.
Choose the power deal for you! If you need to power up your EV or have solar installed, we’ve got you covered for those too. In Auckland, you’re automatically on what we call ‘Get Shifty’, which means there are two rates – one for off-peak times and one for peak times. You pay a bit less for power you use at off-peak times and a bit more for power you use at peak times. If you can, make the most of off-peak times by running your appliances at different times to help you save on your energy bills. Off-peak times in Auckland are: Weekdays 11am to 5pm and 9pm to 7am, and all day on weekends. Peak times in Auckland are: Weekdays 7am to 11am and 5pm to 9pm. Keen to find out more? Head to our ‘Get Shifty’ page for all the deets.
More about Auckland's power
Weather and your power usage
Auckland is super lucky with mild winters and epic warm summers. That’s not to say you don’t feel the chill, but unlike the South Island, snow is a rare guest. Rain, on the other hand, loves to crash the party, with the humidity higher than other parts of Aotearoa. Auckland’s power usage is also slightly higher on average than your South Island neighbours – must be all the hustle and bustle of life in the big city!
Time to switch on the appliances
In those hot and humid summers, Aucklanders switch on the A/C and lean on ventilation systems to beat the heat. Then when temperatures drop in winter (queue the rain), it’s time to turn to appliances like dehumidifiers to prevent moisture clogging up your home. And let's not forget the cold snaps that have us cranking up the heater or heat pump and reaching for our winter woolies!
Aucklanders can save on power by leaning on mother nature
The City of Sails is one of NZ’s sunniest regions. While it’s a fairly humid part of the country, the wind and warmer temperatures mean you can save some coin on your power bill. Check out our tips below on how to be a savvy energy saver!
Skip the dryer, head for the clothesline
One big way to cut costs is by harnessing the power of the Auckland wind and hanging your washing outside. Dryers can cost upwards of $1 a day – especially if you’re juggling multiple loads for a big household. Go on, ditch the dryer and hang your clothes outside for free!
Invest in a clothing rack
No room for the clothesline? Get yourself a clothing rack – it’s the next best thing. You could also opt for a combo approach to get your washing done by letting the dryer work its magic on any urgent laundry, while the rest dries off outside in the breeze.
Hang towels while the sun’s shining
Let’s talk towels. No one wants a musty smelling towel drying you down when you’re all fresh and clean! Those bad boys can dry outside if the weather is playing ball, plus they’ll get the added benefit of the sun’s natural bacteria-zapping UV rays. Here’s to making your washing smell as fresh as a daisy.
Take it off the boil
Another nifty summer saver is giving your stove and oven a bit of a break. Ovens use a big chunk of power for preheating and when you’re cooking up a storm, particularly since dinner time is usually during peak power hours. So, why not mix it up and add some no-cook dinners to your menu? Or fire up the barbecue for a classic Kiwi summer evening outdoors!
Saving electricity
Want to bring your monthly power costs down to free up more in the budget? Powershop’s Shop, Get Shifty and our Saving Electricity guide are just some of the tools we offer to bring your electricity consumption down. Because everyone deserves to be in control of their power use.
Driving an electric vehicle in Auckland?
Are you thinking of buying or do you already own an electric vehicle (EV) in Auckland? As our busiest city, with more cars on the road than you can shake a stick at, switching to an EV is an awesome way to help save the planet by reducing emissions. But the perks don’t end there. There’s loads of reasons why Aucklanders are making the switch to electric.
Cheaper to run
While the upfront cost of buying an EV can be on the steep side, you’ll have the last laugh with serious savings in the long term! Charging up your electric wheels is a bargain compared with the pain at the pump paying for petrol or diesel.
We’ve got a heap more info about electric vehicles, check out our EV hub.
City slicker
Electric vehicles are perfect for city life. They don’t waste precious energy when stopped or creeping along in the busy Auckland traffic like petrol or diesel cars. That’s why they’re the perfect car companion for Aucklanders.
Silence is golden
Shhhhhh. EVs are the silent ninjas of the road, much quieter than traditional vehicles. If you’re an early riser that doesn’t want to wake up the rest of the house (or your neighbours) with a loud engine roar, an EV might just be your new BFF!
If you’re got an EV, we’ve got an exclusive perk designed for you and your EV – find out more about our EV Powerpack.
Thinking about solar power for your Auckland home or business?
Now that’s a smart move. Auckland has a knack for putting on some decent sunny weather, meaning you won’t be left in the dark when it comes to soaking up the solar power savings. Let’s not beat around the bush, the installation and equipment for solar isn’t cheap, plus you’ll need to fork out for the battery if you want to store it. But it’s all about the bigger picture. We’re talking lifetime value and sweet savings from whipping up your own power. It’s an investment for future you! Here’s the low-down:
Staying in your home for the long haul?
Popping some solar panels on your roof could be a good long term investment if you have the funds, are planning to stay put and if you work with a reputable installer to ensure the right solution for your home.
Battery storage
Solar panel systems in Auckland come in different set-ups. The go-to for many homeowners is a basic roof panel system that sucks up the sun’s goodness and immediately zaps it to power your home. If you want to collect and store solar energy to use later, you’ll need to hook up a battery.
Solar buy-back
Now, if you’re one of the lucky ones who’s panels are soaking up more solar energy than you need, then make hay while the sun shines by selling the excess to Powershop to benefit you. Powershop has a hot solar buy-back rate of 13 cents per kWh. Get all the deets on our solar buy-back offer here.
We’ve got a heap more info about Solar, check out our Solar hub.
Auckland's power lines
Who has the power in Auckland?
As of 31 July 2024, around 597,024 individual properties are connected to the electricity network in the Auckland region.
The average consumption per residential property in Auckland in 2023 was approximately 7,190 kWh* per year. This compares to 6,956 kWh* per year for the North Island as a whole and 7,897 kWh* per year in the South Island.
Where does the power come from?
Around 87% of New Zealand's electricity generation comes from renewable sources. The majority of this is from hydro stations on lakes and rivers in the lower half of the South Island, while most of the electricity demand is in the North Island, in particular, the Auckland region.
Who is the local lines company in Auckland?
The Auckland region has two lines (or network) companies who own and maintain the distribution system that gets electricity from the national grid to your gate. Vector deliver power to households from Wellsford to Papakura. Counties Power supply power to the southern Auckland and northern Waikato areas.
Your lines company are the people to call if there is a fault or outage at your property.
Vector are New Zealand's largest distributor of electricity and gas, owning and operating networks across the region.
Vector offer an online Outage Centre where you can report power outages, find out information about existing outages, and register for automatic updates.
If you are in the Counties Power network you can view an outage map and report outages on their website.
Do I get a dividend from my lines company in the Auckland region?
Entrust are the majority shareholders in Vector. They’re a private trust whose beneficiaries are the around 364,000 electricity customers in central, east and south Auckland. As a result eligible households and businesses in the district receive a dividend from Entrust each year. Find out if you qualify for the Entrust dividend.
Counties Power also provide an annual discount payment to eligible customers in their network. This is paid through your electricity retailer and will appear as a credit on your power account.
My power is out in Auckland, what do I do?
Call your lines company Vector or Counties if there is a fault or outage at your property. You can find more resources about power cuts over at our power outage page.
How much do I pay for power in the Auckland region?
Enter your address in our calculator to get a quick estimate of your rates. You can also upload a recent bill to get an annual cost estimate and find out how much Powershop could save you compared to your current retailer.
Or you can download the current rates for residential customers in the Auckland region.
How can I save money on power in the Auckland region?
- There are a number of ways you can save money on power in the Auckland region, including:
- Shifting your usage to off-peak times (we call it Get Shifty)
- Turning off appliances when you're not using them
- Using energy efficient appliances and LED lightbulbs
- If you’re with Powershop, buying our regular discounted specials
For more power saving tips check out our Saving Electricity hub or the Gen Less website, which helps Kiwis find ways to make their/your homes warm, dry and healthier - and keep your power bills down too.
Can I save money if I’m a low user?
You can save some serious coin if you are a low user and choose the low user pricing option when you sign up with an electricity retailer. The low user option is only available for your main home (where you live most of the time). For the whole North Island and the top of the South Island, the government defines a low user as someone who uses less than 8,000 kWh of power per year.
If you’re a low user, you pay a lower daily charge but pay a higher variable electricity charge. At Powershop we regularly check our customers’ accounts to make sure they’re on the best pricing plan – it's just how we roll!
What is Get Shifty?
Shift your power use and save! With Get Shifty you can pay a bit less for power you use at off-peak times and a bit more at peak times. So, you can save money by shifting your power use.
Get Shifty is available to Auckland customers in the Vector network as the default pricing. Switch your usage times and watch the savings stack up. That’s one smart move for your wallet!
While your off-peak rate is lower with Get Shifty, your peak rate is higher. If you have a smart meter and your home is in the Vector network area, you’ll be put on Get Shifty automatically when you join Powershop.
The technical term is ‘Time of Use pricing’, which is available to customers with smart meters in nearly all network areas – including the Vector and Counties Power networks.
What are my peak and off-peak times for the Vector and Counties Power networks on Get Shifty?
Off-peak times: 11am to 5pm and 9pm to 7am weekdays, all day weekends.
Peak times: 7am to 11am and 5pm to 9pm weekdays.
What are the rates for Get Shifty?
To find out your Get Shifty rates for the Vector and Counties Power networks, please contact us using our live chat. Or download our full rates for residential customers in the Auckland region.
*Source: EA Retail Dashboards
Don’t just take our word for it
Our customers like being in control of how much power they’re using and what it’s costing them.
An absolute piece of cake. I love cake!
Anita
Being in control of my power feeds my God complex delightfully.
Alan
With Powershop I can turn on as many lamps at home as I like!!
Eric
You’re the boss of your billing period and that’s perfect.
Jody
Definitely switch to Powershop homie, they got the deals.
Purple
You get a little buzz from nabbing a powerpack at a great price.
Lucy