We’ve recently started advertising in Christchurch to get the word out about Electric Kiwi and the free Hour of Power! Around 90% of homes in the city on the Orion network have a smart meter, which means lots of you can connect with us and get a free 60mins of off-peak electricity every day.
(To quickly check if you’ve got a smart meter, just enter your address here)
We started connecting to homes in Christchurch and all around the country in May (to see if we’re in your area click here) By making the most of their Hour of Power, our customers around the country are saving up to 15% on their bills. Below is our advertorial in the Christchurch Mail that explains how.
Christchurch households switching on to free power
Using the half-hourly digital readings from smart meters, online power company electrickiwi.co.nz has developed a product called the Hour of Power - a free hour of off-peak electricity every day for every customer.
”The Hour of Power is a really simple way to cut your power bill by changing when you use power. The electricity we need for our morning and night routines can’t really be shifted to another time. But particularly with appliances, there are changes you can make.” said Electric Kiwi managing director Julian Kardos.
Kardos said over a quarter of Electric Kiwi’s customers were from Christchurch, and as a group, they had higher than average Hour of Power savings.
“The Hour of Power also helps to reduce peak load on the network by encouraging people to consume power when it’s mostly renewable – so it’s good for the country as well.”
Latest figures show 62 percent of all households now have a smart meter, which record a household’s electricity consumption every half hour. It is expected the majority of residential properties in New Zealand will have a smart meter installed in the next few years.
“Making no change to the way you use power, the Hour of Power will chop around 4% off your bill. But customers who choose to shift other energy use into this free hour - such as setting a timer for the washing machine and dishwasher to go – are saving between 10-15%.”
“We are not your traditional power company” said Julian.
“Electricity Authority data shows that Christchurch has some of the highest average residential electricity use in the country, so it’s not surprising our customers here are actively using tools that help reduce their bills. We connect, bill and communicate with our customers all online, and pass on those operational savings through lower power prices.”
“This means no call centre - all customer support is done through Live Chat and email. It’s not for everyone, but it is how our customers prefer to get in touch.”electrickiwi.co.nz launched to the public in May.