Join for power
Where can Electric Kiwi supply electricity?
To check if we're able to supply your place, just enter your address here.
What if I want to sign up more than one property with Electric Kiwi?
Just drop the team a line and we'll let you know what we can to do to get everything sorted.
How old do I need to be to sign up for power?
Electric Kiwi requires all power customers to be a minimum of 18 years of age.
How do I join for power, and how long does it take to change?
It takes a few minutes to join online for electricity. You'll need to provide us with a few basic details about your property, some personal info, and your preferred payment option. It's quick, easy and the power will stay on at all times. It takes anywhere from 1 to 10 business days to change away from an old power company. We'll let you know by email when the change is complete.
What should I do if I am medically dependent on power?
If you or someone you're living with is dependent on power for critical medical support (for example, for the use of medical equipment); and the loss of power could result in loss of life or serious harm it's important that you get in touch and let us know. More info is also available here.
What should I do if I am a vulnerable customer?
If you or someone you're living with needs power because of age, health, or disability and the loss of power is a threat to health or wellbeing; and/or it is genuinely difficult to pay power bills because of severe financial insecurity, then please get in touch and let us know. More info is also available here.
Hour of Power/loadshifting
What is the Hour of Power?
Electric Kiwi has a smart way to help you save even more money. We call it the Hour of Power. It's pretty simple, you choose 60 minutes of off-peak power that suits your lifestyle. All electricity used during that hour each day is free! So go ahead, put on the washing machine, dryer and dishwasher all at once - it's on the house.
There must be a catch - is the Hour of Power actually Free?
That's right! All electricity used during your Hour of Power is 100% free.
How long will the Hour of Power last for?
You will receive a free Hour of Power every day for as long as you are an Electric Kiwi customer.
What sort of savings can I get from my free Hour of Power?
The more power usage that you shift into your Hour of Power, the more money you'll save! See below for easy examples of what to do to reduce your power costs:
Savings examples
4%
Do nothing different.
8%
Put the washing machine or dishwasher on during your free Hour of Power a few times a week.
10%
Run your washing machine and dishwasher during your free Hour of Power five times a week.
15%
Run your washing machine and dishwasher during your free Hour of Power five times a week, and take a shower during that hour.
Of course you can also save by shifting other power use into your free hour - cooking a roast, putting on your electric blanket, charging up your devices or whipping up a smoothie. Any power you use during that hour is completely free.
Savings examples
4%
Do nothing different.
8%
Put the washing machine or dishwasher on during your free Hour of Power a few times a week.
10%
Run your washing machine and dishwasher during your free Hour of Power five times a week.
15%
Run your washing machine and dishwasher during your free Hour of Power five times a week, and take a shower during that hour.
Of course you can also save by shifting other power use into your free hour - cooking a roast, putting on your electric blanket, charging up your devices or whipping up a smoothie. Any power you use during that hour is completely free.
When can I use my free Hour of Power?
The off-peak time slots are between 9am-5pm and 9pm-7am every day (including weekends). You can update your Hour of Power at any time, and your free timeslot will remain the same until you decide to choose a new one. Any change before midnight will be active for that day.
How do I update my Hour of Power?
Want to change your Hour of Power using Kiwi Central? Here's how:
- On the app, go to the Power tab on the left side of the screen to see your current Hour of Power at the top. (On the browser version, you'll find it under the Home tab in the Power section.)
- Tap the hour or the pencil icon above it.
- Pick a new hour from the off-peak time options (any greyed out times aren't available).
- When you are happy with your choice tap the tick to save, or the cross to cancel the change - easy as!
Any change before midnight will be active for that day. For more info, check out our dedicated Hour of Power page.
Do all Electric Kiwi power plans come with a free Hour of Power?
Yep! Every plan gives you a free hour of off-peak power every single day. Just choose the hour that suits you. Want to know more? Check out our Hour of Power page.
Load shifting? What's that?
Load shifting is our secret weapon which can help both your wallet, and the planet.
By shifting your power usage to off-peak hours, you can reduce the strain on New Zealand's power grid by tapping into energy sources that are both cheaper, and likely cleaner.
If you are on one of Electric Kiwi's time of use plans, the more power usage you move off-peak the more you can save.
Our load shifting page is a great place to find more details, plus some epic tips to help you save.
By shifting your power usage to off-peak hours, you can reduce the strain on New Zealand's power grid by tapping into energy sources that are both cheaper, and likely cleaner.
If you are on one of Electric Kiwi's time of use plans, the more power usage you move off-peak the more you can save.
Our load shifting page is a great place to find more details, plus some epic tips to help you save.
Smart Meter
What is a smart meter?
Think of a smart meter as a virtual meter reader. It records the actual amount of electricity you use every half hour, and the data is sent to us once per day using similar technology to text messaging.
This data transmission occurs for a very short period of time (around 1 second) during the middle of the night and occurs at a very low wattage. This is much lower than the average household's use of cellphone or wifi networks.
This data transmission occurs for a very short period of time (around 1 second) during the middle of the night and occurs at a very low wattage. This is much lower than the average household's use of cellphone or wifi networks.
Will Electric Kiwi ever estimate my electricity usage?
Electric Kiwi collects your daily electricity usage information straight from your smart meter, so most of the time we'll never need to estimate your electricity usage. This means your bill will always be accurate and you'll never pay for more than what you actually used.
On a rare occasion, there may be a communication failure between the smart meter at your property and the centralised location where we retrieve your usage data. In the unlikely event we can't retrieve the data by the time you are due to be invoiced, we will do our best in the background to get this resolved – and often will contact you directly to advise.
If, after multiple solutions have been attempted, we are still unable to resolve, we calculate an estimate using a method approved by the New Zealand Electricity Authority.
If you wish to find out more about estimates, please contact us.
On a rare occasion, there may be a communication failure between the smart meter at your property and the centralised location where we retrieve your usage data. In the unlikely event we can't retrieve the data by the time you are due to be invoiced, we will do our best in the background to get this resolved – and often will contact you directly to advise.
If, after multiple solutions have been attempted, we are still unable to resolve, we calculate an estimate using a method approved by the New Zealand Electricity Authority.
If you wish to find out more about estimates, please contact us.
Does anyone need access to my property to read my meter?
We don't need access to your property to read your smart meter. Your actual usage will be sent to us each day electronically. This is through similar technology as your phone uses to send a text message.
Why does Electric Kiwi only take customers with smart meters?
The extra information provided by smart meters is needed for us to accurately track your usage and to provide your free hour of off-peak power.
I don't have a smart meter but want to be an Electric Kiwi customer, what can I do?
You'd need to have a smart meter installed to be with us, as it's needed to be able to get your half hourly usage electronically, give cheaper off-peak rates, and for you to be able to select the free hour of off-peak power each day.
Around 80% of Kiwi homes now have smart meters installed and they continue to be rolled out. Unfortunately we can't upgrade meters as these are owned separately by metering companies. It's up to these companies when an upgrade will take place but hopefully shouldn't be too far away!
It might pay to check in with your current power company and they should be able to give you an idea when you can expect your current meter to be replaced.
Once you do have one installed, be sure to get in touch to see what great rates we can offer.
Around 80% of Kiwi homes now have smart meters installed and they continue to be rolled out. Unfortunately we can't upgrade meters as these are owned separately by metering companies. It's up to these companies when an upgrade will take place but hopefully shouldn't be too far away!
It might pay to check in with your current power company and they should be able to give you an idea when you can expect your current meter to be replaced.
Once you do have one installed, be sure to get in touch to see what great rates we can offer.
How do I know whether I have a smart meter?
The quickest way to find out whether you have a smart meter is to enter your address here. If you don't have a smart meter you'll see a message explaining you're unable to join Electric Kiwi until one is installed.
Electricity Supply
Is Electric Kiwi's electricity any different?
Electric Kiwi's electricity is delivered to your home on the same electricity grid the big guys use and is generated by the same power stations. The reliability of your electricity supply doesn't change whether you are with Electric Kiwi or another retailer.
I'm planning a new smart meter installation for my house, and I am not an existing Electric Kiwi customer. Can I join Electric Kiwi?
At this stage, Electric Kiwi can't install new smart meters or create a new connection through your local lines company. That means if you have recently built a home, or are conducting renovations that require a 'new electricity connection' you'll need to sign up with another power company first.
If you already have a smart meter installed and operating with another power company today, then you're good to go right now.
If in doubt, just drop us a line.
If you already have a smart meter installed and operating with another power company today, then you're good to go right now.
If in doubt, just drop us a line.
Green Initiatives
Does Electric Kiwi buy back electricity generated by solar on my premises?
Yes, Electric Kiwi offers solar buy back rates on three of our plans: MoveMaster, Everyday, and Go250.
- MoveMaster: 23c/kWh peak and 11.5c/kWh off-peak* buy back rates (including GST).
- Everyday & Go250: 9.2c/kWh buy back rate throughout the day (including GST).
*Off-peak solar buy-back applies from 9am–5pm and 9pm–7am on weekdays, and all day on weekends.
If you have solar panels, you can take advantage of these buy back rates by choosing one of these plans. Check out our solar page more info.
Do Electric Kiwi offer anything special if I have an EV?
Our MoveMaster plan offers half price power overnight (11pm-7am) - perfect for EV owners to charge for less. We also have a partnership with ChargeNet to link your ChargeNet and Electric Kiwi accounts to have all your charges on one simple Electric Kiwi bill. See our EV page for more details.
Is there a way I can get an idea of the "greenness" of the electricity grid at any time?
The Green Meter is our handy tool for exactly that - check out our info page for more details, and to give it a spin. It's also available directly in your EK app.
Does Electric Kiwi have information on what they're doing to help with the energy transition?
This page has a few of the things we're doing to progress towards lowering carbon emissions, and our customers power bills.
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For connection issues head over to our outages page.