Frequently Asked Questions

You can easily log in online to update your account details. Just click on the settings tab and enter your password, and you’ll be able to change things like your email address, password, contact number and any authorised persons. You can also update your payment methods and unlink any old devices you no longer want to have access to your account.

Yes, we have a Meridian mobile app – but it’s only compatible with certain account types at this stage. We’re working to have every customer on the app as soon as possible, and when it’s ready for you, we’ll let our customers know. In the meantime, you can still log in to your online account.

Yes, you can. If you're an existing residential customer you can log in online, then click on Account Overview and ‘add another property’. Fill out the details and you’re all sorted. Or, just give us a call on 0800 496 496 and we’ll take care of the rest.

If you’re not a Meridian customer and want to sign up multiple properties, you can either join online or give us a call and we’ll get the process started.

Yes – there are two options to choose from if you’d like to authorise another person to access your account.

We can add someone as a secondary account holder, which means they have the same authority as you, and their name appears on the bill alongside yours. We’ll need the other person’s permission to do this, so it’s best to call us when you’re together. Otherwise, you can call first to give permission and then they can call to confirm.

Alternatively, we can add your chosen person as ‘authorised’. This means they can get in touch and ask any questions about your account, but they can’t make any changes and don’t appear on the account. You can do this online – just log in to your Meridian account and look under the 'Personal Details' tab in your settings.

The process for removing someone from your account varies depending on whether they’re a joint account holder (two names on the bill), or an authorised person only.

If you’d like to remove a joint account holder, we’ll need to close the current account and set up a new one just under your name. We can do this for you easily – just give us a call on 0800 496 496.

To remove an authorised person, log in to your Meridian account and remove their details under ‘Personal Details’ in your settings.

To close your account with us, please give us a call on 0800 496 496.

Your plan details are on the tax invoice for your bill. You can find this in your online account, under the 'Transactions' tab.

If you’re on a Low User option, you pay a lower daily charge but a higher rate for every unit of power used. On a Standard User option, you pay a higher daily charge but a lower rate for every unit of power used. More about Standard and Low User options.

If your annual electricity usage is less than 8,000kWh (or 9,000kWh for some areas of the lower South Island) a year, then low user rates could be the best option for you – but these rates will only apply at your primary place of residence (ie not a bach or holiday home). There are exemptions, though, so it’s best to call us on 0800 496 469 and we’ll check what’s best for you.

More about Standard and Low User options.

If you’re eligible, it’s easy to swap between low and standard user rates on our online form.

Day/night rates, offer a cheaper power rate at night and charge a bit more for peak power used during the day. It’s a good option if no one’s home during the day, or you use an above-average amount of power at night.

Day/night rates are only available in some networks, and your meter set up may need to be changed to work with this plan (fees may apply for meter set-up changes). If you’d like to find out if day/night rates are available for you, please give us a call on 0800 496 496.

For Orion and Electra networks the night period is 9pm – 7am. For all other networks that offer this plan, the night period is 11pm – 7am.

Find your network company.

Nice one! We back EV drivers with our Electric Car Plan, available for residential customers who own a plug-in electric car. It includes rates designed specifically for electric car users with even cheaper power from 9pm in certain networks. You get guaranteed rates* for three years, a $300 bill credit and a free smart meter install, if you don’t have one already.

There are heaps of easy ways to pay your bill:

• Direct debit: your bill amount is automatically taken out of your bank account each month on the due date. You can set this up in your Meridian account.
• Credit/debit card: you can set up recurring credit or debit card payments, so your bill amount is automatically taken off your card each month on the due date. You can set this up in your Meridian account.
• Direct credit: you can pay your bill via your online or phone banking.
• In person: at any Westpac branch in New Zealand (you’ll need to take your power bill with you). You may also be able to pay at a PostShop – just give us a call on 0800 496 496 to find out if you can.
• By cheque: you can mail your cheques to us in the reusable envelope used for your bill along with the tear-off section from your bill (if you receive bills by post). If you get your bill online, you can mail your cheque to us with your account number and customer number written on the back. You can also pay by cheque in person at a branch of Westpac. 

If you need help paying your bill, give our team a call on 0800 496 496.

If you pay your bill manually and you need more time, just give us a call on 0800 496 496 and we’ll help you out. If you pay your bill via direct debit or recurring credit card, you can move the payment date yourself via your online account, as long as it’s not more than ten days after your original date.

Meridian Energy was the first New Zealand electricity retailer to remove prompt payment discounts (PPDs). Why? Because we believe that prompt payment discounts are unfair, but mostly to those who struggle to pay their power bills or are late for a payment date. We replaced PPDs with new lower tariffs that we consider are simpler and easier to understand.

The Electricity Price Review commended our actions. We’re proud to be industry leaders in this area by making a decision that’s fairer for all.

Just get in touch as soon as you can. We’ll have a look into this for you and, if it is incorrect, make it right as rain in no time.

Please use your account number for the reference when paying your bill by internet or phone banking. This can be found on the top left corner of your bill.

Electronic payments will usually show within two to three working days from the date you paid. Cheques will take a bit longer – usually between five and seven working days.

We’d prefer that you use that credit towards your next power bill, but in some cases we can process a refund. Give us a call on 0800 496 496 to discuss this with us.

It's super easy to move with us. You can sort it online in a few steps with our move form.

It’s easy to move your power. Just give us a call on 0800 496 777 and we’ll get it sorted for you.

We recommend you book your move with at least five working days’ notice to ensure we can make it as smooth as possible. If you need to arrange a move urgently, give us a call on 0800 496 469.

Call us on 0800 496 496 and we’ll look into it for you. We may be able to remotely reconnect you, depending on the type of meter at your property and how the power was disconnected.

If the meter setup for your new property is the same set up as your existing property and you’re staying in the same region, then we can move your existing plan to the new property on the same rates. If the meter set up is different or you’re moving to a different part of the country, then we can still move your plan, but the rates may differ. Just get in touch and we’ll be able to let you know whether or not they’ll change.

If you’re just moving your power account from one house to another one that’s already connected to electricity, it won’t cost you a cent.

If you’re looking to connect a new meter (for example, if you’ve just built a new house), the cost is $85 (or $135 for urgent requests on weekends, weekdays after 5pm, or within two business days). Your local network company may apply extra charges, too.

A standard remote reconnection is $25, and a standard physical reconnection is $125. However, reconnection costs will vary depending on the circumstances. There are also additional costs for urgent or rural reconnections.

To find out what type of reconnection applies to your property, give our team a call on 0800 496 496.

For remote reconnections, your power should generally be on within half an hour. For physical reconnections, the power should generally be on within four hours for urban customers or six hours for rural customers. While we will do our best to get you reconnected as quickly as possible, these reconnection times are an estimate and may vary.

Yes, someone aged 18 or over needs to be at the property to request the reconnection, and must stay there until the power’s been reconnected.

A Certificate of Verification (COV) verifies the safety of all internal electrical wiring for a property.

You’ll need one when you want to reconnect power to a property that’s been disconnected for more than six months, or change the mains connection into the house. The COV must be completed by an Electrical Inspector prior to a reconnection being raised, and you’ll need to show the reconnection contractor the documentation before they can start reconnection.

We can check if you need a COV for your reconnection. Just give us a call on 0800 496 496.

Yes, we can help arrange a temporary disconnection to ensure that you can work safely if you’re doing some DIY (or getting tradies in). Just give us a call on 0800 496 496.

The easiest way to tell if you’ve got a smart meter is to log into your online account and under the usage tab, click on 'Meter Readings'. If you have a smart meter, it will show 'actual' for the reading type and display meter reads for every day. If you don't have a smart meter, it’ll just say when it’s next due to be read.

To upgrade to a smart meter, just give us a call on 0800 496 496 and we’ll get you sorted.

If you log into your online account, under 'Your Rates' in the 'Usage' tab, you’ll see the meter type above the register number. You can also find your meter type on your bill, beside the register number.

If you log into your online account, under 'Your Rates' in the 'Usage' tab, you can also find your rates on your bill.

Yes, there are fees for meter changes, except for some electric vehicle meter changes where the first meter change is free. Call us on 0800 496 496 to find out more or to request a meter change. 

You can learn how to read your meter here.

Please be safe when you read your meter. Make sure you can reach it safely, and if there are any loose or exposed wires in the cabinet, don’t touch them – just give us a call instead.

If you’ve received a high bill and you’re worried about it, get in touch and we can discuss it with you. Here are a few things to consider that could be causing higher bills:

• Check if your bill is an estimate (it will say ‘estimate’ on your bill).
• Do you leave devices plugged in all day? These continue to use energy, even if they’re not in use. You may want to turn them off at the wall or unplug them if they’re not needed.
• Has there been extreme weather recently (eg very hot or very cold)? This can affect your usage.
• Do you have any old, outdated appliances? These are often less energy efficient than newer ones.
• Have you recently started using extra electronics, or are you using electronics more often than in the past?
• Have you had more people join your household, either temporarily or permanently?

If you’ve got a smart meter, it’s easy to track your usage in your online account. You can log in and see your power consumption through graphs that break down your power usage into half hour segments.

If you don’t have a smart meter you can still use your online account to track your usage. Just enter your meter readings yourself on a regular basis.

You can access your data from your online account at any time. Just log in and click on the usage tab. From there, click on the consumption data tab, and follow the instructions.

If you think your meter is broken, make sure you and others stay away from any live wires and shut off the main switch (if it’s safe to do so). If there’s any smoke or sparking, call 111.

You’re responsible for any repairs or corrections required to your meter, but we can arrange for a contractor to come and inspect your meter. If you’d like to do this, just give us a call on 0800 496 496.

If the contractor doesn’t find a fault, you’ll be charged a false fault fee.

Your meter set-up – or your ‘tariff’ – determines:

• how much of your supply your lines company (or network) can control, and
• how your power is measured – that is whether your meter can measure your day and night time usage, separately. Or whether your day and night time usage is bundled together.

If you have day/night metering you may pay less for the power you use at night (if the lines company in your network area incentivises usage at off-peak times). If you have controlled/uncontrolled metering you’ll generally pay less for the power your lines company can control. If you have inclusive or uncontrolled metering then all of your power usage will generally be charged at the same rate.

If you’d like to talk to us about the best metering set up for your household call us on 0800 496 496.

If you have a day/night meter your ‘day’ usage and your ‘night’ usage are measured separately. Many lines companies charge a lower rate for the power you use at night time – which goes from 9pm to 7am in Christchurch and 11pm to 7am in most other areas.

Night only metering means the power supply to certain appliances, for example a night store heater or hot water cylinder, can only be turned on at night. Night time goes from 9pm to 7am in Christchurch and 11pm to 7am in most other areas. Many lines companies charge a lower rate for the power you use at night time.

If you have controlled/uncontrolled metering the power your network company is able to ‘control’ is measured separately to the power that they can’t. Most networks will give you a discounted rate on the power they can control – which is usually the supply to your hot water cylinder. This is because they are able to switch off the ‘controlled’ portion of your supply for short periods, for example when the demand on their network is high or there are faults or emergencies on their lines.

With inclusive metering, your local network company ‘controls’ a portion of your power – which is usually the supply to your hot water cylinder. However they charge you the same rate for the ‘uncontrolled’ and ‘controlled’ portions of your supply. Unlike controlled/uncontrolled metering, which usually charges a lower rate for power to appliances that are wired to your ‘controlled’ supply.

Great choice! We’re big fans of people who choose to drive electric. Because of that, we’ve designed an Electric Car Plan just for EV drivers, and we’ll cover the cost of charging your EV for up to a year with a $300 bill credit*.

Find out more and enquire here.

*Terms and conditions apply.

No, the Electric Car Plan is for EV owners only. However, you can switch to our standard day/night plan if it’s available in your network. Give us a call on 0800 496 496 to see if you’re eligible.

If your car plugs into a power supply, yes you can! Our Electric Car Plan is designed for both plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and fully electric vehicles.

Keen to go solar and become a renewable energy generator yourself? Great choice!

To discuss solar power with us further, give our team a call on 0800 496 496.

Yes - we have a buy-back option for our solar customers where we’ll buy your excess solar at rates that are considered average prices on the New Zealand Electricity Market. We then apply that as a credit on your next power bill.

The first and most important thing you should do during a power outage is to stay safe. Turn off any sensitive appliances as they can become damaged with fluctuating power or a surge when power is restored. If there’s no planned outage, you should report your outage to your network. It could be due to a widespread outage, or a localised fault at your home.

Networks sometimes shut down the power supply in an area to:

• perform routine maintenance work
• ensure the safety of the powerlines/poles
• repair or upgrade their network
• ensure the ongoing stability of the supply to prevent future unplanned outages (faults).

Many networks will display their current outages and reasons on their websites.

Planned outages are run by network companies, so we’re not able to change these. Outages take place for a reason which means it’s very unlikely that the network will be able to cancel the outage or isolate a specific property from being affected.

If you’d like to know more about planned outages in your area, contact your network.

If you didn't get a notification of an outage, please contact us on 0800 496 496 and we’ll help find out how this happened.

If you’re medically dependent on power, check the time period for the outage and activate your back-up plan to ensure your safety while the power is out. If you need help creating or maintaining a back-up plan, please contact your healthcare provider. In an emergency during an outage, call 111.

If you have any questions about medical dependency and your electricity, just give us a call on 0800 496 496– we’re here to help.

Your local network company is responsible for outages, so you can check in with them if you have any questions regarding power outages in your network.

No, we don't provide gas/LPG – we only provide electricity, which we generate from 100% renewable sources.

However, if you’d like both electricity and gas, we can refer you to Elgas. They can provide gas and have an exclusive offer for Meridian customers.

Just give us a call on 0800 496 496 and we can refer you to Elgas.

Elgas is one of New Zealand's largest LPG retailers, operating in most parts of the North and South Islands.

To learn more about Elgas and their products, click here.

No, we don’t provide internet services. Electricity is our speciality, and we proudly generate it from 100% renewable sources.