Outages and faults
Find answers to common questions about power interruptions, fault reporting, and what to do during an outage.
I am Medically Dependent. What should I do if I have no power?
If it’s an emergency, call 111 immediately. If you have a backup plan, please utilise it if required.
We recommend working with your healthcare provider to create a backup plan for outages. This could include a battery or generator, depending on your needs.
To report a fault or outage, visit our Power networks page to see if you need to contact us or your network.
You can read our Consumer Care Policy here - Customer Care Policy | Meridian Energy.
How do I report a power outage or fault?
If you’re medically dependent and have no power, please follow your backup plan. In an emergency, call 111. Otherwise you can report an outage or fault to us by calling us on 0800 496 777, or directly contacting your network.
Some networks require you to contact them directly to report an outage or network fault. You can check which networks require you to contact them directly here.
To learn more about meter faults please see our Meter faults page.
What’s the difference between an outage and a fault?
An outage is any loss of electricity supply. It can be planned (for maintenance or upgrades) or unplanned (due to weather, accidents, or equipment failure).
A fault is a technical issue with the meter or network that usually needs a technician to fix and is generally not caused by external factors such as weather.
Meridian doesn’t repair internal electrical faults, such as issues with wiring or switchboards. 'Internal' refers to anything beyond the meter, including your home or business’s wiring and the switchboard where our meter is installed.
What should I do if I’m experiencing power quality issues?
Signs of power quality issues include flickering lights, appliances not working properly, or frequent outages.
Start by checking if your neighbours are affected. If they are, the issue may be with the local network.
If it’s just your property, it could be faulty wiring or appliances. An electrician can help identify the cause.
If your electrician finds no issue, check our Power networks page to determine whether to report the fault to Meridian or your network so it can be investigated.
I have power but no hot water. What should I do?
This could be a ripple relay issue (the device that controls your hot water electricity supply). It could also be that you have used all your hot water during a controlled period and need to wait for the network to restore power to your cylinder.
Before contacting us or your network, check that your circuit breakers haven’t tripped. If everything looks fine, we can log a no hot water fault for you.
This type of fault is often related to your metering. Visit our Meter faults page to learn more, then call us on 0800 496 777.
What is a planned outage?
A planned outage is a scheduled power cut for maintenance or infrastructure upgrades, which often helps prevent future unplanned outages. These are organised by your local network.
Some networks will notify customers directly, and Meridian will notify customers on behalf of some networks. Meridian or the network will usually give you at least four business days’ notice, or if it’s urgent, as much notice as possible.
A planned outage is scheduled. Can I request it to be moved to another time or day?
Although we cannot stop a planned outage from going ahead, we can request your network reschedule the outage if you have a good reason.
Often the network won’t be able to make changes, but we’re happy to pass the request on. If your network notified you directly about the planned outage, please reach out to them.
Contact us if you would like to request a change to your upcoming planned outage.