With the country eagerly looking ahead to warmer spring temperatures, Meridian’s hot water scheme is saving customers money, and shifting enough electricity away from peak hours to power around 1050 New Zealand homes for an entire day.
More than 20,000 Meridian and Powershop customers are currently enjoying a new hot water plan that automatically switches off the electricity supply to hot water cylinders during peak periods, before turning it back on when there’s less demand.
“For no impact and no effort on their part they’re automatically saving $120 a year”
Meridian Chief Customer Officer Lisa Hannifin says the product is already reducing almost 21MWh of demand from the grid during the busiest times of the day. In return, Meridian is rewarding those customers with a $10 monthly credit on their electricity bill.
She says it’s a win-win for customers and the country.
“Hot water cylinders have stored energy that can be used over a long period of time before needing to be topped up again. We’re harnessing that flexibility to reduce pressure on the grid and reward customers for the role they play.”
“Customers are telling us they aren’t noticing any change, or experiencing cold showers, so for no impact and no effort on their part they’re automatically saving $120 a year. This is just one way we’re working to help customers reduce their overall energy bill and helping secure the country’s electricity supply for the benefit of all New Zealanders.”
The Smart Hot Water scheme was trialled across the Powershop and Meridian brands earlier this year, before making it available to all eligible customers. As the product is currently tied to specific technology and agreements with specific lines networks, it is not yet available throughout New Zealand.