Energy efficiency & saving power

If you receive a benefit or superannuation you will also automatically receive a Winter Energy Payment during winter months. 

For more information contact the Ministry of Social Development or visit their website

Spending your Winter Energy Payment on energy saving measures could save you money in the long term.

Check out some ideas below or visit the EECA energywise website for more tips.

Our online tools offer a sophisticated but convenient way to keep tabs on your energy consumption. This services allows you to:

• Track how much power you’re using and how much it costs
• Stay on top of your energy usage with our weekly or monthly power use update emails.
• No more bill surprises — set up an email alert to give you a heads up if you’re tracking towards a bill that might be higher than usual.
• Explore our power use graphs to get insights into when you’re using the most power, and how much it’s costing you.

Note: you'll need a smart meter to access some of the power use features.

FIND OUT MORE

The following formula helps to work out the estimated power use, and cost, of any appliances in your home. 

watts (of your appliance) x hours used per day ÷ 1000 = the daily kilowatt per hour (kWh) usage

Once you have this information, you can multiply the kWh by the cost of your power (use a per kWh cost that includes electricity authority levies but excludes daily charges).

For example: 1000 watts (average clothes iron) x 0.25 hours per day ÷ 1000 = 0.25 kWh per hour x 27 cents per kWh (theoretical electricity supplier’s price) = 6.75 cents per day.

In effect, your ironing is costing you on average 47.25 cents per week (about a $1.89 per month).