Calling anyone on Electric Kiwi: what is your average % saved on free hour?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Calling anyone on Electric Kiwi: what is your average % saved on free hour?

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#2486359 19-May-2020 14:36

mattwnz:
Wow, that is really low. I know an elderly woman who lives by herself in a small house who brags that her bill is just over $100 per month, so she would be impressed with that.

LED lighting, well-insulated HWC, no power-guzzling devices running 24/7, we don't go out of our way to save power but you can live fairly cheaply without missing out on anything. Just checked the last power bill and it was $58. In the winter it goes up to about $70 due to the heat pump.

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#2486364 19-May-2020 14:43

mattwnz:

Wolf555: Has anyone actually got a comparison of price per KW after all discounts/gimmicks etc taken into account for different providers?

Looking to potentially switch from Energy Online but I just can't be bothered with free hours, buying packs, or anything like that. As someone else said it's so hard to compare across providers.

Doesn't the powerswitch website work this out on their site?

Yes but for example (looking at it now) it tells me I could save $290 year by switching to Powershop which includes $114 discount (discount for what?) and then lists all of this:

The price estimate is based on forecast charges from Powershop for the next 12 months. It assumes that you purchase the Powershop Saver Powerpack once a month and Special Powerpacks that are made available from time to time. These Special Powerpacks are subject to change on an ongoing basis.

Powerswitch calculations include the First Weekend Free discount based on the average annual First Weekend Free savings for existing customers.

There's just too many gimmicks and ways the companies try and show you savings based on free hours/weekends which make massive assumptions about average use etc

I just want to know what is the cheapest without having to worry about all that stuff

Edit and switchme.co.nz not only gives me completely different numbers but also says Flick will save us more than Powership

antonknee

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#2486438 19-May-2020 15:45

mortonman:

antonknee:

42.3% is my average and 56% is my top. I've become a little obsessed with beating the previous day's number.

Would thoroughly recommend Electric Kiwi. If you want a $50 account credit any existing customer can give you a referral (they get a credit too).

Ill grab a refferal code from you. Makes the saving worth swapping over.

I have PM'ed you as well, but here's the link: https://www.electrickiwi.co.nz/RAFej2Lxye.

For anyone considering Electric Kiwi, I really would recommend them. You can achieve some good savings with their Stay Ahead plan (effectively a 10% bonus on your spend), plus obviously the Hour of Power makes a really good opporunity to shift your usage and maximise savings. Additionally I've also found their service to be very good - via live chat and over the phone.

antonknee

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#2486441 19-May-2020 15:49

Wolf555:

mattwnz:

Doesn't the powerswitch website work this out on their site?

There's just too many gimmicks and ways the companies try and show you savings based on free hours/weekends which make massive assumptions about average use etc

I just want to know what is the cheapest without having to worry about all that stuff

Edit and switchme.co.nz not only gives me completely different numbers but also says Flick will save us more than Powership

Yep, ultilities companies are big on Theresa Gattung's confusion marketing strategy. I will say in fairness to Electric Kiwi (and some others like Contact's Basic plan) they are transparent about what you are paying. Powerswitch do make some assumptions in their calculations and I imagine Switchme.co.nz just uses different calculations.

I believe for Powerswitch and Electric Kiwi specifically, they assume about a 10% saving from the hour of power which is apparently what the average Electric Kiwi customer saves.

thinkingtrex8848

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#2486448 19-May-2020 15:57

Geez that's a whole lot of referral code offers in this thread!
;)

Wolf555

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#2486453 19-May-2020 16:03

So I've done some numbers myself trying to take in account all the "freebies/bonuses" etc and got this

Per year

Current (Energy Online) = $2250 (includes 20% discount)

Flick LOW user (Fixie) = $2108 (no bonuses?)
Flick STD user (Fixie) = $2088 (no bonuses?)

Powershop = $2186 (includes first weekend each month free but I don't know how the Simple Saver / Specials work?)

Electric Kiwi = $2178 (includes 10% for hour of power)

So looking at that Flick is the cheapest, yet oddly enough it's the only one where my standard rate is cheaper than the low. All the others are slightly higher. I'm right around 8000 units per year (Auckland) so not sure whether to stay on low or move to standard.

Also Powershop seems to be the only one who offers off-peak rates in Auckland, am I correct in thinking this? I tried to average out their off/on peak rates for the above calculation (as I work from home during the day)

Obviously if I could use more free hour of power with EK it could potentially end up being the cheapest, but then if I use less it becomes only slightly better than my current plan and obviously the fact I need to change my usage habits.

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#2486465 19-May-2020 16:32

brownie112: Geez that's a whole lot of referral code offers in this thread!
;)

Indeed. Can we please not spam referral codes unless if you're specifically asked? I warned of this at the very start.

This thread is not about selling EK for anyone's personal gain...

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mattwnz

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#2486468 19-May-2020 16:42

Wolf555:

So I've done some numbers myself trying to take in account all the "freebies/bonuses" etc and got this

Per year

Current (Energy Online) = $2250 (includes 20% discount)

Flick LOW user (Fixie) = $2108 (no bonuses?)
Flick STD user (Fixie) = $2088 (no bonuses?)

Powershop = $2186 (includes first weekend each month free but I don't know how the Simple Saver / Specials work?)

Electric Kiwi = $2178 (includes 10% for hour of power)

So looking at that Flick is the cheapest, yet oddly enough it's the only one where my standard rate is cheaper than the low. All the others are slightly higher. I'm right around 8000 units per year (Auckland) so not sure whether to stay on low or move to standard.

Also Powershop seems to be the only one who offers off-peak rates in Auckland, am I correct in thinking this? I tried to average out their off/on peak rates for the above calculation (as I work from home during the day)

Obviously if I could use more free hour of power with EK it could potentially end up being the cheapest, but then if I use less it becomes only slightly better than my current plan and obviously the fact I need to change my usage habits.

If your motivation is to save money, then don't underestimate the value of the free hour of power. What I do is have an alarm on Alexa to turn thing on and off within that free hour. Some people use it to get the house warm in the mornings. But can also put your washing machine and dishwasher on and have a shower, and you maybe able to use 30% of your daily electricity within that free hour. Roughly working it out, the free hour is giving use about a 15% saving on top of the 200 stay ahead discount. Also the daily rate and kWh rate are both cheaper than my old power provider. They used to do some free offers, on certain days, but KE is a free hour everyday. My only fear is that the free hour will be phased out, and I will then probably have to look for another provider, as like you, they weren't quite the cheapest. But the free hour made the difference.

antonknee

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#2486470 19-May-2020 16:44

michaelmurfy:

Indeed. Can we please not spam referral codes unless if you're specifically asked? I warned of this at the very start.

This thread is not about selling EK for anyone's personal gain...

Yeah fair - I did try to mention the referral program in vague terms rather than specifically posting my link until it was requested.

Wolf555:

So looking at that Flick is the cheapest...

Obviously you're looking at Flick's Fixie plan - but for the benefit of other users, Flick's standard rates are spot pricing which can vary hugely. I would say that Stay Ahead with Electric Kiwi (ie the 10% bonus) works out at about the same rates as Flick's Fixie for my address - and that's before you take in to account any Hour of Power savings.

No provider will be perfect for everyone, and as much as EK works really well for me that won't be the case for all households. To prove eactly that point, my mum looked at Electric Kiwi and found they would be around $200 a year more expensive than her current provider even if she made significant changes to timing of usage to maximise the HOP.

thinkingtrex8848

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#2486513 19-May-2020 18:13

@antonknee

" To prove eactly that point, my mum looked at Electric Kiwi and found they would be around $200 a year more expensive than her current provider even if she made significant changes to timing of usage to maximise the HOP."

Interesting because my mum in law said the same thing and I almost was about to disagree but thought she's just being her usual self.

My understanding is that if EK rates are cheaper or same as competition, there is no way you can lose right? It's only a win-neutral or win-win scenario considering EK is providing everything the competition is PLUS the hour of power?

I could be very wrong!

antonknee

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#2486519 19-May-2020 18:18

brownie112: @antonknee

" To prove eactly that point, my mum looked at Electric Kiwi and found they would be around $200 a year more expensive than her current provider even if she made significant changes to timing of usage to maximise the HOP."

Interesting because my mum in law said the same thing and I almost was about to disagree but thought she's just being her usual self.

My understanding is that if EK rates are cheaper or same as competition, there is no way you can lose right? It's only a win-neutral or win-win scenario considering EK is providing everything the competition is PLUS the hour of power?

I could be very wrong!

Correct - really no way you could lose in that scenario. My mum is on rates that were fixed for a 3 year term from a while back which probably accounts for the difference.

As it happens, in fact Electric Kiwi say they will guarantee that you will save compared to your existing power company, and they'll give you a credit if you don't. I wasn't aware of that, so I might get mum to take another look.

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Wolf555

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#2486520 19-May-2020 18:18

I missed the EK Stay Ahead plan originally. Is this what everyone is on? Would be silly not to or am I missing something?

So basically assuming 10% discount for hour of power and 10% discount for the Stay Ahead top up it works out to be $1900/year for me, which is significantly cheaper than all the others. Not to mention EK offers the $50 referral code so I think it may be the best bet at the moment.

michaelmurfy

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#2486567 19-May-2020 18:19

@Wolf555 This is what I am trying myself - looks interesting, and appears cheaper than the plan I was on with Flick. Time will tell!

Wolf555

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#2486570 19-May-2020 18:25

antonknee do they still guarantee the first year of savings? I can't see it on their website.

edit: nvm it's in their FAQ. Definitely leaning towards EK over Flick now as surely can't go wrong...

wally22

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#2486583 19-May-2020 18:51

I loved Electric Kiwi while I was able to use them. As a single person household it was easy to organise my schedule around an Hour of Free Power (HOP). If you have several family members they all have to be on board and it will be harder to achieve higher HOP savings.

Last year for 6 months April to September (inc) HOP savings were 29.3% No heating (using a woodburner) and if for example, I forgot to turn the washing machine on, I left it for the next day. An hour of hot water heating was enough to shower luxuriously for one. If I had a long hot wash for the washing machine I ran it 11pm to 1am, using two days allocation of free power. There was a price increase on the 16th of July.

Below is rounded

Total days: 183
cost: $416
Paid kWH: 1244
Free kWH: 514

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