To be blunt, this is just paying to feel good,

The windfarms etc, are already feeding their power into the grid, all this crowd are doing is sending you a certificate to say they made sure your usage was matched by some renewable generation.

In NZ I would not bother, Overall the NZ grid was 85% renewable last year ( and the renewable % has been steadily rising)

In the US it was 13%, [ Coal, Gas and nuclear was 86%)

Yes, I have signed with Ecotricity.  https://ecotricity.co.nz/

kotuku4:

 

Yes, I have signed with Ecotricity.  https://ecotricity.co.nz/

 

 

 

 

 

+1 for Ecotricity. We're looking at moving our power over to them. I had a good chat to one of the people there, and what they're doing around CarbonZero power sounds great.

CamH:

 

kotuku4:

 

Yes, I have signed with Ecotricity.  https://ecotricity.co.nz/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

+1 for Ecotricity. We're looking at moving our power over to them. I had a good chat to one of the people there, and what they're doing around CarbonZero power sounds great.

 

Thanks, kotuku4, just what I'm looking for.

wellygary:

 

To be blunt, this is just paying to feel good,

 

The windfarms etc, are already feeding their power into the grid, all this crowd are doing is sending you a certificate to say they made sure your usage was matched by some renewable generation.

 

In NZ I would not bother, Overall the NZ grid was 85% renewable last year ( and the renewable % has been steadily rising)

 

In the US it was 13%, [ Coal, Gas and nuclear was 86%)

 

Paying to feel good is what we do!  I'm thinking food, wine, and so on -- but yes, there are some things I wouldn't pay for...

How does Ecotricity guarantee that they power they deliver to you is 100% renewable? As someone already said, it's all distributed on the same grid that, say,  Whirinaki is? 

Actually, just re-read it, they 'source' only renewable, but what is delivered to the consumer could be gas from the gas fired plants (especially during the peak times when the peaker plants are viable to operate)

Here are some of the reasons why Ecotricity ticks all the boxes in so many ways.

carboNZero Certified Electricity

We provide the only Electricity to be 100% Renewable and carboNZero Certified. We only source electricity from wind, hydro and solar.

Bill Transparency

No double dipping.  All lines charges are passed on at cost.  All metering charges are passed on at average cost.  Electricity authority charges are passed on at average cost.

Emissions Advocacy

There is plenty of work that goes on behind the scenes to help bring change in the New Zealands energy sector. Part of your Ecotricity bill goes towards promoting renewable energy, transport electrification and the move away from methane (natural gas).

100% Kiwi

We’re proud to be owned and operated 100% by Kiwi’s and Kiwi business. All profits stay in New Zealand.

49% Community Owned

Ecotricity is 49% owned by Pioneer Generation which is Community owned and has been in operation since 1924.

100% Electric Vehicle Fleet

Ecotricity is the only New Zealand electricity retailer where 100% of our company owned vehicles are electric (EV) or plug-in-hybrid-electric (PHEV).

Get Off The Gas

It’s time to put a stop to the growing use of gas.  Some electricity companies talk about being renewable, then will sell you gas to heat your office or home.  Gas should only be used for industrial purposes where no other option is available. We don’t sell gas.  Gas emits up to 5 times more CO2e than electricity, take a look at our Carbon Knowledgesection to find out more.

No Estimates

No surprises! All bills are based on actual consumption. If you have an older type meter we’ll do our best to upgrade you to a smart meter, in most cases at no extra cost.

Supporting Kiwi Companies

We are the only electricity provider to be using Kiwibank, NZ’s very own bank! We also, where possible, support other Kiwi companies like Xero, Juicepoint and many more by using NZ products or services."

kotuku4: "Ethical & Clean Energy

 

Here are some of the reasons why Ecotricity ticks all the boxes in so many ways.

 

carboNZero Certified Electricity

 

We provide the only Electricity to be 100% Renewable and carboNZero Certified. We only source electricity from wind, hydro and solar.

 

 

 

Found the answer, which is in effect, they can't guarantee they only source renewable electricity and send it to you.

"Can we guarantee each electron comes from only renewables?

No. However, because electricity is a fungible / interchangeable commodity throughout New Zealand we are able to very accurately account for how much we are supplying our customers and conversely purchasing from renewable resources. The net effect therefore is that we are only supplying from certified renewable sources."

They are still purchasing on the spot market. How would they know if Contact is offering from the Clyde Dam, or Whirinaki gas gas plant?

Smoke and mirrors if anyone claims to sell clean power in NZ. 

There is 1 national grid in NZ which all the generators feed into.

Meridian for example might only generate clean energy, bu the day they need to supply mroe than they generate they are buying dirty energy too.

As someone said - try and reduce power use during peak periods. This is when the natural gas power plants are spooled up and small diesel generators may also be used by large power users for peak smoothing.

I'm thinking of switching to Ecotricity.  I'm with Flick now and taking last week's power usage (74.4 kwh) as an example, Flick charged me $22.54, the Ecotricity quote (for HB low user) is $22.19.

The daily charge is twice ($0.30) what Flick charge but clearly a slight difference in kwh rate makes up for that.

Even if Ecotricity's marketing is based on the notion of supplying "100% renewable" power, I don't see it being much worse than Flick making you think you are in control, where I take the risk of spikes yet they add a substantial markup.  Flick offer "tools" to help you monitor the price but I find the units inconsistent and therefore unhelpful, plus I'm not seeing a payback for the effort.

Are geekzone Ecotricity customers happy?

I am happy with Ecotricity.

There was a glitch with manual payments to their bank account not being directed to my account, but they seem to have solved this.  I like to top up a bit now and then, and don't like direct debits.  With Solar PV generation and some lines company dividends my power account in stays in credit over the summer months.

There are graphs of power usage and generation, that can be exported.

The predicted usage indicator value does not seem to add up to the actual invoice sum, i my case.  But is a useful indicator of usage. 

Yes they do say 100% renewable and certified 100% carbon zero.

The best thing about power companies now is that it is easy to change if you are not happy.

JonnyCam:

 

How does Ecotricity guarantee that they power they deliver to you is 100% renewable? As someone already said, it's all distributed on the same grid that, say,  Whirinaki is? 

 

Actually, just re-read it, they 'source' only renewable, but what is delivered to the consumer could be gas from the gas fired plants (especially during the peak times when the peaker plants are viable to operate) 

 

It's carbon zero. They make the effort to ensure they aren't net emitters. They buy *genuine* carbon credits if they need to.....(not fake ones like the govt did until they got caught).  

About CarbonZero

I've been on Powershop since they started in 2008, but I'm thinking about Ecotricity. I've met Mark Barlev. He and his brother Carl are the founders. They drive EVs and do all they can to promote lower emissions and clean energy. They operate the "bluecars.nz" EV car rental agency. 

They walk the talk.