Electricity Price Increases

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895 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 529

#3465177 26-Feb-2026 14:04

I rolled my eyes when I got my Genesis email last week but looking at this thread, I seem to be doing better than many. Unit cost went up by about 8%, but my fixed charge went down by more than that and my natural gas price actually went down across the board.

Still don't exactly feel like I'm winning as my gas price essentially doubled when I was migrated from Frank to Genesis.

I really don't begin to understand how the different prices everyone gets are calculated.

petearr:

Just got an email saying Frank Energy are putting their prices up from 19th March.
Going from:

Per Day : 1.76
Per kWh: 0.210

to:

Per Day : 2.2848
Per kWh: 0.2527

TBH I thought they would have fully shut down by now. Might be time to finally jump ship.

Looks like Frank now just has the same pricing as Genesis. I imagine the next step is that Frank ceases to exist.

k1w1k1d

1711 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1305

#3465181 26-Feb-2026 14:15

Low user with Mercury in Christchurch

dantheperson

226 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 62

#3465186 26-Feb-2026 14:40

Shindig:

Alot of the providers I'm looking at now are charging these daily rates.

You can't avoid it...

Well add a couple 10kWh batteries to a solar install

Then go off-grid. At $3.66/day the batteries will pay for themselves in 4.3 years. Then add the unit savings on top.

Though if you're on high user, you probably want a bit more than 20kWh storage

dantheperson

226 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 62

#3465188 26-Feb-2026 14:42

allio:

I rolled my eyes when I got my Genesis email last week but looking at this thread, I seem to be doing better than many. Unit cost went up by about 8%, but my fixed charge went down by more than that and my natural gas price actually went down across the board.

Still don't exactly feel like I'm winning as my gas price essentially doubled when I was migrated from Frank to Genesis.

I really don't begin to understand how the different prices everyone gets are calculated.

Looks like Frank now just has the same pricing as Genesis. I imagine the next step is that Frank ceases to exist.

Where are you based to get such low daily gas charges?

Just got my gas increase today from Nova for AKL region, $2.57/day now.

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4795

#3465189 26-Feb-2026 14:44

KiwiSurfer:

$3.66 for the daily charge means you're paying minimum ~$100+ a month just for the power connection. Yikes.

its crazy really. It is another single person tax. Also hitting low income and elderly very hard. The justification for the removal of the low user daily rate made no sense to me and just allowed power companies to increase their margins imo

HarmLessSolutions

1228 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 808

Subscriber

#3465190 26-Feb-2026 14:46

dantheperson:

Shindig:

Alot of the providers I'm looking at now are charging these daily rates.

You can't avoid it...

Well add a couple 10kWh batteries to a solar install

Then go off-grid. At $3.66/day the batteries will pay for themselves in 4.3 years. Then add the unit savings on top.

Though if you're on high user, you probably want a bit more than 20kWh storage

Or for off-grid applications consider a V2H capability for your EV. That way if the sun doesn't shine enough to generate what you need then you can head down to the nearest public charger and bring some electricity home. Not the cheapest electricity on offer but if it means you can moderate home battery capacity the numbers may well stack up.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

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kangaroo13

87 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 90

#3465195 26-Feb-2026 14:53

HarmLessSolutions:

dantheperson:

...

Well add a couple 10kWh batteries to a solar install

Then go off-grid. At $3.66/day the batteries will pay for themselves in 4.3 years. Then add the unit savings on top.

Though if you're on high user, you probably want a bit more than 20kWh storage

Or for off-grid applications consider a V2H capability for your EV. That way if the sun doesn't shine enough to generate what you need then you can head down to the nearest public charger and bring some electricity home. Not the cheapest electricity on offer but if it means you can moderate home battery capacity the numbers may well stack up.

Agreed.

Nevertheless, with the FiT rates still fairly generous in New Zealand (and export limits recently raised), you may still be better of staying connected to the grid to sell excess, rather than moving entirely off grid. Should FiTs drop, then going off grid becomes increasingly more appealing, and it would make sense to have this as a potential upgrade path for any solar install.

wellygary

8810 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 5287

#3465196 26-Feb-2026 15:01

mattwnz:

its crazy really. It is another single person tax. Also hitting low income and elderly very hard. The justification for the removal of the low user daily rate made no sense to me and just allowed power companies to increase their margins imo

Megan Woods got so blinded by advice that rich bach and solar panel owners needed to pay their fair share, but the collateral damage took out pretty much all the customers that the Helen Clark government protected when they introduced them...

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/low-fixed-charges-electricity-now-widely-offered

timmmay

20858 posts

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+1 received by user: 5350

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3465197 26-Feb-2026 15:03

dantheperson:

Well add a couple 10kWh batteries to a solar install

Then go off-grid. At $3.66/day the batteries will pay for themselves in 4.3 years. Then add the unit savings on top.

Though if you're on high user, you probably want a bit more than 20kWh storage

I had a conversation with an AI about going off grid. Given our consumption we would need a generator, particularly in winter, as we don't produce near enough power in winter, so maybe a 5kw generator. You have to buy it, maintain it, buy fuel, and replace it occasionally. It worked out uneconomic for us. If you have enough solar panels or live in a sunnier place than Wellington (i.e. anywhere else I guess) then maybe it's more viable.

mattwnz

20515 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 4795

#3465198 26-Feb-2026 15:10

wellygary:

mattwnz:

its crazy really. It is another single person tax. Also hitting low income and elderly very hard. The justification for the removal of the low user daily rate made no sense to me and just allowed power companies to increase their margins imo

Megan Woods got so blinded by advice that rich bach and solar panel owners needed to pay their fair share, but the collateral damage took out pretty much all the customers that the Helen Clark government protected when they introduced them...

https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/low-fixed-charges-electricity-now-widely-offered

You would think Greypower would be lobbying to bring them back, as this would be badly affecting many of their base. Also that Winston would be for bringing them back to help elderly . Maybe that will be an election policy.

Overseas some places give a discount of living by yourself. Such a council taxes get a 25% discount

allio

895 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 529

#3465206 26-Feb-2026 15:33

dantheperson:

Where are you based to get such low daily gas charges?

Just got my gas increase today from Nova for AKL region, $2.57/day now.

I'm in Auckland too, centralish suburbs. As I said I really don't understand how the differences can be so large. This thread is quite illuminating actually.

I would be checking out Genesis if I were you. I thought I was paying a lot as my previous prices with Frank were $1.60 daily and 7.80 c/kWh.

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pab

110 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 24

ID Verified

#3465211 26-Feb-2026 15:41

k1w1k1d:
Low user with Mercury in Christchurch

Similar prices, though the increase is quite the shock.

Daily +24%
Night +11%
Weekday +17%

WolfmanNZ

148 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 41

#3465214 26-Feb-2026 15:48

HarmLessSolutions:

Or for off-grid applications consider a V2H capability for your EV. That way if the sun doesn't shine enough to generate what you need then you can head down to the nearest public charger and bring some electricity home. Not the cheapest electricity on offer but if it means you can moderate home battery capacity the numbers may well stack up.

I am really interested in V2H but is it legal yet to have this installed outside of the Queenstown trial group, or is that the test case to see if its 'ok' to be able to legislate it or whatever to be available for everyone?

We went like this. he went like that. I say "Where'd he go?" Hollywood says "Where'd WHO go?!"

HarmLessSolutions

1228 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 808

Subscriber

#3465232 26-Feb-2026 16:02

WolfmanNZ:

HarmLessSolutions:

Or for off-grid applications consider a V2H capability for your EV. That way if the sun doesn't shine enough to generate what you need then you can head down to the nearest public charger and bring some electricity home. Not the cheapest electricity on offer but if it means you can moderate home battery capacity the numbers may well stack up.

I am really interested in V2H but is it legal yet to have this installed outside of the Queenstown trial group, or is that the test case to see if its 'ok' to be able to legislate it or whatever to be available for everyone?

Our solar installer here in Taranaki is already doing V2H capable solar using the Sigenergy components. The key to this is that the DC EV charger can operate bidirectionally and because it is on the DC side of the inverter the charger and EV are both not directly connected to the grid (being 'behind the inverter') so don't require grid compliance as the inverter satisfies that requirement. The EV just acts as an additional DC power source in the same way that the PV panels or battery modules do.

Sigenergy have a growing list of EVs that can be utilised in this way though of course checking EV warranty conditions aren't breached would be advisable.

https://www.harmlesssolutions.co.nz/

dryburn

440 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 92

#3465242 26-Feb-2026 17:42

Auckland is pretty rough

$2.68 exGST daily

$0.26 / kWh exGST

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