So I'm thinking this year after the TECT cheque in November, I might move power companies to get a lower monthly bill.

However I find the ones I'm looking at like Flick Electric that was recommended in a Geekzone NZ Broadband thread, require smart meters. And at least in Flick's case - require the customer to already have one. Trustpower's customer support seemed a bit clueless when I asked them about buying one. They had some rough pricing - maybe $180 they said - does that sound right? And no one could tell me if the ones they sold were compatible with Flick. Let alone what the actual models were. All Trustpower said is their smart meters only report back usage daily. But Flick requires every 30mins. Is Trustpower's daily interval only a reflection of their practices, and not of the hardware's capability?

Obviously regardless of power company requirements, I'd quite like to have far more frequent reporting (and an app or web tool to monitor usage) that'll tell me just how expensive XYZ appliance is to run - I reckon that'll help me save even more money.

So I'm coming here to ask you fine folk:

What are the better power deals for a working at home guy running a heat pump?

What's the scoop on smart meters? Reasonable cost? Compatibility? What am I after here? Before today began, I really didn't know much. And that hasn't changed a lot after talking with Trustpower :-D

Any other issues I might want to be aware of in order to get what I need for a better deal?

TIA so very much :-)