Looking to change power companies

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concordnz

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#282654 4-Mar-2021 10:50

I havnt changed power companies in 10-20 years,

Im now using a 'decent' amount of power per month, - which could well make it worth changing provider.

I'm currently with Mercury Energy,
Using 4100kw/h power each month
And my rates After their 1st April 2021 rises are:
(Excluding Gst)
Daily Charge. $2.3020
KW/h Charge $0.1897
KW/h Ele Auth Levy $0.12
Prompt payment discount 10% & Loyalty discount 3%
(I won't answer any questions regarding how/why I'm using so much power - except to say it is perfectly legit & above board.
I won't entertain any posts about Solar in this thread - its not relivant or pertainant, to the specific question I'm asking & adds no value to this thread)

I have no 'care' about 'free hours' apart from the 1/24th cost benefit it gives me.
(I have no interest in trying to 'move' any power use, as the amount which is not 'fixed' is very little, making it immaterial)

Question: Are my current Mercury rates competitive?
Or are there better power options out there?
(I will only move for bigger than 3% benefit)

Yes:I have researched geekzone threads - most are 3+ years old.
Yes:I have contacted Mercury for a better deal - they suggested 'a worse deal, locked in for 2 years....'
Yes:I've tried various Power switch Websites - their numbers seem wildly various.

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#2667662 4-Mar-2021 11:03

There are a number of power price comparison sites available, such as Powerswitch, SwitchMe, Powercompare etc.

I've just switched power companies last month.

Although the calculators ask you to put in your recent months usage, I logged into my power company's user portal and looked up my usage across the whole year and used that figure to gain a comparison, so gave me a better indication of savings over a year.

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michaelmurfy

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#2667669 4-Mar-2021 11:05

I'm not going to recommend any particular power provider as yes, your rates are rather expensive. But as you know this depends on where you live.

To put things into perspective my rates (with Electric Kiwi) are:

Usage cost: $0.1810 per kWh
Fixed cost of: $1.6800 per day

(excl GST) - I only use around 800kWh and am on the standard plan.

What I do every now and then is email around to each provider asking them for their "best rate" and saying they only have one chance. Often they do give me some rather competitive rates to pick from. In my case, EK actually works out the cheapest based off my use but I don't think it'll work well for you.

It sounds like you've done your research - may I ask where you're based?

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#2667674 4-Mar-2021 11:17

concordnz: I havnt changed power companies in 10-20 years,

Yes:I have researched geekzone threads - most are 3+ years old.

Just checking - have you seen this from a few weeks ago?
https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=48&topicid=281443

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kiwiharry

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#2667675 4-Mar-2021 11:17

I'm now with Pulse.

My rates (ex GST) for comparison are:

$1.78/d

$0.1477/kWh

We use about 11500kw per year.

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timmmay

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#2667676 4-Mar-2021 11:17

Use one of the power switch sites, for that fairly high usage your per unit rate will be most important. You haven't said where you are so people can't help much.

I use EK, if you want a $50 bonus on sign up (I get the same) you can use this link. In Wellington I pay $0.1966 per kwh. In the middle of winter we might get to 2000kwh, in summer it's about 800kwh and we use air conditioning a lot.

dryburn

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#2667682 4-Mar-2021 11:34

Depending on where you are and if you have a smart meter. I'd say look at Electric kiwi stay ahead plan, they automatically direct debit with $200 and then give an extra $20 into your account.

My rates are:

Usage cost: $0.2039 per kWh
Fixed cost of: $2.05 per day

say you use 4100Kw per month

Total Cost per month including fixed $1584.24

7 direct debits in the month = $1400 (cost to you)

7 extra $20 = $140

Combined $40 left to pay

Just that alone would save extra ~$261 not even factoring the free hour of power.

Happy to answer more questions

dolsen

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#2667685 4-Mar-2021 11:42

As others have mentioned, without a (rough) location no one will be able to give accurate advice as the cost varies by location.

concordnz:

I have no 'care' about 'free hours' apart from the 1/24th cost benefit it gives me.
(I have no interest in trying to 'move' any power use, as the amount which is not 'fixed' is very little, making it immaterial)

From the above, can we infer that the load is spread evenly over 24 hours (ruling out any day / night plans)?

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michaelmurfy

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#2667686 4-Mar-2021 11:46

Guys - please don't start posting referral codes for your own personal gain. What works for you may not work well for others and considering this is quite a lot of use per month it would be better for the OP to email around to find the best deal.

jonathan18

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#2667688 4-Mar-2021 11:48

concordnz:
Yes:I've tried various Power switch Websites - their numbers seem wildly various.

Assume you're meaning PowerSwitch and others like this? My sense is they're pretty accurate for straight-forward packages but are less so when having to make assumptions about things like an 'hour of free power'.

Also, are your findings based on your actual usage data over a representative timeframe? (Last time I did it I used a full year's worth of data.)

And if the numbers are still 'wildy various' how about taking the top couple of options from each of these sites and calculating the charges yourself? Doesn't take much work on a spreadsheet to do so.

Calculating your possible bill based on your own usage and using rates relevant to your own location/meter setup etc is going to be more relevant and useful to your situation than generic questions.

rhy7s

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#2667695 4-Mar-2021 12:18

Talking about regional differences, is there anywhere that provides the approximate difference to be expected by region? We're in Northland and with Vocus. Every time I look at power comparison sites or get called with offers over the phone, the offers hardly ever get close to our rates despite ours going up over 10c a kWh since we've been with them. Currently we are on $1.765 daily charge, $0.349 day charge and $0.178 night charge. Hearing people complain about much lower rates down south feels a bit like you don't know how good you've got it. I still think it's an amazing service and resource for the dollars vs doing it yourself though.

zenourn

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#2667704 4-Mar-2021 13:09

As others have said this is very much going to depend on the network you are on.

I'm in North Canterbury and also are a large power user. I'm with Powershop and their anytime use rates (GST inclusive) are:

$2.7376/day
$0.1212/kWh - $0.1459/kWh depending on the month - lowest in summer, highest in winter

The lower $/kWh rate is primarily due to MainPower having a low network rate of $0.02227/kWh.

boosacnoodle

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#2667706 4-Mar-2021 13:13

No one here can realistically actually say what will work best for you as it depends on time of use, location (energy network), metering configuration and provider (MEP) and a bunch of other factors. The best thing to do would be to use Consumer Powerswitch. This is actually endorsed by EECA and Consumer, so is legit. If you are using that much however you may want to inquire not as a residential user as some providers may have sharper pricing, as your use is more in-line with a business.

Scott3

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#2667763 4-Mar-2021 13:53

Best bet is to spend three or so hours getting quotes from every power company you can think Of. Recently did this (came off a fixed price plan and a massive increase in cost was propsed). Ended up with pulse energy (16.494c/kWh + 178c/day incl GST, in central Auckland). Be aware some take your details and email or phone you back.

No body here will be able to tell you if the price you are getting at the moment is good or bad, as pricing varies by location.

That said power companies usually take a fatter margin with long standing customers. With your extremely high power consumption there could potentially be hundreds of dollars a bill of savings to be had. Well worth getting heaps of quotes.