Energy Online - good or not

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colinuu

246 posts

Master Geek

#288667 15-Jul-2021 21:38

Anyone here buy electricity from Energy Online? I'm considering a change of supplier, their pricing for our location and usage is the lowest I can find by a considerable margin. www.powercompare.co.nz has 4 reviews for this company, 3 less than glowing, 1 extremely good...

So, I would be interested in your experience as a customer of theirs.

HaggisKiwi

94 posts

Master Geek

#2744872 15-Jul-2021 22:27

They're a sub-brand of Genesis. If you're not a fan of Genesis then don't go there.

SepticSceptic

2186 posts

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#2744873 15-Jul-2021 22:27

I was a customer of Energy Online until a few years ago.
Pretty sharp pricing and their prompt payment discount was good. 20% if I recall.

No problems dealing with then.
Only moved providers as I got a better deal with Pulse Energy.

michaelmurfy

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#2744874 15-Jul-2021 22:39

Also the "Compare" group (Broadband Compare, Power Compare etc) are VERY bias towards kickbacks they get. For example, with me it is also showing Energy Online + Genesis + Contact as the "Top" but if I use Consumer Powerswitch it is showing my current plan (with Electric Kiwi) is very good and I'll save minimal by switching + Energy Online are $2000 per year more expensive.

Always use Consumer Powerswitch - they are not bias and are there to save you money. I always steer people away from the "Compare" group because of how bias they are.

And NEVER base your decision on kickbacks, contracts etc. I personally find being with a provider that doesn't contract you in to be better price wise as they have to always keep you happy to keep your business. I'm personally with Electric Kiwi and find them great (using the Stay Ahead 200 plan) but they're also not the provider best suited for everyone. If you do end up joining them though I appreciate you using the link in my signature to fund my home lab :)

But again, always use Consumer Powerswitch + even ring or email around for the best deal.

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ANglEAUT

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#2744881 15-Jul-2021 23:07

SepticSceptic: I was a customer of Energy Online until a few years ago.
Pretty sharp pricing and their prompt payment discount was good. 20% if I recall.

No problems dealing with then.
...

Ditto. Web interface was minimal back then, but covered the basics. Nothing flashy. Practically no unwanted SPAM emails, quick support.

I'd say more of a set & forget type set up instead of extra bells & whistles like fancy graphs & other add-ons.

Please keep this GZ community vibrant by contributing in a constructive & respectful manner.

colinuu

246 posts

Master Geek

#2744888 15-Jul-2021 23:45

@michaelmurfy

I totally agree about Powerswitch. For our use case, Energy Online comes up significantly lower cost. The next best is Mercury (our current supplier). Our 2 year contract ends next month, price goes up and special discount disappears...

Wheelbarrow01

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Chorus

#2744893 16-Jul-2021 00:38

We're with Electric Kiwi at home but we use Energy Online for power and gas bottles at our bach. As we aren't there most of the time, we just wanted the cheapest possible daily rate (which they seem to have at that particular address). They also give us a $16 discount on each 45kg gas bottle due to having the power with them.

Their online account management interface used to be a bit crap but it's been overhauled and is actually quite good now - I can check the bill and order gas bottles easily direct from my IOS app. We're still getting a 20% online on-time discount but not sure how much longer with the govt mandated changes, however I believe they plan to adjust their prices down 20% to compensate (and introduce a late payment charge instead)

rugrat

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#2744895 16-Jul-2021 01:10

I’m looking at energy on line to.

My contract with Genesis ends next month, they are reducing my discount from 9% down to 6%.

I’m on night and weekend in Christchurch, looks like the night/weekend is around 10 cents vs 12 cents Genesis, the peak rate is 5 cents cheaper and they supply charge 20 cents less as well.

From what I can see Energy online doesn’t do discounts any more, but the above rates are more then 6% cheaper.

Electric Kiwi doesn’t work for me as they don’t do night and weekend rates, I used about 600 units at night and around 100 peak units. With night rates being about half of electric kiwi’s rates, every second hour is free power at off peak.

From what I can see Energy Online is contract free also. I will probably ring Genesis and ask for my 3 extra percent back, if they won’t budge I’ll switch.

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colinuu

246 posts

Master Geek

#2744987 16-Jul-2021 08:37

HaggisKiwi: They're a sub-brand of Genesis. If you're not a fan of Genesis then don't go there.

Any particular reason? Funnily enough, Genesis was the default supplier in our area back when the lines co split happened. We changed supplier after some years due to pricing being too high.

allio

885 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2745072 16-Jul-2021 09:57

Have been with EOL for about 5 years. Switched to them originally because their price for 45kg gas bottle rental was the lowest by some distance and we're very low users. It's increased since we joined (from $5 to $8/month for two bottles) but still pretty low.

I'm perfectly happy with them, the price seems fine compared to previous power companies I've used and I've never had a billing issue or any other kind of issue. I prefer my power to be completely in the background - not a fan of actively managing it like you have to do with Powershop, Electric Kiwi, Flick etc.

They emailed me this winter to suggest that the low user plan was no longer the most cost effective for me (having a baby will do that). Switched to the standard plan and indeed started to save a bit on the monthly bill. I appreciated that.

trig42

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#2745085 16-Jul-2021 10:31

We're with EOL - have been for years.

No complaints, and every time I've had to contact them, they've answered the phone quickly and been super helpful.

I've looked at changing a few times, but couldn't find anywhere better. We're a low use house, bill typically around $120 summer and $180 winter.

colinuu

246 posts

Master Geek

#2745395 16-Jul-2021 20:42

rugrat:

----

Electric Kiwi doesn’t work for me as they don’t do night and weekend rates, I used about 600 units at night and around 100 peak units. With night rates being about half of electric kiwi’s rates, every second hour is free power at off peak.

----

It's the low night rate that is significant for us, EOL much cheaper than all others. I wonder if they will stick with it in the long term? For now I think we will take advantage of it for as long as it is available. I'll give Mercury the opportunity to match, but somehow I don't see it happening.

colinuu

246 posts

Master Geek

#2756347 6-Aug-2021 20:39

To round this out - Mercury offered a one off $200 credit in exchange for a new 2 year fixed price contract, but no additional discounting. It amounts to something like 2.5% discount so they are still a long way off the mark. Also, Mercury want extra 2% for credit card payments vs 1% at EOL.

One phone call to EOL taken by a thoroughly pleasant young man was sufficient to confirm the prices on their website, set up our new account, and arrange for the switch on the day following the expiry of our current contract. Looking good so far.

Thanks to those who contributed to this discussion.