With a little practice, you can be a master of off-peak power usage on our MoveMaster plan.
By moving more power off-peak, you’re not only reducing load on New Zealand’s national power grid and infrastructure, but you’re also more likely to be using electricity from cleaner generation sources as there tends to be less fossil fuel generated electricity in the system over night.
And on the MoveMaster plan, you can save money too, with better rates off-peak and half price at night (11pm-7am). It’s a win-win for the environment AND your hip pocket! That’s why we’re super proud of this plan.
It starts by moving anything that does not need to be done during peak hours. This includes using any large appliance like your washing machine or dishwasher. And anything that involves heating or cooling uses heaps of power. But the biggest win can come from shifting your swimming pool pump or spa pump energy usage to off-peak.
Here’s our tips on how to get the most out of your MoveMaster plan.
The easy steps!
Tip 1: Put your washing machine on before you go to bed. Many washing machines have an in-built delay system, so get the washing done in the small hours and unload in the morning.
Tip 2: Same goes for the dryer – if it’s too cold outside to dry your clothes properly, keep it use to late at night or very early morning if you can.
Tip 3: And the dishwasher – don’t put it on straight after dinner during the peak period when you’re not going to empty it until the next morning anyway. Delay that baby and it’ll cost you less.
If you do these three, you’re well on your way. For top savings, you could pop your Hour of Power on for 11pm as well – and that way the first hour of your washing/drying/dishwashing extravaganza will be 100% free!
For the big win – pool pumps
Tip 4: Nothing encapsulates the benefits of our MoveMaster plan like the easy win of ensuring your swimming pool or spa pump is used off-peak. Changing some energy usage habits isn’t that easy but running your pool pump overnight at half price is just a no-brainer! As well as a clean pool, you’ll get a clean conscience from knowing this energy usage is more likely to come from renewable sources.
Another huge contributor to your power bill is hot water
Tip 5: Try to shower at night, or early in the morning if you can (before 7am) and you will drastically reduce your hot water costs. Just remember, the hot water heats up after your shower.
Heating and cooling. This one is big too.
Tip 6: Heat your house before the peak hours in the morning. This will mean that you wake up to a warm house, and all that luxurious warmth would have been half price! Many heaters have timers built in, if not you can buy these – see the gizmos section below.
Cooling might be a bit more of a challenge given it’s usually hottest during peak times, but if you need to cool down, use your air con off-peak whenever possible – it all counts.
Tip 7: Make sure that you use a thermostat. Many people heat their houses too much – a cosy, but expensive, habit!
Charge, charge, charge!
Tip 8: Charge stuff at night. If you have an electric vehicle (EV) then this will make a huge difference, but even laptops and phones can be charged at night and be ready for you each morning, at half price! Remember, the more items you charge during the night (11pm-7am), the more you’ll save. Devices tend not to use much power in isolation, but this is a great example of a habit change that will save you lots of time.
Helpful Gizmos
Gizmo 1: Use the timers built-in to your devices to delay things at night, and to schedule things in off-peak hours.
Gizmo 2: If your devices don’t have timers, you can buy these. One option is smart plugs (such as Kasa). These are cheap and effective and allow you to control and schedule your devices from an app. This is perfect for a heater that has a thermostat in it but no timer, or if you just like apps.
Gizmo 3: If your heater has no thermostat, consider a Heater mate. These have timers and an accurate thermostat built in for any heater type and can turn themselves off on a timer or by an ideal temperature you set.
If you do all of this stuff, you can soon be saving a bundle on the MoveMaster plan. And by reducing load in the peak hours, you could not only be saving yourself money, but you could also be reducing your impact on the environment. Go you!
