“Making our customers happy is the reason we turn up to work” says Electric Kiwi CEO Luke Blincoe. “We are working hard to do better and better all the time. We have a small team, but we are all very driven to make a difference for our customers”

In the Consumer NZ survey, Electric Kiwi had 65% of its customers reporting that they were very satisfied.

“We are proud to get the award, but working hard to do even better next year”, says Luke.

Electric Kiwi is New Zealand’s fastest growing Electricity company and has just released a new smartphone app that allows customers to manage their accounts from their phones.

If you are not yet a customer, and you like the sound of guaranteed savings, no contracts and an hour of free off-peak power every day, you can Join Electric Kiwi now.

The post Electric Kiwi wins a 2018 Peoples Choice Award appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

A big THANK YOU to all our customers who have made this possible, we couldn’t have done this without your support.

Each year, Canstar Blue asks thousands of electricity customers to rate their retailer on key criteria. This year twelve different retailers feature in the results with Electric Kiwi coming out on top.

Electricity retailers were reviewed and compared on factors such as customer service, value for money and overall customer satisfaction.

Electric Kiwi, achieved the maximum five-star reviews in five out of six criteria as well as five-star with overall customer satisfaction.

Chief Executive, Luke Blincoe, says:

“Electric Kiwi is delighted to have won the Canstar Blue Most Satisfied Customers Award. It’s clear proof that consumers are looking for innovative solutions and becoming more discerning about the quality of experience they expect from their energy provider. We’re really proud of the way our team has made our customers advocates of the Electric Kiwi brand by delivering an exceptional customer experience, and it’s great to see how much customers love Electric Kiwi – so thanks to our team and our customers who have made this possible. ”

If you’re interested in guaranteed savings, no contracts, awesome online service and one hour of free power every day, then join Electric Kiwi – Rated #1 for Customer Satisfaction.

The post Winners of Customer Service Award appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

A recent article in Stuff.co.nz by Susan Edmunds suggests if you’re not happy with your retailer and their pricing it’s easy to switch.

Households are being warned: Get set for power price increases.
Lines companies around the country review their prices each year on April 1. That is often a catalyst for the retailers to hike their own.

Vector, the lines company that serves much of Auckland, is raising the average distribution component of its prices by 0.8 per cent. Wellington and Christchurch distributors are yet to reveal their plans.

Luke Blincoe, chief executive of Electric Kiwi, said his firm would not pass on any increases in lines company charges. He said the increases this year were small, and the company would look at how to better leverage data and technology to absorb the cost.

Continue reading the article in the link below

Households told to shop around for better power deal as prices rise, article from Stuff.co.nz

The post Households told to shop around for better power deal as prices rise – Stuff.co.nz appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

The hydrolakes are now at good levels, meaning generators are unlikely to have to rely on more expensive generation, from non-renewable sources, to meet demand.

“The hydrolakes are tracking well above average storage levels for this time of the year,” said Electricity Authority chief executive Carl Hansen.

Such a high level of hydro storage for the start of 2017 means more expensive generation may not have to operate as often and is currently leading to low prices for wholesale electricity contracts for 2017. Now is a very good time for consumers to look for electricity retailers offering sharp prices which will help consumers to save money on their power bill.

Electric Kiwi managing director Julian Kardos said his firm had no plans to raise prices this year for loyal customers.

Continue reading the article in the link below

Rain-soaked summer may be blessing for power bills, article from Stuff.co.nz

The post Rain-soaked summer may be a blessing for power bills – Stuff.co.nz appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

We’re in the midst of a technology-driven change of such significance that it’s being called the Fourth Industrial Revolution – and while it is technology that is driving change, it isn’t technology which is at the centre of focus. Instead, it is you, the customer. Technology is putting more power in your hands: power to choose, power to control, and power to manage.

That technology is as obvious as the smartphone in your hand, but it extends much further. Behind the device is an online world of computing power and clever software (in some cases, quite literally clever, as advances are being made in predictive analytics and artificial intelligence) which enables things like Siri to work. That technology was once exceptionally expensive and limited to the very few. Today, it is so accessible that it is given away to consumers for free, through the likes of Google services.

Continue reading the article in the link below

The age of customer power, article from NZBusiness.co.nz

The post We’re in the age of customer power – NZBusiness appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

Smart meters power smart savings in Counties

Franklin district electricity lines company Counties Power has during the past few years invested in ~30,000 household smart meters. This means 87 per cent of homes in the area now have one.

The cost to Counties Power is likely to be more than $4.5 million. However, until now, households in the area have been unable to reap the rewards (and savings) smart meters can provide.

Smart meters can help power companies deliver innovative services to New Zealand homes, but they're under-utilised by the big power companies.

Fortunately, new companies such as Electric Kiwi are now making smart meters work for their customers. They are providing Kiwi families with more choice and better savings on their power bills – on average, Electric Kiwi customers saved 18 per cent off their bills during the recent winter months.

With Electric Kiwi launching this month in Pukekohe and the Franklin district, the entire Counties Manukau area can now access the same great deals.

“We’re delighted to be able to provide affordable power to more regions and we’re thrilled to now also enter the Counties market,” says Electric Kiwi managing director Julian Kardos.

Electric Kiwi has developed super-efficient systems and processes which make it less costly to provide electricity. Because Electric Kiwi is 100 per cent online, it has made it easy for customers to change power suppliers online.

Kardos says smart meters, which are installed in around 70 per cent of all Kiwi households nationwide, are at the heart of Electric Kiwi’s ability to keep costs lower. He says Electric Kiwi is so confident its customers will save in the first year, it’s guaranteed.

“Extra information provided by smart meters enables Electric Kiwi to analyse customers’ power use and create a more efficient billing platform that differentiates between time periods in a day,” Kardos says.

“We can then optimise customer savings and deliver low power prices every day of the year. Electric Kiwi also provides more savings to all customers with a free off-peak ‘Hour of Power’ where all electricity used during that one hour is free. Some customers save an additional 20 per cent or more on their bill, over and above everyday low prices.

“Running the washing machine, the dishwasher and other power-hungry appliances during the free ‘Hour of Power’ is an easy way to increase your power savings each day,” says Kardos. “A few simple changes to when you start appliances can help achieve great savings.”

If you would like to take control and unlock your savings potential head to our Join page and find out more.

The post Smart meters power smart savings in Counties – Manukau Courier appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

Check out the article below:

Smart power

Until recently, energy companies have been the one-eyed king in the land of the blind, providing consumers with confusing information and a lack of choice, while pocketing healthy profits.

Not any more. A streamlining exercise by the Electricity Authority has opened up the market to competition, and the new boys are riding in on the cloud, with an iPad in their scabbard.

Here are three of the new kids on the block:

ELECTRIC KIWI

Launched in May, Electric Kiwi offers "naked electricity", a business model structured around online tech innovation.

"We're a tech start up as well as an energy start up," says GM Julian Kardos. "We're completely online, we don't have any call centres, all payments are made using credit and debit card, and all trouble-shooting is done through live chat."

The cost savings are obvious - fewer bums on seats means less capital outlay, and the saving is passed on to the consumer.

"This approach isn't for everyone," admits Kardos. "Some people like to chat about the weather." But if you're internet savvy you could save big, as long as you're on a smart meter.

Smart meters mean that Electric Kiwi is able to get more information about its consumers, Kardos says.

"We've changed the pricing model to reflect power usage based on that information. Instead of discount incentives and different rates for different customers, we've given everyone access to a flat rate and the 'Hour of Power' - a free hour of off-peak electricity each day."

Kardos says if you do nothing, you will save an average of 4.2%, but if you think about your power consumption and complete high energy jobs during that hour, you could save 10%-15%.

"And importantly, we're reducing the peak load on the network and encouraging people to consume power at night when it's mostly renewable," says Kardos. "Our model is good for the country, as well as the individual consumer."

The post Electric Kiwi in Idealog magazine appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

Check out the article below

New electricity retailer offers naked power

A new electricity retailer has entered the already crowded market promising to be the cheapest provider.

Electric Kiwi joins more than 20 electricity retailers, although the big five, Meridian, Mighty River Power, Genesis, Contact and TrustPower, who are also the major generators, dominate, claiming about 95% or more of the retail electricity market.

Electric Kiwi's managing director, Julian Kardos, says the largest of the second-tier companies have only between 50,000 and 100,000 customers and most are tiny.

Mr. Kardos says although about 60% of consumers now have smart meters, the major companies aren't offering them the opportunity to use that smart technology, which measures actual energy usage every half hour, to minimise their power bills.

He says Electric Kiwi will not only offer the cheapest prices but will also allow its customers to choose one of two hours each day - either between 2pm and 3pm or between 10pm and 11pm - during which all their power will be free.

Mr Kardos says his company will be able to afford this as it will be paying low wholesale prices during those two periods.

Although a lot of consumer behaviour won't shift - people will still want to shower in the morning before work and they will want to eat dinner in the evening - a reasonable amount of power usage is discretionary, such as running dishwashers, washing machines or appliances that can be set with timers, such as heat pumps.

"If you turn on the appliance for that (free) hour, you can get that power for free at a time when it's cheaper for us to buy that electricity and save money," he says.

That will incentivise consumers to change their behaviour.

Electric Kiwi won't be requiring its customers to sign contracts, to pay connection or break fees, it won't run call centres and it won't issue estimated meter readings.

Instead, it will be offering what it calls "naked power."

Just about all customer contact will be online, although customers will be able to phone either Electric Kiwi or the appropriate lines company in emergencies and Mr Kardos says in exceptional circumstances his staff will pick up the phone and deal with whatever the problem is.
The company's customers must have smart meters and, so far, it has arrangementswith five of the 29 lines companies that cover about 70% of the population.

The areas where it will operate to begin with are Auckland including the North Shore, Hamilton, the Coromandel, Thames, Tauranga, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, Whanganui, Manawatu, Wellington and Christchurch.

Mr Kardos says his company aims to extend its offering to the more rural areas of the country as the penetration of smart meters increases.

But Electric Kiwi won't be offering special "below the line" promotional deals, other marketing gimmicks or such things as prompt payment discounts.

Mr Kardos says his company's analysis suggests companies offering "below the line" deals are doing so at a loss and Electric Kiwi will need to operate profitably.

"We're going to give you our best price up front and we'll give you an hour of power (free)," he says.

Electric Kiwi has had customers since December but has only now formally launched.

The post Electric Kiwi in the NBR appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

This is something of a homecoming as the three founding partners in Electric Kiwi  – Julian, Huia and Phill – all grew up together in this great little town.

What’s more, Powerswitch has ranked Electric Kiwi as the cheapest of all power companies in the area – an extra reason for us to cheer.

Our managing director Julian Kardos spoke to the Whakatane Beacon about bringing cheaper power to locals and why it’s good news for the area – whether you plan to be a customer of ours or not!

Check out the article below:

Electric Kiwi brings low cost power

An electricity company that features strongly as a low-cost supplier in the residential consumer market is now supplying power in Whakatane.

Electric Kiwi, founded by three former Whakatane school mates, Julian Kardos, Phillip Anderson, and Huia Burt, was launched during the winter and now has 600 custom-ers nationwide.

"Powerswitch shows we are pretty much the cheapest across the country," Kardos said.

The BEACON was able to verify his statement by comparing live power bills with customer plans offered by other suppliers. Powerswitch showed that Electric Kiwi would have been able to supply the cheapest power in three of the five cases, particularly at the medie um- to low-use end of the market.

Among the five, Trustpower, Tiny Mighty Power and the pre-pay sup-plier also featured competitively.
Electric Kiwi has some stand-out differences to other electricity sup-pliers in that it offers customers one free hour of clectricity a day during off-peak periods, and it does not require customer contracts.

The free hour of power is either between 10am and 11am or between 2pm and 3pm, when customers can choose to use appliances that would be costly to run outside the free hour.

Mr. Kardos said the free hour of power was a simple way for custom. ers to reduce their power bills, pro-vided they were prepared to change the time when they ran their appli. ances, such as clothes dryers and washing machines.

He said Electric Kiwi had consum-ers saving up to 20 percent on their power bills, thanks to the free hour of power, but the average saving was about & percent.

Even those customers who did not make use of the free hour would still save 4 percent on their power bills, Mr Kardos said.

To join Electric Kiwi a customer's home must have a smart meter, which digitally records a household's power use every half hour.

Mr. Kardos said the smart meter meant Electric Kiwi could separate out how much power a customer used during their free hour and,
"charge zero for it, and provide cheaper electricity overalle.

According to its website, Electric Kiwi is an independent supplier, majority-owned by its management team, and it wants to give "the status quo a shake.

"When starting out, we saw that electricity options were, in many cases, unnecessarily complex. Multiple discounts, joining specials and one-off deals clouded the real price."

The website says although smart meters are being rolled out across the country, "few providers had taken up the challenge to do anything smart with them".

"We saw a gap for a company that could maximise online and smart. meter technology that was cheaper, smarter and, importantly, simple to use."

Electric Kiwi says it offers the same low power price to everyone.

The post Electric Kiwi in the Whakatane Beacon appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

Electric Kiwi: the 100% smart meter electricity retailer

When customers sign up to buy electricity from New Zealand online retailer Electric Kiwi, they are entitled to 60 minutes of free power a day.

The ‘Hour of Power’ product between 2-3pm or 10-11pm is made possible because the start-up retailer only takes customers with smart meters, explains managing director of Electric Kiwi Julian Kardos.

The 30-minute interval smart meter data allows the company to work out when customers are using most power and offer products to shift load.

The Auckland-based company started trading in May 2015 in what Mr Kardos describes as New Zealand’s fluid electricity market that is designed to encourage competition.

Retailers are able to buy electricity from an exchange in 30-minute intervals.

Electric Kiwi also benefited from a New Zealand government regulation introduced in April 2015 requiring all meters to be re-certified.

Kardos says: “What that basically meant was the government was nervous about the quality of data coming from meters. This created an opportunity to replace legacy meters with smart meters.”

Electric Kiwi distribution agreements

The privately-owned company (majority funded by Kardos and his business partner Phillip Anderson) entered the New Zealand market by setting up contracts with distributor companies (of which there are 29) that enables Electric Kiwi to trade on the “lines company’s” geographic area and whatever connections it has within its bounds.

Smart meters, which in New Zealand run on GPRS or radio mesh frequency, transmit data to a centralised registry where three meter companies then validate and provide retailers with a certified copy of the data within three days.

Kardos admits that electricity retailing is a tight margin business, which is why Electric Kiwi’s model is 100% online including customer services.

“You need to be able to use technology to interact with us so it means we naturally tend towards a younger customer base comfortable using live chat.”

New Zealand electricity retailing

The Electric Kiwi model is purely for customers with smart meters to allow the company to offer products such as the free ‘Hour of Power’
In September 2015, the company had a base of 400 customers and aims to achieve 1,000 by the end of 2015 and 5,000 by 2016 year-end.

Although 400 is not a huge sample size, says Kardos, among them are “early adopters, people who are willing to give things a go”.

New Zealand is a high switching country with 40,000 customers changing supplier a month. “There is a huge amount of distrust among existing retailers,” he says.

Kardos believes the company’s size (seven full-time staff and one part-time) means that it can be agile and “use smart meters in a smarter way” than incumbent electricity retailers.

The New Zealand electricity retailing market is dominated by five big companies, he explains. “We call them ‘gentailers’ as they may have dams and coal-generation plants but also sell power to customers.”

“Often these energy suppliers are using smart meters in the same way as a legacy or analogue meter. Customers are paying the bill in the same way and the utility might not be using the 30-minute data. They might send a meter reader round as they don’t have the infrastructure set up to change to an automated approach – it becomes a slow moving ship that needs to move around.”

“Our business philosophy is we want to be ahead of the game, so we build our own systems so we can launch products like the ‘Hour of Power’,” says Kardos, whose background is in IT.

New entrant to electricity market

So how have the ‘Big 5’ electric utilities responded to the initiative? “It’s been interesting. We’ve seen a direct response,” says Kardos.

“In September 2015, one ‘gentailer’ launched a campaign to give away one free day of power, every week for 20 weeks if you signed up to the programme. But that utility can’t offer customers what we’re offering because not all of them have smart meters, so the product would be selective to their customer base, which would frustrate them.

He adds: “Within the industry, it’s actually a good community and we’ve had some good support, not only within the existing retailers. You have to operate as an eco-system to make this work.”

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