The Good, the Bad, and the Data-Hungry

Group mobile plans can be a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, they can save you money if everyone’s on the same page about data usage. But let’s be real, who hasn’t been stuck with that one mate who streams Netflix 24/7 and blows through the whole data allowance before you can say “Bob’s your uncle”? Or that same person that means you need to join another group plan where you all have heaps of max speed data you don’t need.

Kiwis all have different needs in terms of data, and until now there was no easy way for Kiwis to get the benefit of buddying up as well as the freedom to have the plan that suits them best.  The good news is we reckon that’s all changed now Kiwi Mobile is on the scene.

The Kiwi Mobile Difference: Having buddies pays off

That’s where Kiwi Mobile’s option to add Buddies comes in. Unlike some of the other fellas, we reckon everyone should have their own max speed data allowance and not be tied to one data cap.

It means an end to paying a premium for someone else’s TikTok addiction.  

You can add friends and family to your plan while keeping everyone’s data separate! No sharing, no all having to pick the same max speed data limit.

Here’s the deal:

Let’s do a quick comparison on group plans by provider. As you can see, Kiwi mobile’s Choice plan has its nose ahead in terms of the features listed.

Details taken from an online review on the 15th of July 2024

So, are group mobile plans a good idea?

In a word. Yeah.

Adding Buddies can save you all some cash.

But we reckon that our Choice plan offers better freedom and therefor more potential savings than the others. 

To find out what you can save head to our site. In a few minutes you can calculate what you and your buddies could save!

Better yet. Call a buddy and crack on!

Learn more about buddies with Kiwi Mobile’s Choice plan here

Can include up to four buddies. Each buddy plan must be added to a primary account holders billing account who is responsible for all charges. You each get max speeds up to chosen data tier allowance (to 100GB per month), then Endless data at reduced max speeds of 1.2mbps.

The post Group Mobile Plans: Yay or Nay? A Kiwi’s Guide to Shared Plans appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

Type 1: The ‘buy enough, but don’t always use it’ people.

Annual Saving: $271

This is a common group in NZ. People who never want to run out of max speed data, so they buy enough to make sure that this does not happen (or at least very rarely). These types can end up paying for max speed data that they don’t use, especially in quieter months. So how does this look when we look at a real 12 months of bills?

The key difference with Kiwi Mobile’s Choice Plan, is that our plan flexes with your data usage. You don’t need to pay for 12, 15 or 100 GBs of max speed data every month just in case you might need it. You commit to 5GBs, and then after that you can use up to 100GBs of max speed data each month. 

This is Andy. To make the comparison fairer, below we’ve compared his old telco’s 15GB plan (the one they have in market based on our review done on 16/07/24)) – but note that in September, he was actually slowed down on his old 12GB plan. As you can see, every month he would have been better off on Kiwi Mobile’s Choice plan, and based on Andy’s actual usage he would have saved $271 over the last year with Kiwi Mobile.

Type 2: The ‘use more than you buy’ people.

Annual Saving: $167

So this is Tessa. She is with a big Telco and pays $63 a month for 12GBs of max speed data. As you can see below Tessa gets slowed down a LOT because she frequently uses more than 12GB of max speed data each month . In fact she was using endless data (at 1.2MB/s) 11 months out of the 12 we looked at.

Endless data is great! It can help you control costs. With Kiwi Mobile’s Choice plan, you get endless data too (at the end of every tiers). The difference is that you can keep to max speed all the way to 100GBs each month if you want to without any hassle. You are in charge.

So comparing Tessa’s usage, she could have stayed on max speed data with Kiwi Mobile every month, and she still would have saved $167 over the year! Cool huh?

Note that Tessa is still on this plan, but the big telco she is with does not offer this plan anymore according to their website (review done on 16/07/24). The closest current option from this telco would be 18GBs of endless data for $72 a month.

Type 3: The ‘buy lots, but hardly ever use it’ people

Annual Saving: $298

Let’s take a look at Christine. She was buying 12GBs of max speed data for $65 a month (Like Andy, she could now upgrade to 15GBs of max speed data for the same price with the big telco).

Unlike Andy, Christine hardly ever uses lots of max speed data. And like lots of Kiwis, she has a bigger allowance because she does not want to get slowed down. 

So based on the year’s usage shown, Christine would have saved $298 over the year with Kiwi Mobile. She’d have stopped buying so much max speed data that didn’t end up being used – but she would have the freedom to use as much as she likes. That’s better aye?

It’s worth noting that even on the same big telco’s $45 plan (with 5GBs of max speed data), Christine would still have saved $58 with Kiwi mobile. So there is no need to have data anxiety anymore. Just get all the fast data you need, and pay for what you use!

Note that Christine is still on this plan, but the big telco she is with does not offer this plan anymore according to their website (review done on 16/07/24). The closest current option from this telco would be 15GBs of endless data for $65 a month. This would not change the comparison above.

The Kiwi Mobile Choice plan is like having one plan that’s all the plans. Use a little one month, and heaps the next, but only pay for the max speed data that you actually use.

The post All the different savers appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

To help you really understand the nuts and bolts, we’ll take you through a few examples of how you might use it, and what things might cost.

Andy’s plan.

Andy was with another big telco previously, and the below graph shows his monthly usage over a year (this is real usage from one of our staff). As you can see, he was paying $65 for 12GBs of max speed data (note the allowance has recently moved up to 15GBs). Andy used between 5GBs and 13GBs a month over the year.

The key difference with Kiwi mobile’s Choice Plan, is that our plan flexes with your data usage. You don’t need to pay for 12 or 15 GBs every month just in case you might need them. You commit to 5GBs, and then after that you can use up to 100GBs of max speed data each month and just pay for what you use. You get peace of mind, and save!

To make the comparison fairer, we’ve shown the below compared to his old telco’s 15GB plan – but note that in September, Andy was actually slowed down on his 12GB plan (he is still complaining about it). As you can see, every month Andy would have been better off on  Kiwi Mobile’s Choice plan.

Based on Andy’s actual usage he would have saved $271 with Kiwi mobile.

You may look at this usage and say, why did Andy not just move to that big telco’s 5GB plan ($45 per month)? 

Good question. But if Andy did, based on this usage, he would still save $39 annually with Kiwi Mobile, and he would avoid being slowed down 6 months out of 12. Sounds like he is better off with us.

Drilling into usage

Let’s look into a few examples of how monthly usage might work and what that would cost on the Kiwi Mobile Choice Plan (vs with his old big telco). We’ll look at January, February and March on Andy’s Kiwi Mobile Choice  plan. Note that the data used each day here is estimated, as his old telco did not have historical daily data usage available for this analysis. 

When we talk about data used below, we are assuming that all of it was max speed data (e.g. Andy was on the max speed mode and levelled up at the end of each tier).

Getting nerdy

With Kiwi mobile, you don’t have to level up to more max speed data when you run out. If you’d rather save more money, you can continue at the end of any tier on endless data (it just means you slow down to 1.2mb/s – which can be annoying for some things, but for email and simple stuff it’s ok). So let’s look at a few examples.

1. Capping your tier

This shows the price difference on Kiwi Mobile’s Choice plan if Andy had capped his max speed data at 10GBs in March. As you can see it would have cost $46 with the 10GB cap in place, and Andy would have spent 6 days on endless data (at 1.2Mb/s). To stay on max speed data the whole time it would have cost Andy $47.80 ($1.80 more to stay at max speed).

2. Using lots of max speed data

The cool thing about Kiwi Mobile, is that you can save if you use lots too. But just because you need to use lots of max speed data some (or heaps) of the time, it should not mean you need to pay for lots every month right?

The below example shows a comparison between a made up customer (let’s call him Bob) that used 86GBs. The comparison is between the other telco’s $85 unlimited plan. To stay on max speed the entire time, Bob would have paid $60.40 on Kiwi Mobile’s Choice Plan, and if Bob had capped his max speed data at 40GBs, then he would have paid $59.40.

One of the best things about the Choice plan, is that while you know you have heaps of max speed data when you need it, you just don’t need to pay for the luxury!

Let’s look at a month where Bob only used 28.81GBs (still a lot for many people, but lower than average for Bob). As you can see Bob would pay just $52.40 with Kiwi Mobile, compared to his normal $85 with the other telco. That’s over $30 of savings in just one month!

The Kiwi Mobile Choice plan is flexible and fair and designed to save you money. You never need to worry about running out of max speed data, but you only pay for the max speed data that you need. That’s better.

Note: Prices for competitors sourced from their websites on 16/07/2024

The post Understanding the Choice plan appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.

From harnessing solar power to smart home automation, these experiences offer a glimpse into the future of efficient and cost-effective home energy use.

It’s not just about numbers and graphs; it’s about real people making smart choices and seeing awesome results.

Customer 1: Using Solar Power for Efficient Water Heating

We have solar panels installed on our roof and use a standard hot water cylinder to heat our water. A power diverter is in place to redirect any excess solar-generated electricity to our hot water cylinder when our solar production exceeds our needs. Once the cylinder reaches its desired temperature, any surplus power is then fed back into the grid. The power diverter autonomously manages the energy supply to our hot water cylinder. It's programmed to activate at 5 pm for two hours in case there's no solar energy generated during the day, and again at 4 am for two hours, ensuring we have hot water in the morning.

Since we consistently require power at 4 am, I've scheduled our hour of power for this time. On average, we receive 30-40 kW of free power every fortnight, which translates into substantial savings of hundreds of dollars annually.

Customer 2: Integrating Timers and Solar Power with Batteries

Since moving to our new property and adopting a time-of-use rate, we've made considerable adjustments to our lifestyle. Our initial step was simple: avoiding the use of the dishwasher and washing machine during peak hours, which was easily manageable as we both work from home. We've also installed timers on our hot water system, ensuring it heats only during off-peak hours at night. Additionally, we're fortunate to have a solar power system with batteries. I've modified this system by setting the inverter to charge the batteries to 50% by 7 am, when peak rates begin. This charge level is sufficient to get us through the morning peak, even on cloudy days. The system is also programmed to fully charge the batteries before the evening peak. Typically, this is achieved solely through solar power, though occasionally it's supplemented by grid power during shoulder periods.

Our hour of power is set for midnight each day. At this time, the inverter recharges our batteries, and our hot water system reheats, leading to additional savings.

Overall, this strategy has been highly effective, saving us a substantial amount of money compared to the flat rate plans we've previously considered.

Customer 3: Smart Timing cuts Power Costs

Initially, I switched to Electric Kiwi to capitalise on the hour of free power, recognizing that our hot water cylinder was our home's main energy user. I found myself constantly adjusting the hour of power to coincide with our shower times, which became quite a hassle. I eventually found a solution by installing a timer switch on the hot water circuit. We programmed it to activate the hot water for an hour each afternoon during the 'hour of power' and for three hours early in the morning before 7 am. This change has allowed us to shower at our convenience without the need to reschedule the hour of power. It's an excellent arrangement for us!

The most rewarding discovery was that simply by adding a timer to our hot water cylinder, we've been saving at least $60 monthly on our power bill. Hot water was a major energy guzzler, particularly as my wife frequently uses hot water. Now, the cylinder only consumes power during off-peak periods, mainly at the half-price night rate.

Additionally, we've set delay start timers on our washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher to run overnight while we sleep. Our heat pump is also programmed to pre-heat or cool the house during off-peak hours.

There's much we can do to transfer our power usage to off-peak times, and it's surprisingly easy.

Customer 4: EVs and Smart Power Management

My husband and I switched to Electric Kiwi after retiring. After considering various plans, we chose the MoveMaster account, anticipating the purchase of an electric vehicle (EV). This plan has proven to be an excellent way for us to save on electricity costs in multiple ways.

We now own an EV and charge it overnight at the lowest rate. If it only needs a minor boost, we charge it during our free hour of power. Since we have a spa pool and are home during the day, we've scheduled our hour of free power from 9 am to 10 am, which allows the spa to heat up. During this hour, we also run our washing machine and dishwasher and charge our laptops, phones, vacuum cleaner, earbuds, Kindles, and Bluetooth speakers.

I've set alarms on my phone to remind me to switch everything on at 9 am and off at 10 am. I also use our EV's charging app timer for overnight charging. Apart from essentials like the fridge, freezer, hot water system, TV, modem, and toothbrush, we switch everything off at the wall. We're adapting to this routine of turning devices on and off.

The MoveMaster account has made us more mindful of our power consumption, and the Electric Kiwi app is a great tool for tracking our usage.

It may sound like a lot to manage, but we've established a routine that works for us. We adhere to a rule that everything should be done calmly and without stress. When we have visitors, for instance, we're more relaxed and simply do what's feasible.

Customer 5: Automation for Off-Peak Load Shifting

We've been loyal customers for many years now, and while the Hour of Power is fantastic, off-peak load shifting has been a game-changer for us, akin to a ninja-level strategy.

Our home springs to life at off-peak hours, reminiscent of an automation scene from 'Home Alone,' just as we're getting ready for bed. With the arrival of off-peak time, our home buzzes with activity. The various aftermarket wall plug timers we've installed start clicking into action. In winter, our heaters begin to circulate warm air, while our trusty washing machine starts another load, regardless of the season. Outside, our electric vehicles emit a couple of out-of-sync beeps as they start guzzling free electricity. If we're particularly organised, the dryer in the garage hums to life, spinning the day's remaining laundry. Sometimes, we find ourselves scurrying around the house, plugging in other appliances that need charging, or we might use our Alexa voice automation system to manage any we might have forgotten.

The appliances work through the night, completing their tasks, and by morning, we're all recharged and ready for another day of family chaos.

Our top load-shifting tips include:

• Utilising electrical timers, especially Wi-Fi plug timers with app control from a local hardware store, which are particularly useful during the festive season for controlling lights and decorations.
• Pairing these Wi-Fi switches with a budget-friendly voice-activated home automation system helps orchestrate our electrical needs, including Wi-Fi lighting.
• Checking if new appliances have built-in timers or delayed starts to leverage off-peak power.
• Making the most of electric vehicles, which often have built-in charging timers, is ideal for economical transport. Adding a higher capacity wall charger at home allows for faster charging of the vehicle’s batteries.
• Bathing the kids around 2-3 pm or showering after 9 pm, so the water cylinder heats up the next tank with cheaper off-peak electricity.
• Preparing meals early during off-peak or shoulder periods, as appliances like ovens and kettles consume considerable power.
• Avoiding the use of power-hungry appliances during peak times and using Wi-Fi switches to turn them off.

Joining EK has revolutionised how our family uses energy. By selecting quality electrical products, vehicles, and appliances, and automating their usage during the Hour of Power and off-peak periods, we stay prepared for the day ahead. These simple yet carefully refined changes have made us more energy-conscious and saved us significantly on energy costs, for which we are immensely grateful. Thank you for your excellent customer service and for continually offering fresh ideas.

Customer 6: Smart Switches for Off-Peak Usage

We've implemented smart switches and carefully managed appliance timings to maximise off-peak usage. Here's how we've maintained an impressive 77% average in off-peak usage while saving on energy costs:

• We installed an additional smart main switch equipped with a metering function.
• A similar smart switch was installed on the hot water circuit, which also includes timer and metering functions.
• We use a smart multiplug extension with four individually controllable power outlets and two USB outlets, all featuring timer functionality.
• The timers on the latter two are set to align with our chosen hour of power time slot. During this period, rechargeable batteries for our lawnmower, power tools, and electric bikes are charged automatically. We manually switch on other devices like the washing machine, ice maker, and begin pre-cooking the evening’s main meal. Four rechargeable power banks are also charged, ready to power our mobile phones the next day. Instead of using a dryer, we dry our laundry on a clothesline, utilising the sun and wind.

These strategies enable us, a household of two retirees, to average 3 kWh per day for hot water and 3.5 kWh per day for general usage, while maintaining over 77% off-peak usage.

What could MoveMaster mean for me?

Our MoveMaster customers are not just saving money; they’re leading the way in smart, sustainable living.

Their journeys, filled with practical tips and a dash of ingenuity, show us that shifting to a time-of-use plan isn’t just about cutting costs—it’s about embracing a lifestyle that values efficiency and environmental stewardship. From the clever use of solar power and batteries to effective automation of household appliances during off-peak hours, these stories aren’t just inspiring—they’re a roadmap to a future where every home can be more energy-smart.

So, whether it’s the middle of the day or the quiet of midnight, our customers are proving that a little planning and some smart tech can make a big difference to your wallet and the planet.

The post How our MoveMaster customers are saving money on a time-of-use plan appeared first on Electric Kiwi Times.