By shifting your power usage to off-peak hours, you can reduce the strain on New Zealand’s power grid and you’ll be more likely to tap into cleaner energy sources. Plus, with our time-of-use plans you’ll enjoy sweet savings during off-peak hours, so you can pocket some great savings on your power bill. Win-win for the environment and your wallet.
Here are some practical tips to make the most of load shifting and lower your power bill.
The easy steps!
Tip 1: Toss those dirty dishes in the dishwasher just before you go to bed – you’re not going to empty it until the next morning anyway. Delay that baby and it’ll cost you less.
Tip 2: Start your washing machine during the day or just before you hit the hay. Many machines have a delay feature, so try and get into the habit of delaying it outside of those pesky peaks.
Tip 3: Same goes for the dryer, and these can be power hungry beasts! If it’s too cold outside to dry your clothes properly, keep its use to late at night or during the daytime if you can.
Bonus round: For maximum savings, use your Hour of Power at 11 pm – that way the first hour of your washing/drying/dishwashing extravaganza will be 100% free!
It’s gettin’ hot in here!
Tip 4: Heat things up early, before the peak hours hit. This means that you wake up to a warm house, and doing it early saves you money! Many heaters have timers built in, if not you can buy these – see the ‘timers are your new BFF’ section below.
As it’s usually hottest during the day in summer, use your air con during those daytime off-peak hours whenever possible – it all counts.
Tip 5: Consider investing in a thermostat – which is a device that regulates temperature by maintaining it at a set level. You can buy one at any electronics store, just make sure it is compatible with your heating and cooling systems. Many people heat their houses too much – a cosy, but expensive, habit! Once you’ve set the perfect temperature of your home, you can let your temperature-controlling wizard do the rest, meaning it won’t be driving your heating unit hard during peak hours!
But what does this actually mean in terms of savings? Is it worth it?
Short answer, yes! Take a look at the below table, which shows average power use of the appliances mentioned above, and how much money you could save by moving them from peak to off-peak times. This uses our Kiwi plan rates for peak ($0.4488) and off-peak ($0.3345) ★.
$6 a week might not seem like much, but it stacks up fast to an awesome $350 a year!
Dryer
Dishwasher
AC/Heatpump
Washing Machine
| Appliance | Dryer |
| Power Required | 6.8 kWh per load |
| # of times used per week | 3 |
| Weekly Savings | $2.33 |
| Annual Savings | $121.25 |
| Total Weekly Savings | $6.79 |
| Total Annual Savings | $353.05 |
| Appliance | Dishwasher |
| Power Required | 2 kWh per load |
| # of times used per week | 5 |
| Weekly Savings | $1.14 |
| Annual Savings | $59.44 |
| Total Weekly Savings | $6.79 |
| Total Annual Savings | $353.05 |
| Appliance | AC / Heatpump |
| Power Required | 3.5 kWh per load |
| # of times used per week | 7 |
| Weekly Savings | $2.80 |
| Annual Savings | $145.62 |
| Total Weekly Savings | $6.79 |
| Total Annual Savings | $353.05 |
| Appliance | Washing Machine |
| Power Required | 0.9 kWh per load |
| # of times used per week | 5 |
| Weekly Savings | $0.51 |
| Annual Savings | $26.75 |
| Total Weekly Savings | $6.79 |
| Total Annual Savings | $353.05 |
Sources:
Canstar Blue - How Much Electricity Does a Clothes Dryer Use?
Consumer NZ - Appliance running costs
▲Note that kWh consumption is approximate and will vary depending on your usage and the efficiency of your appliances.
★These rates are a blended average from across New Zealand.
If you aren’t on the Kiwi plan, you’ll need to use your electricity rates to get an accurate picture of what you can save, and remember to check the kWh of your own home appliances. As you can see, small changes can make a really huge difference!
For the big win, try these tips
Tip 6: Got a pool or spa? Score big by running those pumps during the off-peak hours. Changing some energy usage habits takes a bit of thought, but running your pool pump off-peak at cheaper rates is 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.
Tip 7: A huge contributor to your power bill is hot water. 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, your hot water cylinder heats up after your shower.
Tip 8: Night owls, rejoice! Tip 8 is to make sure you charge stuff at night. If you have an electric vehicle (EV) this move is a game-changer, but even for laptops and phones night charging means a fresh start every morning. It’s like a power nap for your devices. And the more you charge during off-peak hours, the more you save.
Timers are your new BFF
Check which of your devices have built-in timers and schedule things in off-peak hours like a pro.
No in-built timers? No problem! Grab some smart plugs (such as Kasa). Cheap, effective, and they let you boss your devices around from an app. Perfect for a heater that has a thermostat in it but no timer.
If you like the sounds of gizmos and want to take your load shifting to superhero levels, check out our blog about how to make the most of load shifting with Smart Home Devices.
As you’ve read, there are heaps of ways for you and your family to save a bundle by making small changes and creating new habits. And don’t forget your Hour of Power too! By reducing load in the peak hours, you’ll not only be saving yourself money, but you could also be reducing your impact on the environment. Go you!
