Check out our latest write up about smart meters in Thursday’s Manukau Courier.
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.
