KEY POINTS
- Many electricity and gas providers offer special offers and deals to attract customers – this month’s best deals are listed below.
- Discounts on power plans and account credits are nice-to-haves, but it’s important to check how the power deal’s everyday prices compare with those of other power companies to ensure you’re getting the best long-term deal.
- Always read an offer’s Ts&Cs so you fully understand the terms of the deal. Look out for long-term fixed contracts and break fees, which can cancel out any short-term gains.
Below we cover the best deals from power providers across electricity and gas. The award we think delivers the best value is our Deal of the Month!
This month we cover deals from:
Deal of the Month: Contact
Contact is offering a couple of great-value deals for its power customers, who sign up for either mobile or broadband:
- $300 electricity credit, applied over four months, if you sign up to one of its three endless mobile plans ($35, $45, $60).
- $200 electricity credit, applied over four months, if you sign up to one of its three broadband plans.
The two credits come on top of extra discounts for bundling Contact’s telco plans with power and gas.
Contact’s electricity plans include three with discounted power:
- Good Weekends: free daytime power (9am-5pm) Saturday and Sundays.
- Good Nights: free nighttime power (9pm-12am) weekdays.
- Good Charge: half-price overnight power (9pm-7am).
It’s worth noting that none of Contact’s power and mobile plans come with fixed terms. This means that once you’ve made the most of your power credits, you’ll be free to search out other power deals, and not be stuck on a long-term contract.
Electric Kiwi
All Electric Kiwi customers receive an hour of free power every day. You can pick any hour between 9am-5pm and 9pm-7am each day, and you can change your free hour whenever you want, to match changes in your usage.
Elgas
New customers who sign up for a year to bottled gas with Elgas receive:
- $100 account credit.
- One year’s free equipment rental.
Genesis Energy
Genesis Energy offers multi-saver discounts of up to 5% across electricity and gas, if you bundle eligible services.
Genesis also offers its electricity customers Power Shouts, which are free hours of electricity that are offered through Genesis’ Energy IQ app. Customers can earn Power Shouts via:
- Offers through the app.
- Winning competitions and prize draws.
- Housewarming gifts from Genesis when moving home.
Mercury
Of all the power companies, Mercury consistently offers the most bells and whistles with its plans. Currently, it’s offering a range of deals:
- $150 free power credit for new electricity customers on a one-year contract.
- Bundle discount of 17.25c per day on gas charges when you bundle gas and electricity.
- Six months’ free broadband (worth between $414-$666) for bundling eligible electricity and broadband plans on a one-year term.
- Bonus Samsung products (TV, fridge, washing machine, heat pump, phone, or stick vac) when you sign up to electricity and broadband on a two-year term.
Of course, as with all fixed-term deals, Ts&Cs apply, which can include break fees. And, as we mention above, before signing up to long-term contracts that offer bonus incentives, it’s always a good idea to compare prices against regular plans, to check if you’re overpaying for the value of the bonuses on offer.
Through the Mercury app, customers can also earn points that can be redeemed for account credits and free power. Mercury also offers its electricity customers regular free power days.
Nova Energy
Nova Energy offers multi-saver deals of up to 10% across electricity and gas, if you bundle eligible services.
Customers who sign up to Nova’s Smart Bundle receive a choice of either a:
- LG 43″ smart TV.
- Samsung Galaxy A35 smartphone.
However, it’s worth noting that the Smart Bundle is a fixed 24-month contract and Ts&Cs apply, including break fees. When signing up to long-term contracts that offer bonus incentives, it’s always a good idea to compare prices against regular plans, to check if you’re overpaying for the value of the bonuses on offer.
Powershop
In addition to its regular weekly and monthly Powerpack deals, which offer discounted electricity, Powershop is currently offering two sign-on bonuses to new customers, a choice between:
- $150 free power credit applied over 12 months.
- A free weekend of power each month for a year.
Powershop doesn’t lock you in to a fixed contract, so you’re free to leave whenever you want, although you’ll forfeit any remaining sign-on credits.
Pulse Energy
Pulse is running two offers for new customers who sign up and stick with Pulse for 12 months:
- $150 free power credit on first bill for new electricity customers.
- $150 free power credit plus two months’ free broadband for new customers who bundle power and broadband.
Energy plan discounts and deals: what to consider
Power providers are always offering incentives to new customers. However it’s important to not get blinded by the initial discounts and account credits on offer, and to consider the longer-term implications of your power contract. Points to consider:
Power charges
Account credits and sign-on freebies are welcome, but what price are you paying for your electricity? Always check a plan’s price per kWh and its daily charges and compare those costs with quotes from other providers in the market.
Many power providers have off-peak power deals, offering cut-price or even free electricity. So you may be able to find cheaper prices with another power company that deliver better value, especially if you can move your power usage to off-peak periods.
Check the small print
Power deals always come with Ts&Cs, and it’s important to read them, as they could reveal hidden charges. Many utility deals tie users to long-term contracts, which often come with break fees.
Compare electricity providers for free with Canstar!
About the author of this page
Bruce Pitchers is Canstar NZ’s Content Manager. An experienced finance reporter, he has three decades’ experience as a journalist and has worked for major media companies in Australia, the UK and NZ, including ACP, Are Media, Bauer Media Group, Fairfax, Pacific Magazines, News Corp and TVNZ. As a freelancer, he has +worked for The Australian Financial Review, the NZ Financial Markets Authority and major banks and investment companies on both sides of the Tasman.
In his role at Canstar, he has been a regular commentator in the NZ media, including on the Driven, Stuff and One Roof websites, the NZ Herald, Radio NZ, and Newstalk ZB.
Away from Canstar, Bruce creates puzzles for magazines and newspapers, including Woman’s Day and New Idea. He is also the co-author of the murder-mystery book 5 Minute Murder.
Share this article