Compare natural gas suppliers in New Zealand at Canstar Blue. Mercury Energy, Contact Energy, Genesis Energy, Nova Energy and Trustpower were compared on Overall Satisfaction, Bill and Cost Clarity, Customer Service, Focus on Environment and Sustainability, Tools and Advice, and Value for Money.
See our Ratings Methodology.
Mercury rated number one for customer satisfaction
When it comes to natural gas, we’re a country of two halves. North Island residents are the haves, and the South Island residents are the have-nots.
The history of piped natural gas in New Zealand is a relatively short one. It didn’t begin until the late 1960s, when the first transmission lines were built from the Kapuni gas fields in the Taranaki Basin.
Today, there are over 2500kms of high-pressure supply pipelines in the North Island, supplying gas to more than 60,000 customers.
Unlike electricity, not all homes have ready access to gas as a power source, but for those customers who do, a reliable and affordable supply is paramount. So as part of our mission to inform consumers of the best NZ has to offer, Canstar Blue canvassed the opinions of 699 New Zealanders who have accounts for natural gas in their homes, across a range of categories, to measure and track their satisfaction.
To decide which mains gas supplier offers the best level of customer satisfaction, each was rated across the following categories:
Coming out on top and winning Canstar Blue’s award for Most Satisfied Customers | Natural Gas is Mercury. The award makes it back-to-back wins for Mercury, which collects 5 Star ratings in every category – an improvement on last year’s score, which was an equal mix of 4 and 5 Star ratings.
While Nova is the only other 5 Star winner in any category, for Value for Money, Genesis Energy also deserves praise for its strong 4 Star ratings across the board.
Unlike some other products and services rated on Canstar’s websites, there aren’t that many bells and whistles attached to a natural gas supplier. Ultimately satisfaction levels are driven by the basics of Value for Money and Customer service, and a clear and concise bill. Overall, the main drivers of satisfaction:
| Drivers of satisfaction | % |
|---|---|
| Value for Money | 36% |
| Customer Service | 24% |
| Bill and Cost Clarity | 22% |
| Tools and Advice | 12% |
| Focus on Environment and Sustainability | 6% |
While those in our survey are on top of their gas usage: 60% say they understand the benefits of using gas as a fuel in their home; 60% understand their usage information on their gas bill; and 77% know where their gas meter is (always good to know in the case of an emergency!). Fewer respondents seem to understand the benefits of switching to gas to save money, or how to find a better deal on their gas supplier. Only 14% have switched to gas as a fuel to save money, and just a quarter of respondents have looked for a better deal online.
This is where Canstar Blue can help, by doing the comparison work for you. Thanks to the results of our Most Satisfied Customers | Natural Gas award, if you switch your natural gas supply to Mercury, you can be assured of 5 Star satisfaction across the board.
Canstar Blue surveyed 5110 New Zealand consumers across a range of categories to measure and track customer satisfaction, via ISO 26362 accredited research panels managed by Qualtrics. The outcomes reported are the results from customers who had active accounts delivering natural gas into their homes and paid the bills. In this case, 699 New Zealanders.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included. Results are comparative and it should be noted that brands receiving three stars have still achieved a satisfaction measure of at least six out of 10. Not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The ratings table is first sorted by star ratings and then by mean overall satisfaction. A rated brand may receive a ‘N/A’ (Not Applicable) rating if it does not receive the minimum number of responses for that criteria.
2019
2018
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