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Free Hour of Power, Everyday with Electric Kiwi

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Free Hour of Power, Everyday with Electric Kiwi
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RkiwiDogOwner on 11/03/2019 - 16:49 electrickiwi.co.nz (529 clicks)
Last edited 11/03/2019 - 17:25 by 1 other user

Electric Kiwi is a power company giving away an hour of free power everyday in off peak times to all it's customers and for as long as they stay a customer. You can change the hour everyday via website or app so you can run all your alliances when it's convenient for you. I have all of my appliances on smart timers (dishwasher, dryer, washing machine, hot water cylinder and heaters) so they run by themselves. I save on average 70% of my power bill!! It now costs me around $1.20 a day for power now. Which is around 10 cents per KW!!! Most other companies will charge you around 25-30 cents per KW.

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Comments

  • dkiwi on 11/03/2019 - 17:30
    +3

    This has been part of plan since ages

    • kiwiDogOwner on 11/03/2019 - 18:19

      It has but since I hadn't seen a post on here, I though I'd let other people know :)

  • Jizah on 11/03/2019 - 18:34
    +9

    This is just thinly veiled referral spam.

    • ember on 12/03/2019 - 07:06

      And he is running hot water cylinder on timer lol

    • upbeat on 12/03/2019 - 07:24

      Sorry I'm late to the party. Why'd you guys say that it's a referral spam

      • Jizah on 12/03/2019 - 07:25

        They kept posting their email address in the description, and then the comments.

        • upbeat on 12/03/2019 - 08:02

          Wow how crafty

          • kiwiDogOwner on 12/03/2019 - 17:28

            @upbeat: The point of the post is to show how I'm paying 10 cents per KW which includes my daily fees by using EKs free hour of power. If people would like to join they can use cheapies built in referral link above but that's not part of the deal. The deal is for a free hour of power.

            In regards to the hot water cylinder, that is a combination of solar heating as well as a heating element which runs during the hour. The element also turns on if it gets to a low temperature to avoid the risk of bacteria growing inside the tank.

  • bigbosssnake on 11/03/2019 - 18:47

    I find that Ecotricity works well for me, having night rates that's 14.5cents + GST (including the whole weekend) per kWh. I don't like to stress and having to use all my power appliances at home for that one hour each day with Electric Kiwi and their rates are way higher. With Ecotricity, I turn on the heater or air con as I please during the night rates.

  • danvelopment on 11/03/2019 - 21:37

    I did a stint on Electric Kiwi but it was a hassle saving up your appliances for that hour (which is off-peak) and even then most big devices run for more than an hour.

    Also the spot price spiked around the time I was using it, so suddenly I was paying quite a bit unexpectedly.

    There was a Meridian promo at the time which worked out to be much cheaper (15.4c/KWh all day everyday for three years, which is even less than the EV plan). Not recommending Meridian, recommending shopping around and using PowerSwitch to see if it's actually going to be worthwhile. PowerSwitch will also let you know any current promos.

    • Devolution on 12/03/2019 - 00:01

      Also the spot price spiked around the time I was using it, so suddenly I was paying quite a bit unexpectedly.

      That comment doesnt make sense. EK has fixed prices, not spot prices. Are you getting mixed up with Flick?

      • phillq on 12/03/2019 - 08:49

        He is mixing it up with Flick. Wrong power company, @danvelopment.

        • danvelopment on 12/03/2019 - 11:57

          Oh, yeah, you're right. I moved from Flick to ElectricKiwi, then ElectricKiwi to Meridian.

          So split the above into two comments. I remember now, hour of power was a hassle and EK wasn't that cheap vs a promo when I needed to move to a standard plan as I bought an EV.

          Even checking it now, it's still significantly more than what I'm paying at this moment (15.4c/KWh and 1.83/day GST inclusive).

          "Pay for what you use: $0.1584 per kWh;
          Plus a fixed cost of: $1.6300 per day
          Rates shown exclude GST."

          • phillq on 12/03/2019 - 12:21
            +2

            @danvelopment: Personally because I have an EV, I save a lot more (hundreds per year) by charging with the free hour of power, than changing to the cheaper per KWh plan of Meridian.

            • danvelopment on 12/03/2019 - 14:46

              @phillq: You must not use it very much. I do a 72km round commute and require 10-13KWh per day. I have a 10A charger, which is a max of 2.4KWh assuming it gets plugged in exactly on the dot.

              Some people have 5A and 8A chargers which is 1.2KWh and 1.9KWh respectively.

              Assuming you get 7.5km/KWh then you must be doing fewer than 20km/day to achieve that.

              And that excludes the savings on my regular power usage.

              • danvelopment on 12/03/2019 - 14:52

                @danvelopment: Also I had to be around during the available slots (starts at 9pm from memory), so I had to run my noisy washing machine from that time.

                And I couldn't go out for the night if I wanted to take advantage of it.

                Upfront savings means I can charge, run my washing machine and dishwasher etc as I need it. Rather than wait til 9pm and keep the house awake.

              • phillq on 12/03/2019 - 15:16

                @danvelopment: Are you assuming that I have a <= 10A charger

                • danvelopment on 12/03/2019 - 20:52
                  +3

                  @phillq: Yep, and if you don't you've burned enough money that your input isn't really valuable as you're suggesting people go out and get their electrical fittings and charger altered to save a few dollars per month.

                  Spending thousands of dollars to save hundreds isn't really economical.

                  • phillq on 12/03/2019 - 23:28

                    @danvelopment: I have 32A charger.
                    I’m my case, the charger comes with the car so no extra expense there.
                    Yes, installation cost a few hundred dollars by having an electrician install it, but with every daily free hour, I save $1.40, so that’s made up quite quickly.

                    • danvelopment on 13/03/2019 - 12:33

                      @phillq: Enlighten me on the cost of the vehicle.

                      • phillq on 13/03/2019 - 13:07

                        @danvelopment: Five figures

                        • danvelopment on 13/03/2019 - 13:45

                          @phillq: Lol, and would you recommend ElectricKiwi's hour of power to someone who hasn't sunk $80,000 into an electric vehicle?

                          Because if you have a used Model S or Model X, you could have bought a $30,000 C63 AMG and enjoyed $50,000 worth of petrol before you broke even on the Hour of Power. $50k being, what, 25,000 litres, or 180,000KM at 7KM/L.

                          At 32A you could get a maximum of 46.2KM per day at 6KM/KWh for free. Or 11 years of driving before you break even on fuel driving a performance but woefully inefficient petrol vehicle.

                          • kiwiDogOwner on 13/03/2019 - 16:23
                            +2

                            @danvelopment: I bought my Nissan leaf for $10,000 and use just the hour to charge it. I've had it for 1.5 years and haven't paid for anything thing but rego, wof, insurance. I get 25km range charging in the hour and if I need more range I use the free public chargers. The batteries have only lost 2 percent health over that time. I'm pretty happy with my purchase :)

                            • huffboy on 13/03/2019 - 21:21

                              @kiwiDogOwner: what kind of charger do you have? wall one?

                              • kiwiDogOwner on 13/03/2019 - 23:39
                                +1

                                @huffboy: A 15amp charger which goes into an NZ 15a plug. It's like a normal plug but with a larger Earth. I've got a sonoff smart timer on it so I can set timers or start charging via my phone. This is really useful because I can plug in the car and it will only charge in the hour.

                            • The Hound on 14/03/2019 - 10:20

                              @kiwiDogOwner: But first gen Leafs can do 100km range full charge?

                              • kiwiDogOwner on 14/03/2019 - 15:27

                                @The Hound: Yeah 100km city driving. When I'm on hilly open roads I try not to go over 90km but with the amount of rapid chargers around now that's pretty easy. Next week I'm going from Auckland to whakatane and I'll need to stop at least 3 times to rapid charge (takes about 20min to charge to 75%). That will add maybe an hour or more to the trip. I've driven to Wellington and back which was cheaper than taking a petrol car by far but it added a lot of stopping time. Which is okay if you want to have a look around smaller towns but not as convenient as driving straight back with petrol.

          • NovaAlpha on 23/03/2019 - 17:13

            @danvelopment: @danvelopment I'm confused about the rates you're getting with Meridian. If you're getting 15.4c / KWH and this is GST inclusive, how is it that you're getting 15.84 / KWH when it is GST exclusive?

            Also, your daily charge at 1.83 / day seems like this is a Standard User plan. Our household has always been on the low user plan. Do you mind sharing the rates that you'd be getting for the low user plan?

            • danvelopment on 26/03/2019 - 16:25

              @NovaAlpha: 15.84 ex is what I get offered on the ElectricKiwi website. 15.4 inc is what I get from the Meridian promo I am on.

              Unsure of low user rates, or even if they are available for the promo I am on.

              Like I said in the very first comment, my recommendation is not for Meridian or any specific company. It's for shopping around with all companies (via something like Powerswitch) to see what promos are available right at this moment (or the moment you're looking to switch).

              • NovaAlpha on 28/03/2019 - 21:30

                @danvelopment: Yeah I've shopped around a bit and to be honest, I think Meridian and Electric Kiwi have the best rates. This is according to Glimp and Powerswitch.

                I signed up with Meridian 3 months ago for one of my properties and I signed up with Electric Kiwi for my current property. In only 3 months, the prices have spiked across all power companies. When I signed up 3 months ago with Meridian (no promo or any discount deals), my usage was around 22.86c (GST inclusive) and daily around 34.5c. This was the offer they had on their website. Now, it's like 26 something daily and they couldn't give me a better deal, despite that 2 of my properties would be with them.

    • NovaAlpha on 23/03/2019 - 16:32

      That's pretty good. When did you sign up with them? Do you remember the name of the plan?

      • danvelopment on 26/03/2019 - 16:26

        I think it was something like, "The Summer Fun" promo or something. And 16 Dec 2017.

  • Zyo on 11/03/2019 - 22:48
    -3

    spam. reported

    • kiwiDogOwner on 12/03/2019 - 04:31
      -1

      How is this spam?
      I'm letting people know how I pay as little as 7 cents per KW. Seems like a pretty good deal.
      https://imgur.com/a/FMy9HHs

      • Zyo on 12/03/2019 - 07:20

        It's their normal price. How is it a "deal" exactly?

  • premo on 12/03/2019 - 07:53

    I have tried electric kiwi. The other companies offer 15% discount for prompt payment. The free power equates to the same 15% every month. So ended up only with the hassle of waiting to turn on appliances at the free hour so better off using regular power company IMHO

    • akrotohur on 12/03/2019 - 11:03
      +2

      It's pointless then, not worth the hassle.

      I'm have suspecting that all the power companies are actually the same. Just switch every year to get $150 credit with some companies…LOL

    • NovaAlpha on 23/03/2019 - 16:15

      I guess it depends on how much you're paying for the other companies and how aggressive you're using your appliances during that 1 free hour of usage. I'd imagine that during summer or winter, that's when you get the most benefits. Just blast multiple fans / ACs / heaters during that one hour.

    • NovaAlpha on 23/03/2019 - 16:26

      Would be nice to see some figures for comparison.

      I've used multiple sites like PowerSwitch, Glimp, etc and they all show Electric Kiwi with the lowest costs / rates. Also, I think the 15% (or whatever %) prompt payment discount is just a fake discount.

  • upbeat on 12/03/2019 - 08:03

    Guys what's your opinion on Genesis energy and energy online EOL

    • justaddwater on 12/03/2019 - 12:25

      you have calculate your monthly consumption (kWh) and compare the prices from your current provider and potential new provider

  • phillq on 12/03/2019 - 08:51

    Electric Kiwi are awesome, approx same prices as Contact with all their prompt payment discounts and free hour of power on top of that.
    I charge my EV during the free hour so I never (99% of the time) have to pay for "fuel"!

    • Devolution on 12/03/2019 - 12:08

      Agree. When I was looking to change provider and not to a spot price provider like Flick, EK had the cheapest fixed rates. Even cheaper then after the fake prompt payment discount other companies provide. Plus EK has the free hour of off peak power.
      Maybe some of the other providers have now matched EK's fixed rates. But do you really want to be with a provider who lies to you about a prompt payment discount? Your life….

  • joshtnz on 12/03/2019 - 09:34

    What smart timers do you use? Any recommendations?

    • kiwiDogOwner on 12/03/2019 - 14:48

      I use a sonoff switch which you can control from your phone. Link

      Mod: Fixed link

      • joshtnz on 12/03/2019 - 17:10

        Cheers - will take a look!

    • phillq on 12/03/2019 - 23:38

      I’m buying my second Wemo insight from this guy selling his on Geekzone, tomorrow:

      https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=77&topicid=248…

    • NovaAlpha on 23/03/2019 - 16:20

      I got a bunch of Wemo Switches off Trademe for a cheap price. They have terrible reviews, but I've never had any issues with them. As long as you can get them to update to the latest firmware, they will work perfectly fine. You can setup IFTTT and custom rules to control it.

      The Wemo Insight is like the Wemo Switch, but lets you see the usage consumption as well. There are also other brands like the Efergy Ego Switch. I got this for like $15 at Hospice or something. I'd recommend shop Trademe a bit.

  • ryansc on 12/03/2019 - 11:53
    +1

    used to be with electric kiwi, its a hassle to think you save by using your appliances for 1 hour.

  • Meridian on 15/03/2019 - 13:16

    Just to add to this, signed up with these guys a few months ago. Their customer service is quite good. I hadnt done anything with my old provider (Mercury) for like 15 years so straight off the bat by swapping was getting 30% off the rates - which was terrible from Mercury. Mercury then rang, made some excuse for ignorning me for 15 years - offered me $200 credit to stay and they would beat their prices by 10% - sounds like Mitre10.

    Didnt take the offer.

    As it turns out, EK is pretty good. I got $50 off by the referral , 30% savings from the other bad price - then on average we save (according to the site) 31% using the hour of power - this is because we have gas so our electric component is smaller - and our lifestyle means we are doing most stuff at 9pm anyway and not home during the day.

    In addition if you "pay ahead" ie pay them $200 in advance - they dont charge credit card fees (so you save a little) and they credit you $220. So another 10-12% off - so overall I think they are pretty good. Quite possibly others are better - but this works for us and its a nice feeling to get an hour for free.

    • Jizah on 15/03/2019 - 20:16

      Where does it say they credit $220? I've never seen that.

      • Meridian on 15/03/2019 - 22:37

        On the pricing page it's called stay ahead 200

        "Stay Ahead 200

        With the Stay Ahead 200 plan your account will automatically be topped up by $200 when you run out of credit. Each $200 top-up comes with a $20 top-up bonus. "

        • NovaAlpha on 23/03/2019 - 16:10

          Has this changed? I cannot find that on their website or on Google:
          https://www.electrickiwi.co.nz/faq/billing-auto-topup-stay-a…

          Update:
          NVM found it. If you go to their site and choose Pricing at the top, then enter your address and choose "more info" under the "Stay Ahead 200 10% top-up bonus".

          • Meridian on 23/03/2019 - 20:21

            @NovaAlpha: And even slightly better they sent an email to say that the Stay Ahead pricing which was very slightly more will drop in April to the same price as the other plans..

  • DigitalTeam on 25/05/2020 - 20:48

    Had just joined EK last week. I have managed to save on average 28% so far. trying to over the 30% best HOP this week…

  • justaddwater on 30/06/2023 - 13:43

    Is the referral still working?

    • Sadie on 30/06/2023 - 14:57
      +1

      someone messaged me asking for a referral code, the only link I can find says this deal is no longer active

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