Frequently asked
Got a question
If you have an overdue balance on your Ecotricity account and you would like to request a payment plan, fill in this form
If you would like to submit a current meter reading for your Ecotricity account, please fill in this form.
Yes, with all Ecotricity price plans we require you to have a smart meter installed. If you don't, you can be upgraded free of charge. See prices here.
Ecotricity don't downgrade smart meters, and are unable to accept legacy or non-smart meters.
Please fill out one of the following forms if you need to apply for a new connection to either Wellington or Electra networks.
Wellington: https://get.ecotricity.nz/new-connection-wellington
Electra: https://get.ecotricity.nz/new-connection-electra
The team will get in touch as soon as the ICP number is ready. If needed, you can contact the metering team at [email protected]
Yes, most definitely.
All applicable local lines dividends are passed on to you.
No.
But you’re welcome to join us at your new address
Your carbon emissions are being compared to the national average electricity CO2e intensity for the last 12 months, this is updated each month for the preceding 12 months.
What this means is – all of the kWhs (units) of electricity for the last 12 months are measured as well as the amount of CO2e emitted in producing that electricity. This can tell us on average how many grams of CO2e are emitted per kWh produced.
We can then take the number of kWh you have consumed in the month and multiply it by the months' intensity and create a calculation of the amount of CO2e you have avoided.
Our Toitū climate positive certification for electricity is based on international protocols and United Nations Product Specifications for supplying electricity from renewable sources.
Yes.
We will allow customers to move occasionally between plans when there is a significant change at your site. For example purchase of an Electric Vehicle, purchase of Solar, children moving out of home, etc. The plan start date will be the same as your current plan start date.
The Toitū climate positive programme is founded on the latest science and international standards with verifiable and comparable results. To earn certification, an organisation or product must measure and report in annual audits, all operational and value chain emissions in accordance with the ISO 14064-1:2018 for organisations and ISO 14067:2018 for product lifecycle emissions.
The programme requires the setting and achievement of science-aligned reduction targets, as well as a clear decarbonisation strategy. From an accounting perspective, the carbon balance sheet for members will show a negative balance as all unavoidable emissions are offset through the cancellation of verified carbon credits, going beyond net zero to have a positive impact. Members are required to go beyond carbon neutral to have a positive impact through additional carbon credits (25% of the organisation or product footprint) and contributing to wider environmental and social outcomes (equivalent to the cost of offsetting 75% of the organisation or product footprint). The programme not only focuses on reducing emissions, but also requires engagement and broader social and environmental outcomes, aligning with science for a sustainable future.
When we talk about the electricity from Ecotricity being Toitū climate positive certified, Ecotricity purchases power sourced only from hydro, wind or solar. Because electricity is an interchangeable commodity throughout New Zealand, we are very accurately able to account for how much energy our customers are using and conversely how much we need to purchase from climate positive certified, renewable resources on an annualised basis. The net effect is that Ecotricity is only supplying from certified renewable sources.
No, you may only use the Toitū climate positive logo if your organisation or product/service has achieved Toitū climate positive certification. Using the Toitū climate positive logo is making a claim that you are Toitū climate positive certified. Under the Fair Trading Act 1986, you are required to substantiate any environmental or carbon claims at the time of making the claim. The Toitū climate positive certification logo is included on your Ecotricity invoices and you may display those, but you may not use the logo in any other context. You can learn more about Toitū climate positive certification and contact the programme here.
In addition to the assurance you receive that all the life cycle emissions associated with the electricity have been accounted for and offset against rigorous international standards, your use of Toitū climate positive certified electricity may be recognised by other schemes. For example, you may gain points when being assessed by your customers, when bidding for procurement contracts, and when applying for other recognition such as through the Green Building Council’s Green Star Programme.
Yes! For carbon accounting purposes however it is a two-step process as follows.
You still need to use the national grid average conversion factor to calculate your GHG footprint for all public reporting. This is offset to zero by all the Toitū climate positive certified electricity you purchase from ecotricity. If you are seeking carbon neutrality or carbonzero certification for your own organisation or your own product/service, you are not required to offset the carbonzero certified electricity that you have purchased from ecotricity. This is aligned with an international best practice including the latest standard from the international GHG Protocol which allows both the location-based (grid average conversion factor) and supplier based (supplier-specific conversion factor) calculations to be reported.
The good news is that this means that if you are seeking carbonzero certification, no carbon offsets are required to be purchased by your organisation for your electricity purchased from ecotricity. This can mean direct financial savings for companies seeking to be truly carbon neutral.
Please sign up with your new provider and provide Ecotricity with 10 working days' notice of the switch-over date. This is to ensure that the date requested can be the effective start date for your new power provider.
Please let us know the date you are moving, or the date you are no longer needing to have power, so we can make sure you are not overcharged. We will update this on your account and send a letter to your old address for the new owner.
You should receive your invoice within the first 10 days of the month via email.
If you have not been billed for some months, this could be due to us not receiving reads from your meter. Please email photos of your meter reads to [email protected]
Please email [email protected] with proof of identity/address.
The difference between energy actually injected into a network and energy actually delivered to points of connection. This is commonly due to the transfer of energy not being 100% efficient. On the way to your premise some power is converted into Light, Heat and Sound. This loss is required however to ensure you get all the power you need.
Invoices are sent out during the first week of each month, with the due date being 10 days after that. Eg. Your invoice is sent out on the 5th the due date will be the 15th.
The causes for washup can vary but most commonly is when our system is not receiving accurate data for an extended period of time. This is most often for customers with legacy meters or rural customers with a not strong internet signal. In these cases, being put on a manual meter reading cycle will help our system to generate your invoices more accurately. The more reads we have, the more accurate your invoices will be.
Your customer number will be on your invoices in a blue box above the total amount due. They are a 6 digit number.
Please provide the full name, contact number, and email address of the person you are wanting to add to your account.
Sometimes it can take a few days for data to sync on the portal. Please wait until your next invoice to see if your data is showing.
If this happens, please email us at [email protected] and one of our team will manually update this from our end.
Once you have received your first invoice, please register on our website with your customer number and email address and you will be able to see your consumption data and invoices.
Call 0800 845 000 and the after hours team will be able to provide the correct number for your region.
Sometimes the address that the electricity authority has is different to the postal address. In this instance using your ICP number is the best solution. The ICP number can be located on the meter box and is 15 characters long.
This can be one of three common reasons:
- The address is a large commercial address, in which case you will need to get ahold of the corporate team for a quote.
- We currently don't have a price plan for the price code you are on, we will need to get back to you about this.
- You are on a Builder Temp supply, in which case the address is classified as commercial and you need to select commercial not residential.
The switching process can take up to 10 business days, but on average is 5 business days.
Standard User Plans have a higher fixed daily charge, but a lower charge per kWH you use. So, if you are using lots of electricity the lower unit charge balances things out to give you the best. Low User Plans charge a lower fixed daily charge, but a higher charge per kWH you use. So, if you don’t use much electricity you will pay less than on a Standard User Plan.
In the North Island, you are considered a low user if you use less than 660 kWh a month at your primary residence, while in the lower parts of the South Island you are a low user if you less than 750 kWh a month.
We'll upgrade your meter for free. Check out our non standard prices here.
The short answer is ‘no’, Ecotricity can’t guarantee that customers only receive the Toitū climate positive certified energy product. For this to be achieved, New Zealand would need to have a separate green energy grid, connecting renewable sources directly to households. The environmental and financial costs of building this would be significant.
However, the company believes it’s more important to focus on the generation side to help get the NZ electricity grid to 100% renewable. Our certification is based on international protocols and United Nations Product Specifications for supplying electricity from renewable sources. The reason it is important to support climate positive certified electricity is so that new renewable electricity is developed, in particular wind and solar, so by choosing Ecotricity you are encouraging more electricity generation through sustainable means.
Creating a green energy grid is a United Nations protocol. Ecotricity is leading the industry and the sector by going above and beyond to map out sustainable processes up the value chain and down the value chain and within our organisation as well. You can’t manage what you can’t measure and the company is leading the way in terms of showing how to be accountable for carbon and transparent about not only reduction but off-setting.
Ecotricity only purchases from certified wind farms, solar farms and hydro dams across the country, as well as having significant proportion of solar customers who supply Ecotricity with their excess generation.
Ecotricity's proportion of solar customers is 100 times higher than other retailers and in the summer when solar generation is high, the excess generation can provide electricity for 25% of our customers energy needs.
We see large solar farms as playing an important role to further grow our renewable generation. We have some operating already and many more to come.
In NZ, around 65% of our electricity generation comes from renewable sources. The remaining comes from thermal sources (coal, gas and geothermal) and this accounts for a large portion of NZ’s total emissions.
To be able to offset 125% of all emissions Ecotricity must support local and international decarbonising projects. Ecotricity currently support the Owenga Reserve in the Chatham Islands, as well as the Gyapa Cookstoves project in Ghana, and the Orb Household Project in India. For more information on these projects please view our Climate Positive webpage.
Any energy generated from your solar panels that you don't use is sold back to us. We apply a credit for every unit which works to offset your monthly invoices.
You will need an import export meter installed on site which we will arrange with your solar installer.
It does not have an impact on the network charge that applies for the electricity connection, but because you use energy from your solar panels you save unit network charges (that you would normally pay per unit of electricity from the grid).
This refers to the ability to report zero emissions under the guidance of Scope 2 GHG Protocol market-based emissions method. Ecotricity have measured and offset its electricity products (including transmission and distribution losses) supplied to clients and therefore zero emissions can be reported and not needed to be offset again, of course this only applies if we supply 100% of your electricity needs.
-NZ electricity emissions in the last 12 months comes from monthly energylink data.
-Annual carbon emissions you could save by joining Ecotricity is taken from the average New Zealand household consumption of 8000kwh per year and multiplied by CO2 intensity from the last 12 months - taken from energylink.
-Emissions saved by Ecotricity in last 12 months is calculated from our invoicing system, we are able to see how many kwh our customers are consuming each month, then we multiply this by the CO2 intensity from the last 12 months (energylink).
No, we do not cap solar export.
- Apply for an ICP – This is a unique identifier for your property on the network. You or your solar installer can apply on your local network's website (Please note for Electra and Wellington Electricity please fill out these forms instead; Wellington: https://get.ecotricity.nz/new-connection-wellington, Electra: https://get.ecotricity.nz/new-connection-electra)
- Once an ICP has been created, you will need your Electrician to contact us to arrange the meter install.
- Once we getw the required information from your Electrician we will raise the metering job, this can take 3-5 weeks.
If you have solar installed:
After the ICP is created, your solar installer must apply for a Distributed Generation (DG) application and send it to [email protected]
Yes. If your solar exports have put your account into an overall credit balance, you’re welcome to request a refund.
When you install solar panels, you're generating electricity that you would otherwise have to buy from the grid. That reduces your electricity import from the grid, so your bills go down. There's an upfront cost: solar systems in NZ generally cost NZ$10,000–$30,000 depending on size, usage, type, etc. Adding a battery increases cost but gives benefits (e.g. storing excess solar to use in evening or during outages). Over time, that upfront cost is “paid back” by reduced bills plus credits you get for any solar you export (i.e. don’t use yourself) to the grid. We estimate a payback period of around 7–9 years for many systems.
Also the savings are seasonal: more solar generation (hence more benefit) in summer, less in winter.
If your solar panels generate more electricity than you consume at any time, that excess electricity is exported to the grid. Ecotricity gives you credits for each unit (kWh) exported, which offset your electricity bills.
You need to have an import/export meter installed at your site. This is needed to measure both how much electricity you import from the grid and how much you export. Ecotricity arranges for this via your solar installer. Once you have that, your retailer (Ecotricity in this case) credits you for exported electricity under a buy-back/export tariff.
Smart meters report consumption (and import/export) data in half-hour intervals and then transmit this data daily to the metering company, which then passes it to Ecotricity. The data might take a few days to fully sync.
If there’s lag in data upload (communication delays), or if your solar app shows data from your inverter rather than the meter (inverter shows what panels are producing in real-time, but that might differ from what the meter records/export/import), differences can appear.
Also depending on which period your bill covers (meter readings) vs what period your app is showing (often real-time or recent), they may not align exactly.
We don’t install panels directly, but we partner with trusted solar installers across NZ. Find one near you.
Contact your solar installer first for system issues. Reach out to us for metering or billing questions.
You’ll see charges for:
-Imported electricity (the power you draw from the grid when your solar isn’t producing enough).
-Fixed daily or connection charges / network/lines charges and other variable charges like meter charges, GST etc.
-If you have solar and are exporting, you’ll also see credits for exported energy. Those will offset (reduce) your total bill.
If you are on a time-of-use plan (which many solar customers are), there will be different rates depending on when you use or export electricity. Peak vs off-peak periods. Ecotricity’s ecoSOLAR plan uses this scheme.
Check out our video on "How to read your power bill".
You’ll need to register an account. To do this, you’ll need the email address you want to receive notifications to and your customer account number. You can find your customer number at the top of your Ecotricity power bill.
If you’ve already used the Ecotricity app before, all you need to do is log in with the email address and password you registered with.
On the login screen, click “Forgot Password”. Enter your email address and then check your email, you will have been sent a link to reset your password.
You can view your balance by scrolling down on the homepage or clicking on the ‘Payment’ tab on the bottom navigation menu. You will be able to see your current balance* and when payment is due.
*Payment processing times may vary, and balances may take a couple of days to update.
Click on the ‘Pay Now’ button and you will be asked to enter your debit or credit card details.
Click on the ‘Payment’ tab on the bottom navigation menu. Here, you can download and view your past invoices and payments.
Click on the ‘Profile’ icon in the top right corner and select ‘Payment method’. Here, you can edit your existing direct debit details.
Click on the ‘Profile’ icon in the top right corner and select ‘Payment method’. You will be asked to enter the information needed to set up secure direct debit payments.
No, that is not currently available through the app, you’ll need to call or email our customer service team to arrange this.
Click on the “Live” tab on the bottom navigation menu.
You can find a general view of your solar energy system data in the ‘Live’ tab on the bottom navigation menu. To see more detail, scroll further down the page to the ‘Connected devices’ section. Here, you can find:
- Solar energy output over a 24 hour period
- Historical solar generation over a month, day or half hour
- Amount of solar energy exported back to the grid
Click the ‘Live’ tab on the bottom navigation menu and you’ll see how much energy is stored in your battery. This is represented by the charge percentage and the blue line in the graph (underneath the animation).
You can find a general view of your EV’s energy data in the ‘Live’ tab on the bottom navigation menu. To see more detail, scroll further down the page to the ‘Connected devices’ section. Here, you can find:
o Current range of EV
o Battery state of charge
o Amount of battery storage
• Click the ‘Live’ tab on the bottom navigation menu and scroll down to the ‘Get connected’ section. Here, you can add another device.
• When adding an EV, you’ll be directed to an external platform to connect your EV. Simply follow the steps to add your EV. Please note that the app does not currently support all EV models.
• When adding a solar system, you’ll need to fill in a form with key info about your system, such as the serial number on the inverter. Once you’ve submitted the form, we’ll start the process of connecting your system, which may take a few days.
The animation shows you where your energy is being used. If you have a solar system, it will show you how much energy is being generated and/or stored in your battery. Anything providing power will have a positive number, and you’ll see it providing power to other components of your home energy setup. Anything consuming power will have a negative number.
If you only have an EV connected to the app (no solar energy system), you will see a slightly different screen. You will be able to see your EV’s current range and battery’s state of charge. If your EV is charging, the circle will flash to indicate this. You can also schedule a time for your EV to start charging.
The energy graph (seen below the energy animation) breaks down your energy use data for a daily, weekly or monthly period. You can filter what data is shown by clicking on the tabs below the graph. If you want more detail for a specific energy device, you can find more information further down the page under ‘Connected devices’.
Unfortunately, not all battery types are supported. If you have a solar zero system, you wont be able to connect your system to the app.
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