With chilly months ahead and the cost of power rising, many Kiwis will be looking to switch power plans and save some money.
But just because a deal looks good on paper doesn't mean it'll actually be cheaper – ultimately leaving some paying more.
Dr Gareth Gretton at the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority, told 1News: "You've probably got some people that think, 'oh, you know, I'll switch my plan because it looks like a good deal', but it won't necessarily work out cheaper for them."
So how can you make sure you're getting the best possible deal?
Gretton, the authority's lead advisor for research, evaluation and insights, said consumers needed to consider how their home is used in the pricing structure.
That all depends on routines, appliances, and what actually uses power.
"There are a lot of power plans out there. There's a lot of different offers. There's a lot of different ways that the costs are split," Gretton said.
"Between fixed charges, as in daily charges, and between variable charges, as in unit charges, and then all different sorts of times of day, and indeed different times of week, that those charges apply to.
"I think between the complexity of the plans and the variety of different households with different schedules and different appliances, there's definitely no one-size-fits-all answer.
"It really is just completely impossible to say whether a given plan is going to work for a given household without actually sort of understanding a bit of the detail."
Fixed rate or time of use?
Gretton said roughly one-third of energy went to keeping a house warm, another third to water heating, and the final third to other uses. That final third includes items like washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, TVs and lighting – and needs to be considered first.
"First and foremost, you're thinking about what you've got, and which of those appliances use electricity, which is obviously relevant to space heating and water heating.
"If you're using gas or wood for space heating, or if you're using gas for water heating versus electric, those things are going to have a really, really big impact on what sort of plan is best for you."
He said a house that used a heat pump for space heating but gas for water heating would likely draw a lot of power at peak times, meaning a fixed plan is likely better.
"They will have less ability to move power to different times of day because, generally speaking, you need the heater on when you want your house to be warm."
For a house where everything is electric – heating, water, and even vehicles – something more dynamic would be better.
"If you've got that all-electric household, then you could have your electric hot water cylinder on a timer, so it's using a night rate, and you could be charging the EV on a night rate too.
"And that means that there's a relatively large proportion of the energy use in that house that can be shifted to nighttime."
For heating, Gretton said consumers could turn the heat on during off-peak hours so that when they wake up in the morning and when they get home in the evening, the heater won't have to do as much heavy lifting.
Hot water also something to consider
Alongside general power use, Gretton said there were also ways to minimise power bills by considering electric water heating.
There are two ways to get this done: the first is through a day/night plan, where a water cylinder is on a timer.
The other is to have "ripple control", where supply is interrupted for brief periods during peak times.
He said these options all depend on where in the country a user is, as well as which retailer and supplier you are with.
"If you've got electric hot water heating, then it's very, very likely that you want to be either on ripple control or a day-night plan.
"If on a day/night plan, you should have a timer so that it's mostly on at nighttime and you're only ever doing a little bit of sort of top-up heating during the day if you need."
Do the sums for your place using the Electricity Authority's comparison site billy.govt.nz
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