Help with Power

Can I get Power with 2degrees?

If you’re new to 2degrees broadband, head over to our broadband page, enter your address, choose a plan, and then add power. It’s super simple – we like making things easy.

You can also add power to your 2degrees broadband account if you signed up for broadband after 1 November 2022. Simply log into your online account, click Get Power, and confirm your details. If you signed up for broadband before 1 November 2022, you won’t be able to get power just yet, but you’ll be able to soon. Watch this space!

How much does 2degrees Power cost?

The easiest way to see our electricity rates is to head over to our broadband page, enter your address, choose a plan, and then add Power.

Electricity charges consist of two components – a Fixed Daily charge, usually quoted in cents per day, and a Variable Usage charge, usually quoted in cents per unit of kWh (kilowatt hours). Each bill has cost that’s made up of the fixed charge multiplied by the number of days within the billing period, and the variable charge multiplied by the power used over the period (or an estimate of this number). In some cases, you may have more than one variable charge related to different types of supply.

Electricity retailers are charged a levy by the Electricity Authority. Your old bill may show an “EA Levy”. The EA levy is small, and we have chosen to include it within our variable charges rather than splitting it out separately.

How long does it take to switch my power to 2degrees?

Switching from your current provider to 2degrees is usually a straightforward process, taking a few days.

It’s possible that you may have a contract with your existing provider that means they can charge you to break the contract. Please check this and be aware of any fees – you don’t want a nasty shock.

Your existing provider may attempt to contact you and entice you back, with discounted rates or a credit. But, we reckon, if they haven’t offered you that until you have said you are leaving, then you should question whether you want to ever give them a cent again.

Am I a Low User or Standard User?

There are two types of plans available to Kiwi households: Standard User and Low User.

Under either, you’ll be billed both a daily rate, and a usage rate per kWh (kilowatt hour) unit of electricity consumed. It’s entirely up to you whether you sign onto a Standard or a Low User plan but depending on your circumstances you may be much better off on one rather than the other.

Standard User

The Standard User plan has a higher daily charge, but a lower charge per kWh used, so is ideal if your electricity usage is relatively high. Households north of Christchurch are better off on a Standard plan if using more than 8,000 kWh each year, and for Christchurch and further south if using more than 9,000 kWh each year.

In general, Standard User plans will suit larger households, where people are home a lot, and electricity is used for hot water and heating.

Low User

The Low User plan is generally suited to people using less electricity than average (hence the name!). It’s designed so that the fixed rate is no more than 30 cents a day (not including GST and after any bundle discount) but the unit rate is higher, which means that if you don’t use much electricity, you'll pay less than you would on a Standard User plan.

In general, you should pick a Low User plan if your household has one or two people living in a well-insulated, energy-efficient home, often with gas for heating or hot water. Very roughly, these households will spend much less than $200 monthly averaged across the year – although the exact level will vary in different parts of the country.

While for most of the country the tipping point between the two plans is 8,000 kWh annually, the average household is better off on a Low User plan.

You can change between Standard and Low User plans once a year, which could be useful if you have a change in situation (for example, if someone moves out and you're using much less electricity). If you think you'll be better off on a different plan, just get in touch and we'll help with the change.

What if I am medically dependent on power?

Please let us know if you or a family member are medically dependent on power, and whether loss of electricity may result in loss of life or serious harm. Medical dependence on electricity could be for use of medical or other electrical equipment needed to support a treatment regime.

We will request evidence of medical dependency. You and your doctor or health provider need to complete our Power Medical Dependency form and return it to us by emailing support@2degreesbroadband.co.nz.

You will receive a confirmation email to confirm that you are on our medical register, and we will contact you as soon as we become aware of any planner power outages that may affect the property listed.

During a power outage, we recommend you refer to your emergency backup plan or contact your local health provider to find out what your options are during the outage.

If you have any questions regarding Medical Dependency and your electricity, call us on 0800 022 022 and we’ll be happy to help you out. Make sure you have your account number handy.

Your Power usage

You can get a breakdown of your power usage in My 2degrees.

If you have a smart meter, you’ll see daily readings on a 48-hour delay that shows how much you’ve been using.

If you have a legacy meter, these require a monthly visit from a meter reader to manually give us your usage. Your power bill is estimated based on your previous usage; this is to make sure the bills you receive are consistent as we charge in advance. When the actual reading comes through, your next bill is credited or debited depending on whether we over or undercharged you.

You can provide us with readings of your legacy meter yourself, just select Update Meter Reading in My 2degrees.

If you would like to get a smart meter installed, give us a call on 0800 022 022 and listen out for the power option and we can discuss the details with you. Make sure you have your account number handy.

What do I do if my power is out?

The contact information for faults and outages in your area can be found on the top of your 2degrees bill in My 2degrees.

Can I move my power meter?

You can, here’s what’s involved:

First, get an electrician around to get all the wiring sorted in the location you would like to have the meter moved to. Make sure you get a Certificate of Compliance from the electrician for all the work they have done, this will be needed for the metering company to complete the move. This work is at your own cost.

Then, contact us to arrange a technician from the metering company to come to your address and move the meter to the new location and connect it up. Once a technician has been requested, the metering company will get it done in the next 10-15 working days. This part costs $195.00 including GST, which will be charged on the invoice after the move is completed.

Our Residential Power Consumer Care policy

Our Residential Power Consumer Care policy is a guide to how we can work together to help you as a 2degrees power customer and outlines our commitments to you as your electricity retailer, how to help you manage your electricity costs, and more. You can read our full policy here.