In New Zealand there are different types of meters and with different meter types comes different charge rates.

UN - Uncontrolled Meter

An uncontrolled meter provides uncontrolled and unrestricted supply to the property for 24 hours a day. This is the most common type in New Zealand for residential households.

CN - Controlled Meter

A controlled meter allows your retailer and network company to manage "control" usage during peak use periods and for you to pay a lower rate as a result. The minimum length of time these supplies will be on, are dependant on where you are living and which controlled option you are on. Most controlled options have electricity available for at least 16 hours each day. This option is commonly used for hot water cylinders, pumps and floor heating. They are normally paired with an uncontrolled meter for dedicated energy supply to your home. 

IN – All Inclusive Meter

An all inclusive meter is a single meter that works similar to an uncontrolled/controlled combination. The supply is available to be controlled to an appliance in the property (normally the hot water cylinder) for a period of time in a day. This means that the hot water supply might be turned off during peak times for an allocated period of time.

Day(D)/Night(N) Metering

Day/Night meters, like the uncontrolled meter, provides 24 hours a day of unrestricted supply to the property. However, two different rates apply depending on whether energy is consumed during the Day period of 7am - 11pm, or the Night period of 11pm - 7am.

There are two types of plan available to Kiwi households: Standard User or 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 8,000kWh each year, and for Christchurch and further south if using more than 9,000 kWh each year. Conversely, if your annual usage is lower than that number, a Low User plan is more advantageous. A 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* 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.

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

Low User

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. Low User plans are only available for your primary residence (so not your bach, crib or holiday home).

Note that while for most of the country the tipping point between the two plans is 8,000kWh annually, the average household use is much lower than that. So, you may be a very standard household – but better off on a Low User plan.

You can switch between Low and Standard user plans once a year.

*not including GST and after any prompt payment discount  

We offer a prompt payment discount (PPD) if you have broadband and power services with us. It’s pretty simple. If your account is paid in full on the due date noted on your invoice, you’ll get 10% off your power bill, and 10% off your broadband base plan (and off your home phone rental too if you have that service).

This discount applies to the charges related directly to the Broadband plan, Homeline plan, and Power rates. However, it excludes homeline features, add-ons, calling packs, overage, mobile, calls to 0900 numbers and the like, and any miscellaneous Power charges such as a meter test. The bill will clearly show the PPD value, the amount due less the PPD together with the date due, and the amount due if paid late without PPD applied.

We think it’s a really good offer – and should save you plenty!

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.

The other factor that will impact the price is the choice between a Standard plan or a Low User plan. Click here to read more about that.

Please note that your first power invoice may be a little higher than expected. This is due to the initial power usage to be charged being based on an estimate from your previous provider. You should notice this even out by the time you receive your next month’s invoice.

It is important you let us know immediately if you or a family member are medically dependent on power, and requires the use of mains electricity for critical medical support (uses an approved life support machine), and any disconnection may result in loss of life or serious harm.

We will request evidence of medical dependency – you and your doctor or health provider need to complete the form below and return it to us by emailing customersupport@team.slingshot.co.nz 

Click here to download a copy of the Power Medical Dependency Form 

What will happen next? 

Once we receive the completed form, we will make a note on your account.

You will receive a confirmation email to confirm that are now on our medical register.

We will contact you as soon as we become aware of any planned power outages that may affect the property listed.

During a power outage, we suggest you refer to your emergency backup plan

Or contact your local health provider to find out what your options are during the outage.

When power cuts are planned, for example to work on power lines, we will endeavour to give you advanced notice.

If you have any questions regarding Medical Dependency and your electricity, just get in contact with our friendly customer service team, and we’ll be happy to help you out.

Switching you from your current provider to Slingshot is usually a straight forward 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.

Electricity Faults and Outages

Faults

A fault is when the power is out for just you. Your neighbors will still have power. 

Outages

An outage is when the power is out for more that just you. There are two types of Outages, planned and unplanned.

Planned outages usually take place when the Lines Company (e.g Vector) need to complete maintenance on the lines. The lines company will notify you if there are any planned outages in your area. 

Unplanned outages can be caused by the weather, accidents or general faults. The lines companies endeavor to fix these faults as soon as possible. 

Who do I contact if there is a fault or outage? 

The contact details for your area are on the top of your Slingshot bill, inside your MyAccount page.

This will depend on what part of the country you are in. 

 For anywhere else, please contact 0800 897 697