New electricity pricing rules take effect, promising cheaper off-peak power

He said the changes would reward those households who supply power to the network from small-scale generation systems at times when it’s needed most.

Time-of-use plans usually have three price periods:

Peak – Prices are highest when demand for electricity is highest, typically 7am to 10am and 5pm to 9pm.Off-peak or shoulder – These are the periods following peak periods when demand starts dropping off. Typically, they’re: 10am to 5pm and 9pm to 11pm.Night – Prices are lowest when demand is lowest. Typically: 11pm to 7am.

Together, the changes would make power bills more affordable but would also make the uptake of solar and batteries more attractive.

They sit alongside recent changes doubling the export limits for households exporting power back to the grid from 5 kilowatts to 10kW.

Separately, the EA said lines company charges would soon come under scrutiny from August 1.

“The Authority considers some people are paying very high upfront charges to connect to their local network, without any offsetting cut in their ongoing lines charges,” EA general manager Tim Sparks said.

“This means they’re paying more than their share, which can discourage efficient network connections,” he said.

Jamie Gray is an Auckland-based journalist, covering the financial markets, the primary sector and energy. He joined the Herald in 2011.

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