The quickest way to view your bill is to sign into My Account. Sign in or register for My Account here. Once you have signed in, go to the View bill page and you’ll see the amount due and the due date, as well as the details of your most recent charges. From here you can also download your PDF invoice, or previous invoices by clicking on the Previous bills tab.
As well as your digital bill, we’ll send you your PDF invoice via email or post. Please note, if you opt to have your bill posted to you, there is a $1.10 (including GST) fee for each paper bill posted to you.
You can view your digital bill in My Account.
Your PDF invoice is your official tax invoice that is emailed to you, or if you get paper bills it’s what you receive in the post.
A key difference is that the digital bill is easier to understand and easier to get to (simply sign into My Account).
- Customers have told us that the first two things they look for on their bill are the total amount due and due date. This information is displayed at the top of your digital bill.
- In your digital bill it’s easier to see what your charges are made up of. There is a breakdown for each of your services (Electricity, Gas, Broadband) including GST so you can clearly see what makes up the cost per service.
- Customers have also told us that the way we show credits on the PDF invoice is confusing because they display without GST. Knowing how frustrating this is, we've made sure that credits appear as their full amount (with GST) in the digital bill so you can be assured first time that you've been credited the right amount.
What are the different types of charges on my bill?
Your bill is generally made up of two main types of charges – fixed daily charge/s and variable charges.
- Fixed daily charge
The fixed daily charge appears on your bill as a ‘cents per day’ or ‘dollars per day’ amount. Typically, it’s made up of meter rental costs, overhead costs, a margin component and, in most cases, a fixed fee charged by network operators or lines companies.
- Variable charges
Variable charges appear as ‘cents per kWh’ and are the charges for the amount of electricity and/or gas you’ve used since your last bill. These charges go up and down each bill depending on how much energy you use.
Here are some common types of electricity variable charges. You might have a combination of these and more than one meter.
- All day economy
Anything wired into this meter has an electricity supply all the time except for the hot water cylinder which can be turned off (or “controlled”) by your local network company during peak times. In most cases, you get a reduced rate on this charge compared to other options like ‘Anytime’.
- Economy
This is similar to ‘All Day Economy’ because it has usage (usually hot water) going through it which can be turned off (or “controlled”) by your local network company during peak times. The difference is you will usually have another charge as well. This option is typically for hot water only and can’t supply most other appliances. In most cases, you get a reduced rate on this charge compared to other options like Anytime.
- Anytime
Anything wired into this meter has electricity supply all the time. Supply to this meter is not “controlled” by the network company.
- Piped gas
If you're a piped gas customer, you'll probably see a charge called 'Living Smart' which is a simple charge with no controlled conditions like these electricity ones.
Note: there are some other charges that might appear on your bill such as ‘Day’, ‘Night’ and ‘Night Boost’. If you have a charge on your bill that is not listed here and want to know more, we’re happy to help. Please get in touch with us.
Can I change the variable charges I’m on?
If you want to make a change, we can help you with that. There may be a charge for this and an electrician might need to do some work at your property. Please get in touch if you want to chat this through as it’s important that we work out the right arrangement for your household.
Am I a Low User?
Our Low User electricity price plan applies to your main home only (sorry, no holiday homes or businesses) and is designed to benefit customers who use less than 8,000 kWh of electricity per year, or 9,000 kWh if you live in some parts of the lower South Island. It has a lower fixed daily charge than our standard plans and a higher variable charge for the electricity used.
Find out more about Low User plans and thresholds.
What is a gas conversion factor and why does this change?
Gas meters measure energy usage in cubic metres (m³), while electricity meters measure consumption in kilowatt-hours (kWh). To keep your billing consistent, we convert gas cubic metres into kilowatt-hours by using a gas conversion factor.
A gas conversion factor is made up of a number of things like altitude, pressure, temperature and calorific value, and can change each month because of variations in temperature and calorific value during that time.
How do I know if my bill is based on an actual meter read?
On your PDF invoice, you can find this on page two of your bill. Locate where your electricity or natural gas charges are printed and here it will show the "Electricity Reading Type".
On your digital bill, we’ll show you an alert explaining if some charges are based on estimated usage. You can also click into each service type and see if it’s based on an estimated, actual or customer supplied meter read.
How can I find out when my next meter reading will be?
On your PDF invoice, your next meter reading date shows on the top right on the first page of your bill.
In My Account or on the Contact app visit the Submit Meter Read page and you’ll see the estimated date alongside each meter.
Sometimes due to unforeseen events, our meter readers may visit your property a day or two either side of the estimated date.
Find out more about meters and connections.
To find out how much energy you use in a year, register and sign in to My Account or the Contact app to view your usage history.
Can I get more detailed usage information than what is shown in My Account?
Yes, we can provide more details about your electricity consumption from the last two years.
To make a detailed usage request, get in touch with us. Once we have all the information we need, your detailed usage results will be emailed to you within five business days. (Electricity Industry Participation Code 2010 administered by the Electricity Authority.)
You can request a refund easily yourself by signing into My Account or the Contact app and going to the Pay bill page. On this page check if you’re eligible for a refund and if so, request one.
Alternatively, you can call us and ask for a refund using our automated IVR. You won’t have to wait on hold to speak with us, just tell us you’re calling to “request a refund” and then follow the prompts.
How long do refunds take to come through?
Refunds take 2–5 business days to be processed and appear in your bank account.
How do I know if I’m eligible for a refund?
You can request a refund if:
- Your account is in credit
- You don’t have a new bill due within the next 24 hours
- You don’t have a refund already underway
- You have a bank account saved with us. To add a bank account to your Contact account, log into My Account or the Contact app and go to the Pay bill page
Note: Network credits and joining credits are not refundable.
I’m on SmoothPay, can I request a refund?
If you request a refund your regular SmoothPay payments will increase.
Yes, you can request a refund, but our team will need to check your account first. Then they will get in touch with you to discuss the refund before it is processed. Your regular payments will increase so we need to check that it’s the best thing for you.
I’m on PrePay, can I request a refund?
Yes, you can, but you need to leave at least $30 credit on your account after the refund. For example, if your PrePay account is $40 in credit you can ask for a refund of up to $10. This is to make sure you always have a buffer in your account to cover your energy costs.
Here’s a few reasons why your bill might be higher than normal:
- You’re at home more often or have extra people in the house who are using more energy.
- A long spell of cold weather in your area means you’ve been cranking up the heating.
- An appliance may be faulty or your hot water cylinder is leaking.
- You may have purchased a new appliance recently which could see a rise in the amount of power being used.
- If you have underfloor heating or use a heat pump, you may have been turning it on for longer than usual.
- Your recent bills may have been estimated or cover a longer period than what you’re used to. Find out more about estimated bills and what you can do about them here.
To monitor your energy usage, sign in to My Account and visit the ‘My Usage’ page to see your energy usage by the hour, day or month. (The usage graph usually takes a day or two to update, so you won’t be able to see what you got up to yesterday.)
View our energy saving tips (PDF) to help keep your energy costs down.
There are a few reasons why your bill might be lower than normal.
- You’ve been spending less time at home at home than usual, or had people move out/away.
- The weather has warmed up so you’re using the heater less often.
- Your recent bills have been estimated ones or cover a shorter period than what you’re used to.
If none of these things ring true, or you have something else you’d like to chat through, please get in touch. We know that a low bill can sometimes mean a customer is limiting the amount of electricity being used as they may find it difficult to pay bills. If you are worried about this, here are some options we have to help you.
To monitor your energy usage, sign in to My Account and visit the ‘My Usage’ page to see your energy usage by the hour, day or month. (The usage graph usually takes a day or two to update, so you won’t be able to see what you got up to yesterday.)
The last thing we want you to worry about is how to keep the lights on and your house warm. If you’re finding it hard to pay your bills, here’s some ways we can help:
- We can set up an arrangement, so you pay off the outstanding amount over a period of time
- Choose ‘SmoothPay’, where you pay the same amount weekly, fortnightly or monthly (whatever works for you). We work out how much this is, so it covers your energy usage all year round.
- Choose weekly or fortnightly billing to align your power bills with your pay.
- Consider Contact PrePay where you can pay for your electricity upfront, just like a prepaid mobile.
- Try Work and Income for some possible extra help
- Visit MoneyTalks for some great budgeting advice
Need help? Please phone us on 0800 80 80 86 during business hours and Saturdays. We’re ready to help.
Can I make a part payment?
Yes, you can. If you make a part payment, it will show on your next bill. Your payment will be spread across all your services equally if you have multiple services with us and applied to the oldest debt first.
