If there are serious concerns for your health or wellbeing because of a power cut or a piped gas outage, call an ambulance.

It is vital that medically dependent customers have an emergency response plan in place in the event of a power outage or a piped gas outage (see the Electricity Authority’s detailed response plan here to help you). Outages can happen suddenly during bad weather or emergency repair work.

What to do in the event of an unexpected outage: 

• Make sure you have a standby battery fully charged. 
• Go to a friend’s or family members house that still has energy supply. 

If neither of these options are available, seek assistance from your nearest hospital or medical centre.

Please let us know immediately if you or someone in your house depends on mains electricity or piped gas for critical medical support - where no electricity or piped gas could result in loss of life or serious harm. This applies to both medical and other equipment needed to support treatment.

How to register with us as medically dependent:

1. Call us straight away on 0800 80 9000. We will record that you are medically dependant on electricity and/or piped gas.
2. Set up an emergency response plan in case if a power cut or gas outage - see the Electricity Authority’s detailed response plan here to help you.
3. Download and complete the medical dependency form. Please ensure you have either authorised that we can confirm medical dependency with a health provider (e.g. your GP) for the medically dependent person, or completed the entire form, including the section that needs to be filled in by a health provider.

Once you have done this, please scan and email the form, or post it back to us below:

• Email: [email protected] 
• Post: Contact Energy, PO Box 624, Wellington 6140 

When we receive the form, we will assess whether you or someone at the property meets the criteria for Medically Dependent and register the account accordingly. 

For any further questions, contact us.

A customer is vulnerable if the disconnection of electricity to that domestic consumer presents a clear threat to their health or wellbeing due to: 

• Age  
• Health 
• Wellbeing 

Or if it is genuinely difficult to pay for electricity bills because of severe financial insecurity whether temporary or permanent. 

We take our obligation to assist customers in vulnerable circumstances seriously. 

If you or someone in your household fits this description, please contact us immediately. 

We will discuss options like: 

• setting up a payment arrangement 
• applying to Work and Income for advice or assistance 
• approaching another social agency for assistance, advice, and budgeting 

Also, if you think you may have issues with future payments, or communicating with us, you can appoint an alternate contact(s) who agrees to assist if a disconnection or payment issue is pending. An alternate contact could be a family member, friend, or social agency support person. 

All about gas meter readings

No problem. When you're ready to move, fill out our moving house form online. You’ll be shown what plans and services are available at your new address. If gas isn’t available at your new address, it won’t show as available.

All about when to temporarily disconnect gas

We can arrange this for you.

It’s important that you tell us what work you’re planning for your safety and, so we can give you the correct information. 

We’ll need to know: 

• what work is being done 
• your gas fitter’s details 
• your current email 
• when you want the supply disconnected 
• confirmation that you want the supply again 
• when you want the supply reconnected 

Call us between 8am-4pm on 0800 80 4000 and select option 5, and we can arrange this for you. 

All about getting a Certificate of Verification after a temporary disconnection.

All about reconnecting your gas after a temporary disconnection.

If you no longer need a gas connection at your property, now or in the future, it can be disconnected, and the metering removed.   

You may need to permanently disconnect gas:  

• following a fire 
• for safety 
• for decommissioning the ICP 
• when changing from gas to electricity 
• when changing from natural gas to bottled gas 

To arrange for gas to be permanently disconnected, please contact us.

Our gas team will investigate the work neede and contact you if they need any further information before providing a quote.  

Depending on what work is needed, your gas disconnection can take 20-30 working days.

You can send us a final reading when you move.  

You can send us your final reading on WhatsApp or Messenger or by emailing [email protected].

All about gas outages

What to do if there's a gas leak