We’re putting our energy where it matters…

The more hectic life is, the more demands it makes on us. The more data and digital impact the world we live in, the more important it is to put our energy into things that really matter. 

Value and service matters. Community matters. And the future matters.

So here at Contact, we’ve made some changes.

What this means

It means we’ve been working hard to see how we can provide better care and service for our customers: 

  • Pay bills weekly or fortnightly

We know that most New Zealander’s get paid weekly or fortnightly and for a long time customers have been asking us to make their electricity bills fit in with their lifestyle. So we’ve put our energy into finding a way to solve this.

Now you can choose to pay weekly or fortnightly, around the time you’ve been paid yourself – making it easier to manage your budget. (Ts and Cs apply)

  • No daily charges at your bach 

It also means thinking about what’s fair. That’s why customers on our bach plan love it. The plan is unlike any other as you don’t pay a daily charge. So you’re only paying for the energy actually being used at your bach. 

  • See what’s been happening in our communities

Because community matters to us too, we’re running some Energy technology trials to understand how communities can become more energy resilient. Plus playing our part in reducing New Zealand's carbon emissions

   

Our new look

We’ve got a new logo that better reflects the type of company we’ve become. 

The design, which we are calling the arc, has been chosen as a symbol of the energy that connects and surrounds us. It represents our desire to be continually growing and striving to the future.  We think it suits us to a tee. It shows that we genuinely care for our customers, our communities, our people and shareholders every step of the way. 

Our logo won’t change on everything straight away. The transition will happen over a period of time, to ensure we manage the cost in the most responsible way we can.

We’ve got lots coming so stay in the loop on Facebook.


 

 

 

 

13 Aug 2018
3 minutes to read

Getting smarter with energy and helping our environment.

At Contact, we’re always looking for ways to get smarter with energy and help our environment. Here’s a snap shot of what we’ve been doing to help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels (in a small way) during time of high demand on the electricity grid:

Solar hot water diversion system trial

  • The technology - testing the benefits that solar and hot water diversion technology can provide our customers
  • The test - sending excess solar energy to the hot water cylinder rather than exporting it to the grid.
  • The benefit - the cylinder remains hotter for longer, reducing the need to continue heating the water in the evening.
  • The result - so far we’ve had (on average) up to 38% of the solar electricity generated able to be used to heat the water cylinder. Meaning customers can store and use more of their own energy
 

Solar and battery trial

  • The technology - rooftop solar and storage batteries were installed in a number of homes
  • The test - to see whether these households can manage the breakfast and dinner electricity demand peaks by switching from grid to battery power during the busy times.
  • The benefit - to flexibly manage how and when electricity is consumed is becoming really important as more electric vehicles appear on our roads.
  • The result – it’s still a work in progress but we will update you on our blog as this trial plays out.
 

One of the major challenges facing New Zealand, and indeed all countries, is the need to mitigate the worst effects of climate change by reducing our carbon emissions. 

Our country is blessed with an abundance of renewable resources, specifically geothermal and hydro complemented to a lesser extent by wind and solar, which is used to produce electricity. As a result, much of New Zealand’s electricity is generated from renewable low carbon sources. 

At Contact, 80% of the electricity we produce comes from renewable sources with the other 20% keeping the lights on when the rain doesn’t come and the wind doesn’t blow.

What are we doing to work towards a low carbon emission New Zealand?

  • By producing roughly the same amount of electricity as we did 6 years ago, but reducing our emissions by 51% and gas purchases by 64%.
  • By being a strong supporter of electric vehicles with nearly 30% of our fleet being electric.
  • By introducing innovative programmes like our Green Borrowing Programme, which allows investors, for the first time ever, to have the opportunity to invest in certified Green Debt Instruments issued by a New Zealand company.
  • By working with some of our energy intensive business customers to help them identify opportunities to transition to efficient, low carbon energy solutions. 

Our goal is to decarbonise the energy sector, and help all our customers explore ways to lower their emissions profiles.
 
Just some examples of Contact putting our energy where it matters.

Check out our ‘Contact Energy low carb series’ clips on YouTube – we’ve had a bit of fun with these.