Poles and Wires Charges Inefficient – Unfair
The Problem: “Socialised” Distribution Charges Right now, every New Zealander pays averaged delivery prices to get electricity to your home.That means you pay roughly the same line charge whether your power travels: The true delivery cost isn’t the same — not even close — but the system hides it.Long-distance users get a discount they don’t […]
45 kVA Distraction
Definition of Small Business – Code Amendment Proposal This submission responds to the Electricity Authority’s (EA) consultation requiring distributors to pay negative charges to reward households and small businesses for exporting power to the network during peak times.It is grounded in a simple principle: anyone supplying goods or services that reduce system cost or improve […]
Beyond the 10 kW Export Limit
The Electricity Authority has called for submissions on allowing households to export up to 10 kW from their rooftop solar systems — an important step toward unlocking more distributed generation across New Zealand. But this consultation also acknowledges what many consumers have known for years: the long-standing 5 kW limit was never technically necessary. With […]
10 kW Export Limit
Maximising benefits from local electricity generation Submission to the Electricity Authority. Consultation on Distributed Generation Export Limits (10 kW Single Phase) Summary Three of New Zealand’s most forward‑thinking electricity distribution businesses — Aurora Energy, Powerco, and Northpower — have already raised their single‑phase export limits to 10 kW without waiting for regulation. This submission supports adopting the 10 kW […]
Decentralised Electricity
Submission to the EA Green Paper 25 June 2025 Why: The Green Paper Maps the Direction The Authority’s Green Paper effectively maps the direction of change — identifying the need for more distributed energy resources (DER), localised energy markets, and smarter network coordination. It articulates the challenges, outlines opportunities for reform, and raises important questions […]
Importing Sunshine: A Fairer Power Plan for NZ
Most of us don’t follow government electricity policy. We just want power that is reliable, affordable and clean. The good news is there’s a simple, practical idea that ticks all three boxes: use a smart undersea cable to move cheap sunshine across time zones and let our cars act like small batteries. Do those two […]
EA Billing – Supporting Notes
Sample Bill – minimum data required, format TBC Billing Payload JSON Schema (v0.1) Purpose: machine‑readable companion to the one‑page bill. Enables like‑for‑like comparisons, independent interpretation, auditing, and P2P/flex settlement. Top‑level object { “$schema”: “https://example.govt.nz/ea/billing-payload.schema.v0.1.json”, “version”: “0.1”, “bill_id”: “string”, “issue_time”: “YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ssZ”, “account”: {“name”: “string”, “account_id”: “string”}, “icp”: {“icp_id”: “string”, “installation_address”: “string”}, “period”: {“start”: “YYYY-MM-DD”, “end”: “YYYY-MM-DD”, […]
Consultation Paper – Improving electricity billing in NZ
1. Introduction I (consumer/prosumer) support the Electricity Authority’s goal of improving electricity bills to make them clearer, more accurate, and easier for consumers to understand. However, it is vital to recognise the limits of what a paper bill can achieve in a market that is rapidly evolving towards dynamic pricing, distributed energy resources (DER), and […]
WDC Solar Farms
Solar Farms on Council Land Background: Whakatane District Council (WDC) have a Climate Change Policy. In 2020 a presentation was made inviting Council to use some of its facilities to install solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to demonstrate its commitment. Three years late in 2023 a Solar Feasibility Scoping Study was presented where potential sites for […]