Click the image below to receive $50 of free power when you sign up with Powershop, all I need is your name.
After reading this review, you may be interested in two other related posts:
Powershop Review – 1 Year On
Powershop Review – 1 Month On
Powershop Outgrows All Comers
After a love-hate relationship with our traditional power supplier (Genesis), ok mostly hate, we decided to make a move to the very non-traditional power supplier, powershop.co.nz.
Now, let’s not delude ourselves. Powershop is not a small, innovative startup out of someone’s garage. It’s fully owned by Meridian which is something that put me off at first. Meridian has (at least in my view) an image of a ‘green’, ‘premium’ power supplier. So my first thought was that there was no way I was going to be able to save money moving from probably the least environmentally friendly company (I think they run Huntly) to in my opinion the most environmentally friendly.
But what I think is going on here is what should be, considering the way the power grid works. All the generators put their power on the grid and anyone can pull it off. So there is no such thing as ‘green power’ for the consumer, only people who are willing to pay more to support ‘green generation.’
This is basically the way Powershop works, you can buy the budget power which isn’t really green at all. Or you can pay more and buy the ‘green’ stuff and theoretically support the greener sources of power.
So I think I can make a saving. Only time will tell.
So, first impressions.
(1) No connection charge. I was going to switch to Trustpower, and they were going to charge me $30 for the privilege. Instead, due to a promotion which Powershop were running, I actually got a $30 credit. Sweet.
(2) High startup costs. This isn’t Powershop’s fault, but a result of the model. We were paying in arrears with Genesis (i.e. you use the power and then they bill you for the month’s use (in our case about $200). But since you pay in advance with Powershop (i.e buy your power and then use it) it makes for an expensive switch over period. For example we paid our bill till 12th June of ~$200 in our current credit card period. Then the switch happened and we’ve been billed for a period between the 12th and the 2nd of July which came to ~$150 which will be paid for on the same credit card bill. To get us till the end of the current credit period, I think we’ll have to buy about $70 worth of power from Powershop (including our credit) so this means instead of paying $200 for our power this month, we’ll be paying $420, a bit of a dent in a tight budget.
(3) Functionality looks like it will be cool, but only one of the graphs (daily use) is active until after the first month (presumably). I like being able to enter your actual readings and see how this effects your credits. It would be cool if this could somehow be linked to our actual meter in the future (smart meters?)
(4) There’s not much range of power purchasing options. They have a vision to get other providers in on the system (i.e. genesis could try to win back my purchasing) but until they get many more users, I can’t see this happening. I also think that their ownership structure inhibits this.
That’s all for now, watch out for the next edition.
Howdy, I do believe your website may be having web browser compatibility issues. When I look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping issues. I simply wanted to give you a quick heads up! Aside from that, wonderful website!
I used to be able to find good information from your content.
You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the highest quality websites on the web. I will recommend this blog!
I think this is a real great post. Much obliged.
I needed to thank you for this excellent read!! I absolutely enjoyed every bit of it. I’ve got you saved as a favorite to check out new things you post…
Having read this I believed it was really informative. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this informative article together. I once again find myself personally spending a lot of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
I like it whenever people get together and share opinions. Great website, keep it up!
Hello there, I do think your blog could be having internet browser compatibility problems. When I take a look at your website in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in IE, it has some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Besides that, wonderful blog!
Way cool! Some very valid points! I appreciate you writing this article and the rest of the website is also really good.
This is the perfect webpage for everyone who hopes to understand this topic. You understand so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a brand new spin on a topic which has been discussed for many years. Excellent stuff, just great!
This is a really good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very precise information… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!
The next time I read a blog, I hope that it does not fail me as much as this particular one. After all, I know it was my choice to read, but I really believed you would probably have something useful to say. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something you can fix if you weren’t too busy searching for attention.
This is a topic which is near to my heart… Thank you! Where are your contact details though?
I love looking through an article that will make men and women think. Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment!
I’m amazed, I must say. Rarely do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and entertaining, and without a doubt, you’ve hit the nail on the head. The problem is something that too few people are speaking intelligently about. Now i’m very happy I found this in my search for something regarding this.
I love it when individuals get together and share views. Great website, stick with it!
Spot on with this write-up, I really believe that this site needs a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be returning to read more, thanks for the information!
An interesting discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you need to publish more about this issue, it might not be a taboo subject but usually people don’t discuss these subjects. To the next! Many thanks!!
You are so interesting! I don’t think I have read through something like that before. So good to find another person with a few original thoughts on this issue. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This web site is something that is needed on the internet, someone with a little originality!
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful article. Thank you for providing this info.
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who has been doing a little research on this. And he actually bought me lunch simply because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thank YOU for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to talk about this subject here on your web page.
This is a topic that’s near to my heart… Many thanks! Where are your contact details though?
You have made some decent points there. I checked on the net for additional information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this website.
Having read this I believed it was really enlightening. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this informative article together. I once again find myself personally spending way too much time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!
You’ve made some really good points there. I looked on the internet to find out more about the issue and found most individuals will go along with your views on this web site.
Very informative blog article. Great.
I must thank you for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I’m hoping to view the same high-grade blog posts by you in the future as well. In fact, your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own website now 😉
Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve visited this blog before but after looking at a few of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely pleased I found it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back regularly!
After going over a number of the articles on your web page, I seriously appreciate your way of blogging. I added it to my bookmark website list and will be checking back in the near future. Take a look at my website too and tell me how you feel.
Hello there! This blog post couldn’t be written any better! Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept talking about this. I most certainly will send this information to him. Pretty sure he’s going to have a great read. I appreciate you for sharing!
Having read this I believed it was really enlightening. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this short article together. I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still worth it!
Very neat article.Thanks Again. Fantastic.
Looking forward to reading more. Great blog post.Thanks Again. Want more.
Really appreciate you sharing this article post.Really thank you! Fantastic.
Enjoyed every bit of your blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Will read on…
A round of applause for your blog post.Really thank you! Keep writing.
Awesome blog post. Much obliged.
I appreciate you sharing this blog post.Really looking forward to read more. Much obliged.
Thank you ever so for you blog.Really looking forward to read more. Want more.
Looking forward to reading more. Great article post.Thanks Again. Want more.
Fantastic blog post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Muchos Gracias for your blog.Much thanks again. Want more.
An interesting discussion is definitely worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you need to write more about this topic, it may not be a taboo subject but usually people do not discuss these topics. To the next! Best wishes!!
Aw, this was a very good post. Finding the time and actual effort to create a superb article… but what can I say… I put things off a lot and never manage to get anything done.
I’m very happy to discover this great site. I need to to thank you for ones time for this fantastic read!! I definitely appreciated every bit of it and i also have you bookmarked to see new things on your blog.
I quite like reading a post that can make men and women think. Also, thank you for permitting me to comment!
After I initially commented I seem to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a comment is added I get four emails with the exact same comment. Is there an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Many thanks!
This is one awesome blog. Want more.
Very informative blog.Really thank you! Great.
I value the post.Much thanks again. Awesome.