Electricity costs attacked
Low headline inflation figures hide significant rises in electricity prices, Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says.
Electricity
Report compares performance of power distribution companies
Report compares performance of power distribution companies
The performance report of electricity distribution businesses in New Zealand from 2008 to 2011 has been released and most southern suppliers have greater increases in line charges, spend less and have mixed reliability records compared with national averages.
Switching firms saves customers millions
Switching firms saves customers millions
The What's My Number campaign has been credited with spurring competition between electricity retailers.
Rise in electricity prices will hit households hard
Rise in electricity prices will hit households hard
Consumers have been warned to brace for electricity price increases, and a longtime industry watcher says the prices will hit householders hardest.
Otago electricity demand less than that of other regions
Otago electricity demand less than that of other regions
Daily energy demands reached record levels on Tuesday in many regions across New Zealand, including Otago and Southland.
Power cuts cause grief
Power cuts cause grief
Multiple power outages in Port Chalmers caused frustration for customers and Delta engineers yesterday.
Bill overhauls electricity industry
Bill overhauls electricity industry
Parliament has passed legislation designed to increase competition in the electricity industry but the Government isn't promising lower prices.
Doubts over wind future as project starts
Doubts over wind future as project starts
Further southern wind-farm development is hamstrung as long as South Island generators carried the cost of the Cook Strait electricity cable, TrustPower chief executive Vince Hawksworth says.
Mayor sees boost for area, Dunedin
Mayor sees boost for area, Dunedin
Clutha District Mayor Juno Hayes reckons the $75 million Mahinerangi wind farm could help his region and Dunedin City emerge from the recession.
Power lines downed; cows electrocuted
Power lines downed; cows electrocuted
Taieri farmer wants TrustPower to audit its transmission lines after eight of his dairy cows were electrocuted when a 33kV line taking electricity from the Waipori Dam dropped across his farm.
Grid lift pitched to landowners
Grid lift pitched to landowners
A beefed-up national grid between Roxburgh and the Waitaki Valley would cater for new hydro and wind generation projects and result in less energy being wasted, energy companies told the Electricity Commission yesterday.
Surge in power use
Surge in power use
Queenstown households used 90% more power in June than in April, an online electricity retailer says.
Power trust nominations in
Power trust nominations in
Four nominations have been received for three vacancies on the Waitaki Power Trust.
Powercut, fire sparked by cable
Powercut, fire sparked by cable
Delta believes a private digger operator is responsible for knocking out an overhead powerline, on McDonnell Rd, Arrowtown, sparking a small grass fire and cutting power to more than 300 homes and businesses for almost three hours yesterday.
Electricity company gripes anticipated
Electricity company gripes anticipated
Complaints about door-to-door sales and electricity bills will increase this year as power companies hike prices to pay for discounts in places where they want most of their business, industry analyst and fair-pricing campaigner Molly Melhuish says.
Energy firm price hikes ETS-driven
Energy firm price hikes ETS-driven
Mercury Energy, a wholly-owned subsidiary of state-owned enterprise Mighty River Power, signalled yesterday that its energy prices were on the way up because of the emissions trading scheme.
Upgrade of link soon
Upgrade of link soon
Work on upgrading the electricity link between the South and North Islands will start about the middle of next month, with work on the Benmore substation forming part of a $300 million contract awarded in October last year to Siemens.
Energy key issue for North Otago
Energy key issue for North Otago
Increased transmission capacity is needed in the Waitaki district to meet a growing demand for electricity in and around Oamaru and the lower Waitaki Valley.
Dunedin power prices among NZ's lowest
Dunedin power prices among NZ's lowest
Dunedin domestic power users enjoy some of the cheapest power in New Zealand, a government price survey concludes.
Power prices need to rise: Contact
Power prices need to rise: Contact
Power prices will need to be raised by 4 to 5 percent a year to cover the costs of building new power plants, Contact Energy says.