Life Hacks:
How To Make Your Power Work For You Run Power-Hungry Appliances At Night
Washing machines, clothes dryers, dishwashers and hot water cylinders consume the most household power. Typically washing machines, dryers and dishwashers each use $1 of electricity per load. You can cut your power bill significantly by running these appliances during off-peak hours or during your free hour of power
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Learn how to use your timer.
If your cheap or free power is due to start in an hour, turn on the washing machine and use the delay function so it comes on when the low-cost power starts. Learning to set and forget is part of making your power plan work for you.
Powerswitch manager Paul Fuge uses a timer attached to his hot water cylinder to heat his household’s water during off-peak hours overnight without the hassle of having to remember to get up each night and set it manually.
In winter, if you set your heaters to turn on and start warming the house before peak morning pricing (around 7am), you’ll wake to a cosy home and a lower bill.
Charge batteries overnight
Plug in electric bikes, scooters or electric vehicles overnight when charging can be half-price (depending on your provider).
Make the most of your afternoons.
Many power providers offer off-peak times between 11 am and 5 pm. If you’re at home during this time, pop the washing on or watch some daytime telly guilt-free.
Utilise weekends
Saturdays and Sundays cost less, so use these days to whip out the power tools and to get on top of that dirty clothes pile. If you want to be really savvy, consider batch-cooking meals to prep for the week ahead.
Be realistic – choose the right plan for your circumstances
It’s easy to get caught up thinking of all the potential savings and what you’re going to do with that extra savings, but much like starting a gym membership with good intentions, motivation can lag over time as life gets in the way. So don’t set yourself up to fail.
Picking a plan that doesn’t suit your household’s circumstances could backfire and end up costing you more. ToU plans won’t suit everyone.
For example, if you have a big family or young children, your household probably can’t wait until off-peak to wash or run large appliances. Households with young children often go through clothing so fast they always have the washing machine running! In this instance, timing power use for off-peak times may not be feasible and switching your power plan to one that relies on ToU to save money could lead to you accidentally spending more if you’re not making the most of the cheap power on offer.
Students, however, often stay up late studying or socialising, so it would naturally fit into their schedules to utilise the cheaper off-peak hours by running large appliances at night when it’s cheaper, with minor inconvenience.
Be realistic about what is and is not possible for your household.
Get on the same page.
As a household, your power bill is determined by everyone’s use, not just yours. If you’re eager to maximise your savings, discuss actionable steps with everyone in your household which will work for all. Avoiding peak hours may not always be possible, but if you're all on the same page, you're more likely to succeed in cutting your costs.
Use Powerswitch to shop around.
As always, it pays to shop around to find the best plan for your circumstances. Use Consumer Magazine's Powerswitch comparison website to find the best deal for you - it takes just a few minutes.
Octopus Energy – an established UK retailer now in NZ – offers a time-of-use plan, as does Flick Energy. Electric Kiwi's MoveMaster plan also has time-of-use pricing. Electric Kiwi offers its famous free ‘Hour of Power’, in which you get to pick the hour that best suits you (outside of peak times). Contact's Good Nights plan offers three free hours, from 9 pm to 12 am. Also, Genesis has a plan that offers EV owners half-price rates at night.
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