Winter-proof your power bills & win
Winter’s here, and that usually means your power use goes up as you try to combat the chill. But throw in high living costs and it can really put the heat on your bank balance – so we’re helping you to stay warm and spend less with our hot energy-saving hacks.
Win, win, win-ter!
Keep a lid on those winter costs with our four weekly giveaways – there’s Flick power credits and prizes including supermarket and fuel vouchers up for grabs. Make sure you're following our Facebook and Instagram pages or check out your #FlickLife Friday email to get in the draw.
Make sure you’re on the Flickin’ Best Plan
We all want to know we’re getting the best power deal but finding that info is no easy task. Thankfully, our Flickin’ Best Plan Promise does the mahi for you: we use your meter data to calculate your average kWh usage from the past 90 days and the specific times of day you're using power. Then we identify whether our Off Peak or Flat plan is cheaper for you, based on your usage patterns – and if there’s savings to be made by changing plan, we’ll email you to let you know.
Received an email from us and not yet changed plans? Make sure you do! Simply log into your dashboard to change, and start saving money on your power bill this winter.
Are you on Off Peak?
Wanting to step up your power-savings game? Take it off-peak. Our Off Peak plan gives you cheaper rates during off-peak hours throughout the week, and all weekend long, to help minimise the bigger bills of winter. It’s as easy as shifting a few tasks into off-peak hours when prices are cheaper. Pro tip: use the ‘delay start’ on your washing machine or dishwasher so that it switches on during off-peak hours. An epic way to take back power!
Got friends? Get Flick credit!
The feather in your savings cap? Our year-round Friend Get Friend offer. Simply refer your pals to Flick and score $50 credit on both of your accounts. It’s an unlimited offer, so the more mates you bring to Flick, the more credit you can earn to slash those winter bills. Flick yeah!
Save power, save money
Regular power bills should be affordable for all Kiwis, but generally speaking, the winter months do tend to go hand in hand with higher power bills as we ramp up our power use. So where’s your money going, and what extra things can you do to reduce your use?
Data from EECA’s Energy End Use database. (The 'Other' segment refers to things like heat pumps for cooling, swimming pool pumps and EV chargers, which we've chosen to leave out.)
Heating hot water uses around 27%
Heating hot water takes up a big chunk of your power bill. Keep your showers under 5 minutes (get yourself a timer if you need a friendly reminder), don’t leave hot taps running, and if you’ve got an old hot water cylinder, make sure it’s insulated.
Heating your home uses around 20%
Heat pumps are generally the most energy efficient heaters – use the thermostat to keep the temperature consistent between 18 and 21°C, and make sure the filter’s been cleaned. Buying a heater? Choose one with a thermostat and timer (an in-built fan to circulate warm air is a bonus!) to better control how much power you’re using.
Major appliances use around 16%
This can be a tricky area to reduce your power use, but if you’re on the hunt for a new (or new to you!) appliance it’s the ideal time to give it some thought. Your fridge uses the most power of all your home appliances, so if you’re looking to buy a new one this winter, check the energy star rating first – the more stars, the better.
IT & electronics use around 10%
Switching your electronics off at the wall sounds like a faff, but it’s an easy way to cut your power use. Plug neighbouring electronics into a multibox so you’ve only got the one switch to turn off.
Cooking at home uses around 9%
Ovens use on average 1.7 units of power per half hour, while the humble slow cooker uses a teeny 0.043 units. To put that into perspective, you'd need to use your slow cooker for a whopping 19 HOURS to match the cooktop's half hour!
Non-LED lighting uses around 6%
Energy-efficient lightbulbs can cut your lighting costs by around $400 per year. LED bulbs have a lifespan of around 10 years and just changing a few bulbs in the house can make all the difference - read more over on the EECA energy efficient light bulbs tool here.