About Canstar’s Most Satisfied Customers Bundled Utilities Award
Canstar's Most Satisfied Customers Bundled Utilities Award reveals the bundled utilities provider that delivers the best consumer satisfaction to its customers.
We ask Kiwi power customers to rate their satisfaction with their providers by Overall Satisfaction, as well as important criteria such as Customer Service, Tools & Advice and Value for Money.
Numbers crunched by Canstar’s researchers:
- 650 Customers Surveyed
- 9 Providers Assessed
- 7 Providers Shortlisted
- 1 Award Winner
The best bundled utilities provider in NZ
The brands rated are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
1. Electric Kiwi
This is the third year in a row that Electric Kiwi has won our top award and, once again, it does so in emphatic style: it's the only bundled utility provider to earn a top 5-Star rating for Overall Satisfaction from its customers.
It's a top score it achieves across all our ratings categories, except Customer Service, for which it earns a great 4-Star rating.
Electric Kiwi is an independent power, broadband and mobile provider. It is also a multi Canstar Blue award-winner across our Electricity and Bundled Utilities Awards.
What’s on offer from Electric Kiwi?
Electric Kiwi offers three power plans, each includes one free Hour of Power each day and no contract, so you're free to change providers whenever you want.
Customers can also add one of Electric Kiwi's three broadband plans.
Everyday
- One flat rate for power
MoveMaster
- Three different rates for power (peak, off-peak shoulder, off-peak night)
- Half-price power overnight (11pm-7am)
- Solar buyback rate: 23c/kWh peak & 11.5c/kWh off-peak
Go250
- Prepaid balance of $250, topped up when balance reaches $0
- Two different rates for power (peak and off-peak) – move your power usage off-peak for the biggest savings
- Free power all day Sundays for first 12 months of contract
- Must be bundled with broadband or mobile
Electric Kiwi Broadband Bundle
Bundle one of three unlimited data fibre plans with your power:
- Sweet Lite $65/m: 100/20Mbps
- Sweet Fibre $89/m: 500/100Mbps
- Sweet As Fibre $99/m: 900/500Mbps
Electric Kiwi Mobile
Electric Kiwi has two mobile plans, that each deliver unlimited data, capped at download speeds of of 1.2Mbps once you hit different data caps:
Choice Plan
- 5GB – $1.30/day ($39.54/m)
- 10GB – $1.60/day ($48.67/m)
- 20GB – $1.90/day ($57.79/m)
- 40GB – $2/day ($60.83/m)
- Unlimited – $2.10/day ($63.88/m)
Electric Kiwi allows you to add up to four group plans. If there are two linked plans, both users receive a discount of 15c per day, and if you link three or four plans that saving increases to 30c per person per day.
Choice Lite Plan
- 1GB – $0.59/day ($17.95/m)
- 1.5GB – $0.89/day ($27.07/m)
- 2GB – $1.19/day ($36.20/m)
- 3GB – $1.49/day ($45.32/m)
- 4GB – $1.79/day ($54.45/m)
2. Genesis Energy
Genesis offers electricity across three residential power plans. Customers across all three plans enjoy Power Shout offers of regular free electricity:
Fixed plan:
- Fixed prices for 12 months ($150 exit fee can apply if you leave within 12 months)
- Up to 6% in discounts
Flexi plan:
- Flexible leave anytime contract with no exit fees
- Up to 3% in discounts
Energy EV
- Half-price power from 9pm-7am every night
- Up to 6% in bill discounts
- 12-month fixed term ($150 exit fee can apply if you leave within 12 months)
Genesis' gas and power bundles offer a 5% dual-fuel discount.
Solar
Genesis also offers a range of solar packages for consumers in selected areas.
HomeGen, available to Genesis electricity customers with approved generation equipment with less than a 50kW output, allows for unused electricity to be sold into the grid.
- Buy-back rate: 12.5c per kWh (appears as a separate credit line on a customer’s regular bill)
- Import/export meter: $127 (including installation)
3. Slingshot
Slingshot offers electricity and mobile when bundled with broadband.
It offers just two power plans based on the standard user tariffs: low user & standard user. Its plans feature:
- No contracts or break fees
- One bill to cover electricity, broadband and mobile
- Pay weekly, fortnightly, or monthly on a day of your choice
- Bundle broadband and power to receive a $20/m discount
- Bundle power, broadband and mobile to save up to $30/m on your broadband plan.
4. 2degrees
Primarily a telco, 2degrees started retailing power bundles in 2023. It offers just two plans based on the standard user tariffs: low user & standard user. Plans feature:
- One bill to cover electricity, broadband and mobile
- Receive a $10/m discount for bundling broadband with a monthly mobile plan, and an extra $20/m for adding power, too.
It's worth noting that 2degrees is a multi Canstar Blue award-winner, and has taken home our Mobile Monthly Award nine times since it was first presented, back in 2015.
5. Nova Energy
Nova Energy offers electricity, broadband, mobile and gas, plus a range of discounts for bundled utilities. It has three basic plans:
Electricity
- No fixed term or break fees
Multisaver
- No fixed term or break fees
- Bundle and save with gas, broadband or mobile
Smart Bundle
- Electricity and broadband bundle
- 24-month term
- Includes smartphone or smart TV as part of deal
- Termination fees apply
6. Mercury
Mercury is 51% owned by the government and its generation comprises 100% renewable hydro and geothermal. It offers electricity, gas, broadband and mobile bundles.
Open term
- No fixed term or break fees
- Prices are not fixed
1-year fixed
- $150 signing-on credit
- Lower, fixed rates
- Break fee applies
Mercury plans offer:
- Complete challenges on the Mercury app, earn Mercury Dollars, then exchange them for bill credits or rewards
- Free power days on the anniversary of your sign-up
Mercury bundles
Mercury offers a range of fibre and wireless broadband plans that can be bundled with electricity services for discounts and Samsung appliance offers, as well as multi-fuel and mobile phone bundle discounts.
7. Contact
Contact has a 25-year history built on a largely renewable portfolio of electricity generation assets. It owns and operates 11 power stations, and produces 80-85% of its electricity from renewable hydro and geothermal stations.
Contact offers residential customers four basic plans, three featuring discounts for off-peak power:
- Basic: simple power rates, no fixed term
- Good Weekends: Free power 9am-5pm every Saturday and Sunday, no fixed term
- Good Nights: Free power 9pm-midnight every night, no fixed term
- Good Charge: Half price power 9pm-7am every night of the week
It also retails gas, broadband and mobile plans, and offers deals for bundling power and telco services.
Choosing the best bundled utility provider
Canstar's research into bundled utilities reveals that over three-quarters of Kiwi consumers (77%) love to bundle because it helps them keep track of their bills more easily. And most (61%) think that it helps save them money.
Indeed, the bundled offers available can give sizeable discounts on broadband, gas and mobile plans – however, it still pays to check individual costs to see if while you're saving on, say, your broadband, you're not overpaying for power.
This is especially true if you're receiving a "free" appliance or tech gadget as part of the deal, because the cost of the device will ultimately be met by you, the customer.
Overall, Value for Money is the most important factor for Kiwis when rating the performance of their bundle providers.
Here's the full rundown of what the consumers in our survey say are the most important considerations when rating their utility bundles:
- Value for Money: 44%
- Customer Service: 24%
- Online Tools and Advice: 18%
- Bill & Cost Clarity: 14%
