Best Electricity Provider

About Canstar's Most Satisfied Customers Electricity Provider Award

Canstar's Most Satisfied Customers Electricity Provider Award reveals the electricity 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:

• 3654 Customers Surveyed
• 14 Providers Assessed
• 10 Providers Shortlisted
• 1 Award Winner

Read our methodology

The best electricity provider in NZ

The brands rated are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.

1. Electric Kiwi

This is the fourth time that Electric Kiwi has won our power provider award, and it continues its record of strong performances by earning four top 5-Star ratings, and two great 4-Star ratings. It's also the only provider on our table to earn 5 Stars for Customer Service.

It's worth noting that Electric Kiwi is the winner of Canstar's 2025 Bundled Utilities Award, for its great broadband + power deals.

Electric Kiwi offers three power plans, each includes one free Hour of Power every 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. Electric Kiwi also offers great value mobile phone 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

2. Powershop

Powershop works differently from other electricity companies, which explains its great rating for Online Tools & Advice, which are central to its unique power offerings.

For in addition to allowing you to pay for your power each month like a regular power company, Powershop also has a prepay option, via a range of power packs that are available through the Powershop website and app. Many of the prepaid packs come with discounts. Packs on offer include:

Staying Power: A super-discounted special pack that is available once a month. The Staying Power discount starts at 20% in your first year, then increases by 1% each year you stay with Powershop, to a maximum of 25%.

Regular Specials: Available for a limited time each month. The Staying Power and the limited-time specials together contribute to your Special Rates.

Future Packs: Allow you to squirrel away power for future use. The further out you buy Future Packs, the bigger the discount. Buy six months ahead to save the maximum 10% against your Standard Rate for the month.

Fixed-price Value Packs: Smallest discounts of the special packs, but come in a range of sizes.

Standard Power Top-up Packs: Power priced at your standard rate.

3. Nova Energy

Nova Energy is part of the Todd Corporation, which also operates its own geothermal and natural gas generators. Nova Energy offers electricity, broadband, mobile and gas, plus a range of discounts for bundled utilities. It has three basic plan structures:

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

4. Globug

A retail brand of Mercury, Globug is a prepaid power retailer. Globug offers simple pricing, with a fixed daily charge and a variable kWh charge. Plus, because it's a prepaid provider, there are no contracts, bonds or credit checks involved. Consumers can check Globug's pricing for standard user and low user plans via its website.

5. Meridian Energy

The NZ government is the major shareholder in Meridian, which is one of the country's biggest power generators and retailers. All of Meridian's power is derived from 100% renewable energy sources. It has the following plans:

Fixed-rate two-year plan

• Power price fixed for the term of the contract
• Currently comes with $200 welcome credit

Freedom plan

• No contract term
• Electricity prices subject to change (with 30 days' notice)
• $10 per month credit for first 12 months

Electric Car plan

• Fixed plan for two years
• Cheaper night rates (from 9pm)
• $35 per month credit for first 6 months

Solar plan

• Guaranteed buy-back rate of 17c/kWh for three years

Bach power plan

• No daily charges
• Fixed pricing for two years
• Designed for holiday homes using less than 3000kWh per year
• Only available to customers with another residence or business with Meridian

6. Genesis Energy

Genesis offers three residential energy plans, and a 5% discount for bundling electricity and gas (bottled or piped):

Fixed plan:

• Fixed prices for 12 months (exit fee applies)
• Up to 6% in discounts
• Free Power Shout hours

Flexi plan:

• No fixed term
• Up to 3% in discounts
• Free Power Shout hours

Energy EV

• Half-price power from 9pm-7am every night.
• Charge on the road at home rates
• Free Power Shout hours
• 12-month fixed term

7. Mercury

Mercury is 51% owned by the government and its generation comprises 100% renewable hydro and geothermal. Its plans break down into two bands:

Open term

• No fixed term or break fees
• Prices are not fixed

1-year fixed

• $150 sign-up credit
• Break fee applies

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.

All Mercury plans offer:

• Regular free power days
• Complete fun challenges on the Mercury app, earn Mercury Dollars, then exchange them for bill credits or rewards

8. 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.

In addition to its broadband and gas bundles, it offers the following electricity plans:

• 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

9. Pulse Energy

Pulse Energy supplies electricity, gas, solar and broadband services to households and businesses throughout NZ.

Pulse offers:

• Cheaper off-peak power and half-price weekends
• No fixed contracts

Other electricity providers not rated by Canstar

Not all electricity providers in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here is another electricity provider to check out before making a decision:

Octopus Energy

Founded in 2015, Octopus Energy is a global power company. Based in London, it has operations in nine countries, including across Europe, America, Australia and, since 2022,  in certain parts of Aotearoa. Octopus' plans offer peak, off-peak and night rates for standard and low users, plus competitive solar buyback rates.

Choosing the best electricity provider

Electricity, whichever company you purchase it from, does the same job. The only real difference in supply is the cost. So it’s no surprise that Value for Money is the biggest driver of satisfaction for Kiwi energy consumers: cited by a third (33%) of those in our survey.

And just as there are different levels of value for money delivered by retailers, there are also big differences in the customer service on offer, which is the second most important factor for consumers, cited by a quarter (24%) of respondents.

Overall, here’s what the consumers in our survey say are their most important considerations when rating their electricity providers:

• Value for Money: 33%
• Customer Service: 24%
• Bill & Cost Clarity: 20%
• Online Tools and Advice: 13%
• Ease of Sign-up: 11%