Terms and policies

Consumer care policy

This document is a guide to how we can work together to help you as a consumer. We want you to have a warm and healthy home.If you are in financial hardship or having trouble paying your bills, let us know how we can support you.

About this document

This document is our Consumer Care Policy.

It contains helpful advice, our contact details, and explains how we will:

Act to make sure we have a good relationship with you.
Give you the best chance to afford the electricity you need.
Help to minimise the harm caused by not having enough electricity or not being able to pay your bill.

It tells you where you can find the extra support you might need and how we can help, including if your health depends on electricity.

This Consumer Care Policy is one of several documents explaining the relationship between you, the consumer, and us, your electricity retailer. The other documents are our contract for electricity supply and our standard terms and conditions.

We’re here for you

We’re proud to be your electricity retailer.

We understand that using electricity in your home is very important for the wellbeing of you and your whānau.

As your electricity retailer, it is our job to:

Supply you with the electricity you need to live your life.
Make sure you have every opportunity to choose the best pricing plan to meet your needs.
Communicate with you clearly and on time.
Treat you with care and respect.

Our promises

As your electricity retailer, we want to make sure that:

We understand your situation and are proactive in offering assistance.
We work with you collaboratively and constructively to solve problems.
We work with you to resolve payment difficulties and, with your permission, can link you to one or more support agencies or social agencies to assist you.
We work with you to try to keep your electricity connected if you are having payment difficulties.

If you use electricity from us, we will communicate with you clearly about your rights and the choices you can make, even if you have not signed up with us yet.We view the disconnection of electricity for non-payment of bills as a last resort. We will work with you to try and keep your electricity connected and avoid building up debt. We might not always get it right, but we are committed to learning continually from our experiences to improve the support we offer you.

What you can expect from us

We’ll help you by making it as easy as possible to pay for the electricity you use.

We offer standard terms and conditions to all our customers. You agree to these when you become a customer and consume electricity from us. All our contracts meet the Electricity Authority’s good contracting principles and minimum terms and conditions.

These terms and conditions are updated from time to time. You can read the latest version on our website: https://www.supa.energy/terms-and-policies

You also have access to complaint resolution through the Utilities Disputes process and support under the Electricity Authority’s ‘Consumer Care Guidelines’.

As a responsible electricity retailer, we work within these guidelines, and we are always looking for ways to improve our service to you.

You can find the Consumer Care Guidelines on the Authority’s website: www.ea.govt.nz/consumer-care

What you can expect from us

As an electricity consumer, you have a set of rights and responsibilities.

We ask that you pay for the electricity you use.

Reply to messages we send you, so we can know more about your situation and provide additional help if required. We ask you to work with us positively, the more we work together the more we can help you.

If you are in financial hardship or having trouble paying your bills, let us know how we can help you.

Even if you have had problems with your electricity retailer in the past, still contact us so we can help you.

Commitment to inclusion

We are an inclusive electricity provider, and we work to make sure that all our customers have access to the support we offer regardless of language, ethnicity, educational achievement, culture, gender, physical and intellectual ability, age, health, income, and wealth.

We offer all our customers a variety of support options, including payment plans, to help make electricity more affordable for you.

Ways we can help you

Signing up as a customer

We want to have you as a customer, so we will help you through the sign-up process.

You can sign-up here: www.supa.energy

You can sign-up here: https://supa.energyBecoming a customer means agreeing to us supplying you with electricity, agreeing to our terms and conditions, and choosing the right electricity plan for you – see the next subsection for more information.

Before you become a customer, we will ask you questions about yourself and your situation.

If we think there is another electricity retailer or a better option for you, we will tell you about them.

We conduct credit checks and will consider this along with all other information you provide to us. In cases of poor credit history, we will provide advice on actions you may take to get electricity from us or another retailer.

If we do not offer you a contract, we will tell you why. If you are having a hard time finding an electricity retailer we can advise you on what you can do, including referring you to support services.

Choosing the right electricity plan

We offer a range of electricity plans designed to make it cheaper for you, suit different households, or provide extra services you might like to receive.

These plans include a daily fixed charge and a usage charge based on the amount of electricity you use.

We can offer you different billing periods over a week, a fortnight or a month. We can also offer you a “smooth pay” option, which averages your electricity bills. This means that you pay regular amounts spread out over a year.

To help you decide which electricity plan might suit you best, we can talk about how you usually use energy in your household and your past electricity consumption.Talk to us about your options and which plan is best for you: 0800 77 77 69

Using electricity smartly

We want to help you keep your home healthy and warm.

We can offer you advice on how to use your electricity in a way that saves you money. There may be simple changes you can make to your home and the way you use electricity to keep it warm in winter and cool in summer, and keep your energy costs down.

For more energy-saving tips, visit these websites:

We also recommend talking with someone in your community who can provide energy efficiency and healthy homes advice. This advice could be over the phone or an in-home visit. You can find a group near you here: www.communityenergy.org.nz

You might find that using cheaper electricity at different times of the day (off-peak) is a good solution for you. You may require a smart meter to access cheaper electricity at these times. We can give you advice on this: to discuss, contact us 0800 77 77 69

If you are limiting the amount of electricity you use in order to pay your bills, contact us for help. For example, if you are not using your heater enough during cold weather.

We will contact you at least once a year to check your situation.

Communicating clearly

We value our relationship with you. We want to provide you with understandable, timely, clear, and accessible communications.

You can choose the best option for how and when we communicate with you based on your needs.

This includes how and when you receive your bill, and how you want us to contact you.

You can see all the ways that we can communicate with you on our website: https://www.supa.energy/contact

If you need someone to act on your behalf

You can ask us to communicate with you using an alternative contact person if you prefer.

An alternative contact could be a family member, friend, support person, or community worker.

Ask this person first. Then, if they agree, you can tell us their name and contact details by phone.

Once this is settled, we will work with your alternate contact to make sure that you understand what is happening with your electricity bills and what payments you need to make.

Speaking your language

If you would like to speak to us in a language other than English, we will try to help.

If we do not speak your language, you have other options.

You can use an alternative contact to talk with us instead; see the above section ‘Using an alternative contact’.

Another option is to use a different communications method that suits you. For example, you could receive information from us in writing. See the above section ‘Communicating clearly’.

Contact our team to set up an arrangement that suits you: https://www.supa.energy/contact

Making it easier to pay

Ways to pay

You can choose how to pay your bills with us.You can pay via: Direct Debit, Internet Banking, Automatic Payment, Credit Card

Tailoring one of these options might work better for you, talk to us about what we can do.

Viewing your account

Managing your electricity account is important to us.

You can view and download previous monthly invoices from our My Account on our website https://myaccount.supapwr.co.nz . Or you can contact us to make changes to your account: 0800 77 77 69

Making a payment plan

Managing your electricity account is important to us.

You can making payments weekly, fortnightly or monthly so long as monthly amount due is paid by the due date.

If you are finding it hard to pay your electricity bill, we’re here to help.

We can also help you set up a payment plan which works best with your budget. This way, you know when and how your electricity bills are getting paid.

Similarly, if you have an outstanding balance on your account, we can help you set up a repayment plan that suits you.

We will not change your payment plan without telling you first.

We will monitor your payments to check your repayment plan is working well.

We may contact you if we think there is a better way for you to set it up.

We will not disconnect your electricity if you are on a payment plan and making the agreed payments.

Linking you with financial mentoring and support organisations.

We can help you if your family or household needs a bit of extra support.

We have relationships with different people and organisations in your community that offer financial mentoring and money advice. They can help you work out how best to pay your bills as well as supporting you with other issues your family or household might have.

If you agree, we can connect you with one of these support people who will help you.

Once contact is made, we will give you some time to talk to the agency and receive help without disconnecting your electricity supply if you are having trouble paying your bills.

We will work with you and your support organisation as a partnership, making sure we all use agreed ways of communicating with each other.

Our fees and bonds

We occasionally charge additional fees or bonds.

These are only charged when necessary and when we have provided extra services to you. If you ask us to provide any field service work or associated activities, any fee’s will be POA and communicated for approval in advance.

If a fee is high, you can ask us about spreading your payments across a period of time to make it easier for you.

Protecting the health of medically dependent consumers

The health and wellbeing of our consumers is very important to us.

Some people, known as medically dependent consumers or ‘MDCs’ rely on electricity to prevent serious harm to their health. This could be because a health practitioner has supplied or prescribed medical equipment that requires a constant electricity supply.

Contact your doctor (General Practitioner or ‘GP’) and talk through your situation with them if you think that electricity is particularly important for the health of you or someone in your household, or if you are unsure about this.

If you think you, or someone in your household, is medically dependent on electricity, let us know as soon as possible by calling us on 0800 77 77 69 or email https://www.supa.energy/contact

Your district health board, hospital, GP or health practitioner will give you a “Notice of Potential Medically Dependent Consumer Status (HP notice)”. You will need to let us know about this notice, and you can do this by https://www.supa.energy/contact

We may ask you to provide evidence that you or your household member’s MDC status is still the same from time to time. For example, we may ask for a letter from a GP that says that the Notice of Potential MDC Status still applies.

We do not disconnect the electricity supply of medically dependent consumers for non-payment. Similarly, we do not offer pre-pay plans for medically dependent customers.

However, despite our best efforts, occasionally the electricity supply is cut because of extreme weather, accidents, or technical problems. In case this happens, you should have an emergency response plan.

An emergency response plan, for example, could be having a fully charged battery available, going to a friend or family member’s house with electricity or, in very serious circumstances, calling an ambulance to be taken to hospital.

For more information on preparing an emergency response plan for your household: www.eranz.org.nz/medically-dependant

Your electricity supply

The electricity you use relies on many businesses for generating the electricity and getting it to your home.

Each electricity bill you receive from us goes towards paying these businesses for this generation, transmission, distribution, and metering, as well as what we do as your retailer.

However, from time to time you may receive a notice directly from your electricity network or local lines company about planned electricity outages in your area. This is when they turn off the electricity to your home for a set period of time to do maintenance work or upgrade the wires.Sometimes things go wrong and there is no power in your home. We can help you work out what the problem is and who is best to fix it - for example, if there is a problem with the electricity supply in your neighbourhood.

If you have lost power to your home, contact us on: 0800 77 77 69

Disconnections for non-payment & reconnections

We work hard to make electricity as affordable for our customers as possible.

We will strive to keep you connected and view disconnections as a last resort.

For extra help paying your electricity bills, contact us 0800 77 77 69.

There are many ways we can help you pay for the electricity you use. This includes checking to make sure your electricity plan is right for you, offering different billing periods, multiple ways to pay, smooth pay, and custom repayment plans.

Even if you have had payment issues with us in the past, contact us so we can make a new repayment plan that works best for you and your current circumstances.

We can refer you to support services and financial mentoring in your community if you are not comfortable talking to us directly. Refer to the section ‘Linking you with support organisations to help you with money difficulties’.

If you do not pay a bill on its due date, we will attempt to communicate with you directly and/or through the alternative contact you have chosen. Please engage with us so we can support you.

What communications you can expect from us

We want you to know what is happening with your account, so we will attempt to communicate with you a number of times about an unpaid bill. Our aim is to let you know about your rights and obligations, and support you to use the electricity you need.

We will attempt to communicate with you using more than one method and using your alternative contact if you have provided us with one. We will also contact you at different times of the day to try to make it easier for you.

If we contact you, please respond so we can make payment arrangements and avoid proceeding to disconnection.

You can expect the following communications from us regarding an unpaid bill:

An invoice that tells you the amount due and the due date.
A reminder notice 5 days later if the due date is missed.
Three follow-up attempts over a further 5 days.
A further notice using that will tell you the date on which we will disconnect your electricity.
A final notice of disconnection.

Note that if we attempt to contact you by phone, we may not leave a voicemail, and we may ring you multiple times to speak with you. We do not use a blocked number.

Disconnecting your electricity supply for non-payment

If you do not respond to the communications we send (listed above) and your electricity bills remain unpaid, we may disconnect your electricity supply.

Note that disconnections may not happen in person, so a representative from our company will not necessarily visit your house. You must contact us in response to our reminder notices or disconnection notices to make sure your electricity remains connected.

Important: if you have told us that you or a member of your household is medically dependent on electricity, we will not disconnect your electricity supply for non-payment of bills. Follow the steps listed in the section ‘Protecting the health of Medically Dependent Consumers’.

We will not disconnect your electricity at night, immediately before or during a weekend or public holiday, during severe weather events or during a civil emergency.

If your electricity supply is disconnected, you may have it reconnected. This may mean you have to pay a reconnection fee to cover the cost of doing this, it is explained in the section ‘Our fees and bonds’. You will not pay a reconnection fee if you are disconnected in error.

To reconnect your electricity supply, contact us 0800 77 77 69

Disconnections for non-payment and reconnections

The disconnection and reconnection process for our pre-pay customers is different from the one set out above for post-pay customers. This is explained to you when you sign up for our pre-pay service and can be found in our terms and conditions.

Disconnections and reconnections are automatic, based on the amount of credit you have in your account.You will receive a low or no credit warning before disconnection. If you receive a warning, top up your account immediately to make sure your electricity stays on.

If your pre-pay electricity is disconnected, simply top up your account to get your electricity supply going again.

If you have concerns about whether pre-pay is right for you, or you wish to receive help or financial mentoring with your money arrangements, contact us on 0800 77 77 69

Making a complaint

You can contact us at any time to talk about your situation, ask questions about your bill, or make a complaint.

If you have any concerns about the service you have received from us or if we haven’t lived up to our commitments in this document, let us know first. We are committed to constantly improving our service and learning from mistakes.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can contact Utilities Disputes. This service is independent and free of charge.

Utilities Disputes
0800 22 33 40
info@utilitiesdisputes.co.nz
utilitiesdisputes.co.nz

Monitoring our performance

We uphold high standards of service and performance.

As an electricity retailer, we are regulated and supervised by the Government and independent organisations. This is done through several organisations, including the Electricity Authority, the Commerce Commission, and Utilities Disputes.

To demonstrate our commitment to serving our customers, we give information to the Electricity Authority as required under the Consumer Care Guidelines.

We will make sure we work within any guidelines agreed between retailers and support or health agencies within six months of their publication on the Electricity Authority’s website.

Services that can help you

Powerswitch

Find the cheapest electricity and gas plans.
www.powerswitch.org.nz

Money Talks

MoneyTalks is a free and confidential financial helpline that can connect you with financial mentors and other community services.
www.moneytalks.co.nz
0800 345 123

Citizens Advice Bureau

A nationwide network providing free, confidential, independent information on your rights and how to access the services you need.
www.cab.org.nz
0800 367 222

Work and Income

Work and Income is here to help you financially if you're on a low income or not working.
www.workandincome.govt.nz
0800 559 009

Community Energy Network

Energy efficiency and healthy homes community-based specialists.
www.communityenergy.org.nz

Eco Design Advisor

Improving the comfort, health and performance of New Zealand homes.
www.ecodesignadvisor.org.nz/resources

EnergyMate

EnergyMate is a free energy coaching service for households at risk of energy hardship that are struggling to pay their power bill or keep their home warm, delivered by the Electricity Retailers’ Association.
www.energymate.nz/contact

Utilities Disputes

A free, independent, and fair service that resolves complaints about electricity and gas.
www.utilitiesdisputes.co.nz
0800 22 33 40

General terms and conditions for supply of electricity

1. Agreement to supply electricity to you

Our Agreement with you starts on the earlier of the date we agree with you (for example if you have made an application and we have accepted that application) or on the date we start supply to you. We will start supply to you at the Premises on the date agreed with you or as determined by any applicable switching process. If we have not started to supply electricity at the commencement of this Agreement, we will do so as soon as reasonably possible after commencement.
The time for livening standard new connections once all requirements have been met is usually not more than 20 Business days.
We will supply electricity to your Premises as set out in Contract Details (referred to by address and by ICP) on the terms of this Agreement. If you want to add new Premises, you need to ask us and if we agree, those additional Premises will be added to this Agreement.
This Agreement will continue for as long as we supply you at the Premises. If you have agreed to an initial fixed term, you cannot end this Agreement before that fixed term has expired (except incase of our breach as detailed below). Once the fixed term has expired, or if there is no fixed term, you can terminate the Agreement on one month’s written notice to us.
You will not purchase or take supply of electricity to the Premises from any other person for the term of the Agreement.
We may arrange for some of our obligations under this agreement to be performed by a third party (such as meter reading). This does not alter our obligations to you or your obligations under this Agreement.
We obtain supply from a wholesale purchaser from the wholesale market in order to supply you with electricity. If our arrangement with that wholesale purchaser ends and we are unable to put in place an alternative arrangement to purchase electricity to sell to you, then we may either terminate this agreement or arrange for you to be supplied directly by that wholesale purchaser, by notice to you. If you are supplied directly by the wholesale purchaser, such supply will be on that wholesale purchaser’s standard terms of supply and will be based on theWholesale Price plus a margin specified by that wholesale purchaser

2. Measuring the quantity of electricity supplied to you

The quantity of electricity we supply you is measured by a Meter. If there is no appropriate Meter at the Premises, then we will arrange for the supply and installation of an appropriate Meter (which we may require to be a time of use meter) and charge you for this.
We will maintain the meter at your Premises. We may charge you for repair or replacement of theMeter if this is required to meet appropriate industry standards.
You must not interfere or tamper with the Meter or the immediate connections to it. You must keep theMeter safe. If you become aware of any interference with the Meter you must notify us as soon as reasonably practicable.
We intend to read the Meter at the Premises no less than 6 times per year, provided we have access.
If you think that the Meter is faulty, please notify us. If we test the Meter and find it is inaccurate, we may charge you for this if itis not our Meter. If you ask us to test one of our own Meters, and it is accurate, you may be charged a fee.
If we find that a Meter is producing inaccurate readings, then we will issue a correcting notice. Any adjustment to our record of your electricity usage will be reflected in subsequent invoices. If the adjustment results in us owing you money, it will be credited to your account. If the adjustment results in you owing us money, you will pay the corrected amount owing to us within 10 Business Days of us advising you of the amount payable (which may be by way of the next invoice).
If you add to, modify or replace any equipment on your Premises then we may require that the Meter is upgraded, and we will charge you for this.

3. Customer Information

Under this Agreement we will collect, hold, use and disclose certain information about you. If you are an individual, the Privacy Act applies to that personal information.
You agree that we may disclose information we collect or hold about you for our business purposes in relation to this Agreement with you, including:
to supply electricity or any other purpose reasonably connected with such supply (e.g. notice of outages);
to enable us to do necessary credit checks;
to invoice you and collect outstanding moneys;
to provide you with information and offers from us;
to provide information requested by a regulatory body; and
to assess or verify your status as a medically dependent or vulnerable consumer and carry out our obligations in relation to such.

We may also use it in a non-identifiable form for statistical or other business purposes.
You must ensure that information is correct, complete and up-to-date.
We may check the information or collect other information about you (and, if applicable, your directors, shareholders, etc.) from other organisations or people, such as credit agencies and the Lines Company, for business purposes.
We may record our telephone conversations with you to assist us in performing this Agreement. If we do so, the recordings will be kept secure and may be retained for at least one year after which they will be destroyed. While we hold them, you may request access to them and we will grant you reasonable access.
You can request a copy of all information held by us about you or your account, and may request that it is corrected if it is wrong. We will correct it (after investigation if necessary) if we find that it is incorrect.

4. Charges & payment

Our charges and fees are set out in our Pricing Schedule which will be provided to you as apart of your Electricity Agreement. Charges are exclusive of GST and any other taxes and levies (if any). You must pay GST and any other taxes and levies payable on the Charges, as shown in your invoice.
You must pay the charges and fees for all electricity supplied to your Premises by us in full (without set-off) by the due date set out in our invoice to you (which is usually the 20th of the month). We will generally invoice you each month, with each invoice containing an actual or estimated usage every month (unless you agree otherwise), together with the applicable Charges for usage and any other services.
Our payment options include direct debit, automatic payment, internet banking or credit card. Please contact us if you wish to set up a direct debit.
The Charges include third party charges (which are passed through from those parties to us and on to you) which may change without advance notice). We will advise you of such changes as soon as reasonably practicable (which may be by way of an explanation on your invoice).
We will calculate the Charges based on an actual Meter reading or an estimate (based on previous consumption if known) of the amount you have consumed over the Billing Period. If we do not know how much electricity was actually supplied to you (for example because of a faulty Meter) then we may estimate the amount of electricity supplied and invoice accordingly.
If you dispute any invoice, then you must advise us before the due date with your reasons. You must pay any undisputed amount in full on the due date. We will not charge you default interest, or suspend your supply, while there is a genuinely disputed amount. Interest may be payable at the Default Interest Rate for overdue amounts once the dispute is resolved.
If an invoice dispute is resolved in your favour, we will credit your account. If an invoice dispute is resolved in our favour, we will add the amount to your next invoice or require you to pay any amount owed within 5 Business Days. If you fail to do so, that amount will be treated as overdue and interest will be payable at the Default Interest Rate and your electricity supply may be disconnected.
If you are unable to pay your invoice by the due date you should contact us as soon as possible so we can work with you to make a suitable payment arrangement. If we agree a payment arrangement with you, we will not disconnect you as long as you comply with that arrangement. If you do not make an arrangement with us, or do not comply with that arrangement, your supply may be disconnected for failure to pay.
We may charge you interest on unpaid amounts if you have not made an arrangement with us for a payment plan. We may also use your bond to settle any amounts owing.
We may take action to recover any overdue amount. Any costs incurred in collecting money owed to us by you including bank fees, credit agency fess, legal expenses and court costs and default interest are payable by you.
We may require you to pay a bond that will be held in a separate bank account. If we do, we will tell you why. The bond will not accrue interest. We can use the bond to cover any overdue amount you owe us.
We may pay the balance of the bond back to you (which may be by a credit on your account) if you have paid all invoices on time in full for a period of twelve continuous months. If this does not occur, we will pay the balance of the bond back when we stop supplying electricity to you (after any money owing is deducted or paid to us).
If we find that you have been overcharged, then we will refund you for any overcharge (which may be by a credit against future invoices). If we find you have been undercharged, then we may invoice you for the amount undercharged (or add it to your next invoice).
If you are a residential consumer, we are required to assess your usage on a yearly basis to ensure that you are receiving the correct rate. If you fit the criteria for the regulated Low Fixed Charge Tariff we will advise you and give you the option of changing your rate. If you are on the Low Fixed Charge Tariff and we asses that you do not fit the criteria then we may notify you with at least 30 days’ notice that your rate will change accordingly.
We do not currently offer a pre-payment option but if you request it we can provide you with information about retailers that do provide a pre-payment option.
If you wish to change your pricing plan then you may request that change and we will make that change at the start of your next billing cycle subject to any reasonable restrictions or conditions applicable (for example there may be a cost if you want to change out of a fixed pricing earlier than your fixed term).
Charges are exclusive of GST and any other taxes and levies (if any). You must pay GST and any other taxes and levies payable on the Charges, as shown in your invoice.
If we find that you have been overcharged, then we will refund you for any overcharge (which may be by a credit against future invoices). If we find you have been undercharged, then we may invoice you for the amount undercharged (or add it to your next invoice).

5. Medically dependent and vulnerable customers

We will comply with the Electricity Authority Guidelines on medically dependent and vulnerable consumers provided you give us the required information to do so (and keep such information updated). Therefore, you must tell us if:
you believe that you are a Medically Dependent Consumer (this means if there is a person in your household who is dependent on mains electricity for critical medical support and loss of electricity may result in loss of life or serious harm) and provide us with a Notice of Potential Medically Dependent Consumer Status Form, which your health practitioner can give you;
you believe you are a Vulnerable Consumer (this means that disconnection of electricity at your Premise presents a clear threat to the health or well-being of you or someone in your household because of age, health or disability and/or it is genuinely difficult for you to pay your electricity bill due to severe financial insecurity.
If you are a medically dependent consumer, you must maintain a back-up power supply or any other emergency arrangements that will ensure your health and safety in the case of an interruption to your energy supply. Energy supply may be interrupted at any time without warning.
If for any reason we form the honest belief that you are a Vulnerable or Medically Dependent Consumer, and
you do not pay your invoices by the due date and your supply is at risk of disconnection; and
we have provided you with all the assistance we are reasonably able to; and
you are still unable to make our payments; you authorise us to consult with Work and Income to discuss payment options.
If you have nominated a person with whom we can discuss the details of your Account we may also discuss financial assistance and payment options with that person.

6. Interruptions to supply (faults)

Our supply of energy to you will comply with all legal requirements and be in accordance with good industry practice in New Zealand, and relevant industry protocols and codes of practice. For residential supply, this includes the requirements of the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993. We cannot guarantee that electricity supply will be continuous or fault free.
If you experience problems with electricity supply you can telephone us at any time on this number 0800 77 77 69
If there is a planned interruption to supply (for example for maintenance by the Lines Company) we will try to provide at least four Business Days’ notice unless the interruption is urgently required. Notice may be given by public notice or advertisement in the local newspaper or radio.
Your electricity supply may be interrupted if any of the following things occur:
For the safety of persons, the network or property;
there is an event beyond our reasonable control;
as required by the Lines Company, Transpower or any regulatory or governmental authority;
for maintenance, repairs or upgrades (for you, for surrounding areas or for the connection of new customers);
to preserve the security of supply (for example to prevent overloading of the network).
If there is an unplanned outage (for example for a dangerous situation) we will use our best efforts to restore electricity supply as soon as reasonably practicable.
If your pricing option allows us or the Lines Company to control the supply of energy to your Equipment, we may temporarily suspend supply without notifying you.
We are not Liable to you for any failure to perform our obligations, to the extent that such failure is caused by an event outside our reasonable control.
If we receive compensation (through whatever means) from any third party (not just the Lines Company) for losses resulting from the interruption of supply, we will pass on an appropriate portion of that compensation to those customers whose supply was interrupted if this has not already been included in the price we offer you. We will provide an explanation of such compensation if requested.

7. Complaints

If you aren’t satisfied with our service, you can make a complaint to us. We will work with you to resolve any problem as soon as we reasonably can. We may refer your complaint to the Lines Company or Meter Owner (if that is not us) if we believe that is appropriate.
If you are not happy with the way we deal with your complaint, or if it has not been resolved within 40 Business Days, then you may refer your complaint to Utilities Disputes to resolve (www.utilitiesdisputes.co.nz or 0800 22 33 40). This does not affect your ability to take the complaint to the Disputes Tribunal or the Courts. In addition , our Consumer Care Policy has a guide to how we can work together to help you as a consumer. You can find a copy of our Consumer Care Policy here: www.supa.energy/terms-and-policies
If you have made a complaint about charges and services for electricity and/or network, we will not disconnect your electricity supply for non-payment if the non-payment relates to the dispute. All other due amounts, those outside of the period of the dispute must continue to be paid according to the payment requirements under this Agreement or may result in disconnection.
After a complaint about charges is resolved, any amount found due to you will be credited to your account with us, immediately.
If, however, an amount is found to be due to us, you agree to pay that amount within 5 Business Days of the finding. If you do not do so, the amount will be treated as overdue, and your electricity supply may be then disconnected.

8. Authority and alternate contacts

Generally only the person specified as the Billing Contact person is authorised to discuss your account with us. You may appoint (or we may ask you to appoint) one or more alternate contacts authorised to communicate with us and to assist you if you cannot make a payment or there is an issue we need to discuss in relation to this Agreement and we cannot contact you or you cannot discuss it with us. An alternate contact could be a family member, friend or social agency.
Where you have appointed an authorised person or alternate contact, you agree that we may contact them if we cannot get hold of you, if you have not paid any invoice due or we cannot resolve an issue with you. You agree that this person may provide us with information about you and we may disclose information about you to them.
You are still responsible as our customer for complying with this Agreement even if you have appointed an authorised person or an alternate contact.

9. Your responsibilities for electricity, equipment, and lines

You must do the following (at your own cost):
provide suitable space for the secure housing of any Equipment we decide is needed at the Property for your supply;
repair and maintain the Equipment on your Property if it is not owned or supplied by us;
ensure that any Equipment not owned by us complies with relevant technical standards and codes of practice;
protect Equipment on your property from damage and unauthorised interference or removal, not encumber or use the Equipment as security in any way or to make the Equipment a fixture of Premises;
tell us about any damage to or interference with the Equipment as soon as you become aware of it. If Equipment on your property is damaged or interfered with, we may charge you the estimated cost of any unmeasured supply, the cost of our investigation and the cost of repairing or replacing Equipment;
not (and not allow anyone else to): interfere with the supply of electricity to you or anyone else; take electricity illegally; without prior written approval connect any generation assets to the network or use electricity or Equipment unsafely. You must ensure that only qualified persons carry out any work on or affecting Equipment or electricity supply;
ensure that any trees and vegetation on your property are kept trimmed away from all power lines and other electrical equipment (including meter boxes).If you fail to meet these could result in your electricity supply being suspended or disconnected. You may also be required to pay for any remedial work or replacement. If we consider that any equipment, lines or meters have been tampered with we may charge you for electricity which we believe you should have paid for if the tampering had not occurred.
There may be voltage fluctuations which could damage the Equipment or your property. It is your responsibility to install protective devices and to arrange insurance covering damage or loss from such fluctuations and/or from any interruption to supply, and/ or make other arrangements to secure supply and protect equipment. We are not responsible for damage caused to Equipment or appliances, including loss of data, arising from such fluctuations.
You are responsible for any lines or equipment beyond (i.e. on your side of) your point of supply. A point of supply is any point at which your lines, fittings, and equipment connect to a circuit breaker, switch, fuse, or other isolating device on the line network. As required we can consult with the Network Company to identify where your point of supply is if you are not sure. If we consider that any of lines or equipment (including wiring) beyond the point of supply is not compliant with regulatory requirements or applicable standards, we may require that these are upgraded or repaired. We can arrange this for you and you will be charged any remedial costs.

10. Access to property

You must provide us with safe and unobstructed access to the Premises so that we can:
read the Meter;
install, inspect, work on, replace or remove Equipment;
investigate any actual or suspected damage to Equipment;
connect, reconnect or discontinue the electricity supply to you or third parties;
investigate the cause of any interference to electricity supply;
protect or prevent danger or damage to people or property;
as required for the purposes of this Agreement including compliance with any Lines Company request for access.
Except in routine situations (for example, to read your meter) or emergency situations, before we access your premises we will give you written notice of the proposed time and reason for access.
We will generally exercise this access during Normal Business Hours but you agree to allow access outside of Normal Business Hours if the matter is urgent. We will require our staff and contractors to carry identification, identify themselves to you (where reasonable) and act courteously. You may refuse access if we are not able to show proper identification on request. We will take reasonable care to minimise inconvenience to you and to comply with your reasonable requirements (such as leaving closed gates closed when we leave).
If you do not ensure that we have safe and unobstructed access to your property or the Meters or fittings, or if we cannot reasonably access your property and/or read the Meter, we may estimate the electricity supplied and charge you on this basis, and we may charge you for any additional costs (including any callout fees) and your supply of electricity may be disconnected, interrupted or suspended.
If you have an internal Meter, you must make a meter access arrangement with us to enable us to read and maintain the Meter. We agree to keep the key for such access safe and secure at all times.

11. Disconnection and reconnection

We may disconnect the electricity supply to your Premises if:
we need to protect health and safety or prevent damage to property;
you do not pay any money invoiced under this Agreement, provided that we won’t disconnect you where:
the invoiced amount is the subject of an unresolved complaint laid or dispute proceedings; or
where the invoiced amount was an estimated amount, unless we consider it is fair to do so (for example if you have prevented us from reading your meter).
if you persistently or materially breach any other obligation under this Agreement. However before disconnecting you for breach, we will give you at least one week to fix the breach, and if you do not fix it then a final warning at least 24 hours before we disconnect you;
we reasonably believe that the Equipment, Meter, lines or fittings on your property have been tampered with or damaged or you have interfered with the electricity supply to your Premises;
we cannot get access to your Premises and property for the purposes of this Agreement for more than three months;
you have asked for your supply to be disconnected;
this Agreement ends and is not replaced by any subsequent agreement; or
the Lines Company requires the supply to be disconnected under its agreement with you or with us.
Before disconnecting you for non-payment or breach, we will give you at least one week to fix the non-payment or breach, and if you do not fix it then a final warning at least 24 hours before we disconnect you, and we will only disconnect you on a Business Day that is not a Friday or the day before a public holiday.
If we disconnect your electricity supply, you may have to pay a disconnection fee. You are still responsible for paying any outstanding debts or other sums as they become due (including costs incurred after disconnection).
If your electricity supply has been disconnected as above and you want to be reconnected, we may require you to:
pay all outstanding debts;
pay a bond;
pay a reconnection fee; and/or
agree to adjusted charges and terms.
We can provide information about reconnection fees on request. If you comply, we will reconnect you promptly.
If your electricity supply has been disconnected as above and you want to be reconnected, we may require you to comply with certain safety conditions (for example that appliances are switched off). Only a person authorised by us can reconnect your supply.

12. Termination

Unless you have agreed to a fixed term and the fixed term has expired, you may terminate this Agreement by:
switching to another retailer. You will need to arrange supply with that retailer and we will switch you according to industry protocols. This Agreement remains in force until the switch is completed; or
asking us to disconnect electricity supply to your premises. We will do this as soon as reasonably practicable and safe following notice from you – we usually require at least 5 Business Days’ notice for this.
We may terminate this Agreement:
Immediately if our agreement (or, if you have a direct agreement, then your agreement) with the Lines Company or the wholesale purchaser is terminated;
24 hours after a final warning to you if you breach this Agreement (and have not complied with any request to fix the breach);
by giving you one month’s written notice. If we exercise this right, you will use all reasonable endeavours to find an alternative retailer and arrange to switch to that retailer before the expiry of the notice period.
We will stop charging you once we stop supplying electricity to your Premises. Following termination we will provide a final invoice to your address (or to a new forwarding address if you provide one). The obligations in this Agreement regarding payment will continue until all outstanding amounts have been paid by you.
Other clauses of this Agreement that are intended to survive termination will also continue to apply, including clause 14 (confidentiality) and clause 16 (liability).

13. Lines company requirements

We do not own the lines network through which electricity is delivered to you. The Lines Company owns and is responsible for the network.
You may have an agreement directly with the Lines Company for network services, in which case you must comply with that agreement. In most instances, however, we have an agreement with the Lines Company to provide network services to you. In that case, you:
must comply with the Lines Company’s network connection standards (available from your Lines Company);
must provide suitable, safe and secure space for any Lines Company Equipment required;
acknowledge that the Lines Company has no liability to you in relation to the supply of electricity;
must not connect, disconnect or modify any Equipment to or from the network;
grant the Lines Company safe and unobstructed access to the Premises and facilities as reasonably required by the Lines Company; and
comply with any other terms imposed by the Lines Company to enable us to supply electricity to you.
You acknowledge that the Lines Company may interrupt supply or reduce the conveyance of electricity to you:
to enable it to inspect, maintain or make alterations to the network;
to avoid danger to persons or property or avoid interference with the conveyance of electricity;
to preserve and protect the proper working of the network or the transmission network;
in carrying out load management;
for any other purpose which in the Lines Company’s reasonably held opinion is required by good industry practice.
If you do not have your own agreement directly with the lines company (or if they have appointed us as their agent for collection), we will charge you for the network services provided by the Lines Company. This amount is set by the Lines Company.
The limitations of liability in this Agreement extend to the Lines Company, the meter owner and the wholesale purchaser, and the other provisions in this Agreement that refer to the Lines Company, the meter owner and/or the wholesale purchaser, are intended to be for the benefit of and enforceable by such persons, for the purposes of Part 2 subpart 2 of the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017

14. Confidentiality

Each party will at all times keep confidential the pricing you are on except where disclosure is required for the performance of this Agreement, or by law, or with the other party’s consent or the information is in the public domain (not through breach of this Agreement). This clause survives termination of this Agreement.

15. Variations to this agreement

We can change any term of this Agreement. If we want to change any term (except the Charges) we will notify you of the proposed changes, with reasons. You will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed changes and we will consider these comments. If we decide to make the changes (which may be amended based on your or other comments) we will give you 20 Business Days’ notice of such changes.
We may amend our Charges at any time, provided that we give you at least 20 Business Days’ notice of the change and provide reasons for the change.
If we propose to increase our Charges by more than 5% of the Charge or any other Variation has a material effect then we will notify you individually. If the proposed change will not materially affect you, is not a fee increase to a regular fee of 5% or more, is a fee decrease or is a result of a request by you, then we do not need to notify you individually but may give notice by advertising in your local newspaper, on our website, including a statement in your invoice or other similar means.
We may not be able to give you advance notice of changes to third party charges, but will notify you as soon as practicable. If you are on a flexible pricing plan (such as a plan based on spot pricing) then this clause does not apply to changes in accordance with that plan.

16. Indemnity & limitation of liability

Subject to the maximums specified below, you indemnify us for all costs, losses, claims, damages and against all proceedings and demands incurred:
in recovering amounts owed by you under this Agreement; and
as a direct or indirect result of your negligence or breach of this Agreement.
Subject to the maximums specified below, if we cause physical damage to your property by breaching this Agreement or through our negligence, and the loss or damage was reasonably foreseeable, we will either pay for the loss or damage, or repair or replace the property (at our discretion). To the extent permitted by law, we will not be liable to you for any other loss or damage (whether due to negligence, breach or otherwise). In particular we will not be liable for any indirect or consequential losses, loss of profits or the like.
If either of us is liable to the other under this Agreement, the maximum amount of such liability is $10,000 for any single event or series of related events and a maximum cap of $50,000 in any twelve-month period.
You acknowledge that if you are acquiring electricity from us for business purposes, then any rights or remedies you may otherwise have under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 are excluded to the maximum extent permitted by law.

17. Assignment & transfer

You cannot assign or transfer your rights and/or obligations under this Agreement to any person without our prior written consent, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld.
We may at any time transfer or assign all or any of our rights and obligations under this Agreement. We will notify you if we do this as soon as reasonably practicable.

18. Further clauses

No waiver of any breach or failure to enforce any rights by either party will prevent or limit that party’s right to enforce this Agreement.
If any provision of this Agreement is held by a Court to be invalid, void, illegal or unenforceable, then the remaining provisions of this Agreement will remain in full force and effect and be construed so as to best effect the intention of the parties.

19. Notices & communication

If you need to give notice to us under this Agreement, you must do so in writing by:
Post to:
Supa
Suite 502, 27 Gillies Avenue,
Newmarket, Auckland 1022
By email: support@supa.energy
If you want to contact us (other than by notice required under this Agreement) you may write, email or telephone 0800 77 77 69.
If we need to notify you under this Agreement, we will do so by one of the following methods:
Mailed or delivered to the last known address you have given us; or
emailed to your last known email address, if you have agreed to have notices delivered by email;
Where specified that we are not required to give individual notice, we may give notice to you by publication on our website, advertisement in a local newspaper or noted on your invoice.
If we send a notice to your mailing address then we are entitled to assume that such has been received by you three Business Days after being posted. If we send a notice by email, we are entitled to assume it has been received by you the day after transmission from us.
If your contact details change you must provide us with updated details.

20. Rights of electricity authority

If we commit an event of default (as defined in the Electricity Industry Participation Code) then notwithstanding anything else in this Agreement it is agreed that the Electricity Authority (Authority) shall have the right to:
assign our rights and obligations under this Agreement to another retailer;
amend the terms of the assigned Agreement to:
the new retailer’s standard terms or such other terms as the new retailer and the Authority agree, provided that such amended terms are more advantageous to you than the retailer’s standard terms;
include a minimum term in respect of which you must pay an amount for cancelling the assigned Agreement before expiry of such.
You acknowledge that we may provide information about you to the Authority and the Authority may provide that information to another retailer if required under the Code.
You acknowledge that we may assign our rights and obligations to another retailer.
This clause 20 is for the benefit of the Authority for the purposes of Part 2 of the Contract and Commercial Law Act 2017.

21. Definitions and interpretation

Words in this Agreement have the meaning set out below, unless specified otherwise:
Business Day means any day except a weekend or a public holiday.
Charges means the Charges set out in the Pricing Schedule (plus any third party charges that are not specified in the Pricing Schedule but passed through). If there is no Pricing Schedule or if it has expired, then our standard charges will apply.
Equipment means meters, transformers, switches, relays, fuses and wiring used to supply you with electricity.
Lines Company means the owner of the local lines network to which your premises is connected.
Meter means a meter and associated equipment used for the measurement, storage and/or communication of electricity usage information, and may include load and meter control devices.
Normal Business Hours means between 8.30am and 5pm on a Business Day.
We, us or our means Supa Energy Limited trading as Supa and includes its officers, employees and (when acting on our behalf or with authority from us): its, contractors or agents, the Lines Company, the meter owner, the meter reader and any of their employees, contractors or agents.
You means you, the customer.
References to parties are references to the customer and Supa together with their successors and permitted assigns. References to a statute or regulation means reference to that statute or regulation as amended or replaced. The singular includes the plural and vice versa.

Complaints process

At Supa, we are committed to providing exceptional service. If you have a complaint, we want to resolve it quickly and fairly. Below is our complaints process:

Contact us

If you’re experiencing an issue, please reach out to our customer service team. You can contact us via

Phone: 0800 77 77 69
Email: support@supa.energy

Information gathering

When you contact us, please provide the following information:

Your account details
A description of your complaint
Any relevant dates or information

This will help us understand and address your concern more effectively.

Initial response

We aim to respond to your complaint within 20 business days. Our team will acknowledge receipt of your complaint and may ask for additional information if necessary.

Investigation

Once we have all the information, we will investigate your complaint thoroughly. This may take up to 20 business days, depending on the complexity of the issue.

Resolution

After our investigation, we will provide you with a clear explanation of our findings and any steps we will take to resolve the issue. If you’re satisfied, we will close your complaint.

Escalation

If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can consider raising your complaint with the Utilities Disputes.

Utilities Disputes provides a free and independent dispute resolution service for electricity and gas. You may be able to take your complaint to Utilities Disputes as a deadlocked complaint if:

We haven’t responded to your complaint within the timeframes listed above or contacted you to advise you as to why we need more time to complete our complaints process to reach a resolution; or
We’ve taken longer than 40 working days to resolve your complaint; or
You aren’t satisfied with our proposed resolution; or
If during the resolution process the Commissioner of Utilities Disputes considers you’d suffer unreasonable harm waiting any longer; or
It would otherwise be unjust for you to wait any longer for there to be a proposed resolution

Utilities Disputes contact information

Email: info@udl.co.nz
Phone: 0800 22 33 40
Mail: Freepost 192682, PO Box 5875, Wellington 6140
Website: https://www.udl.co.nz

Utilities Disputes contact information

We value your feedback. Whether your experience was positive or negative, please let us know so we can continue to improve our services.

Privacy policy

Introduction

SUPERPOWER ENERGY LIMITED trading as Supa (“Supa”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) comply with the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 (the Act) when dealing with personal information. Personal information is information about an identifiable individual (a natural person).

This policy sets out how we will collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information. This policy applies to personal information we collect from visitors to https://www.supa.energy and other persons with whom we deal directly, including where we collect information from you on behalf of a supplier (including a supplier who provides warranties to you in respect of goods we have supplied).

This policy does not limit or exclude any of your rights under the Act. If you wish to seek further information on the Act, see www.privacy.org.nz.

Changes to this policy

We may change this policy by uploading a revised policy onto the Supa website. The change will apply from the date that we upload the revised policy. This policy was last updated on 22/8/2024.

What personal information do we collect and from whom

If you provide your information via the Supa website we collect your Full Name, Contact Phone numbers, e-mail, and physical address.
We collect generic meter information and network information from the electricity register for the purposes of scoping services at the address provided. This information is publicly available. This information, along with your street address (which is collected directly from you), is required for the purposes of identifying the feasibility of providing services at the address provided by you.

If we are collecting information on behalf of a third party for the purposes of fulfilling agreed upon services it will be limited to information required to complete said services. This is required to enable the third party to complete their obligation of delivering goods to the address you have provided us along with necessary contact information. Once we supply that information to the third party, the third party will store, use, disclose, and process that information in accordance with their own privacy policy.

Disclosing your personal information

We may disclose your personal information to:

another company within our group
any business that supports Supa, including any person that hosts or maintains any underlying IT system or data centre that we use to provide Supa or other services and products
a supplier for the purposes of delivering goods and/or involved in the completion of work which may include but not limited to Electricity Network companies, metering companies, technicians
other third parties (as anonymised statistical information)
a person who can require us to supply your personal information (e.g. a law enforcement agency or regulatory authority)
another company in the case of a sale, merger, consolidation, liquidation, reorganisation, or acquisition
any other person authorised by the Act or another law
any other person authorised by you

International transfers of personal information

A business that supports our services and products may be located and/or incorporated outside New Zealand and/or by companies incorporated outside New Zealand. This may mean your personal information is held and processed outside New Zealand. We have ensured these businesses are subject to privacy safeguards that are comparable to those in place in New Zealand.

Protecting your personal information

We will take reasonable steps to keep your personal information safe from loss, unauthorised activity, or other misuse.

You play an important role in keeping your personal information secure by maintaining the confidentiality of any password and accounts used in relation to Supa. You should not disclose your password to third parties. Please notify us immediately if there is any unauthorised use of your account or any other breach of security.

When you fill in a contact or enquiry form on Supa, or contact us via our chat bot, we collect information you choose to provide to us, including feedback.

When you access and use Supa, we may automatically collect information about your device and usage of Supa, including your IP address and/or other device identifying data, time spent on certain pages of Supa, pages visited, Deals viewed and/or engaged with, and links clicked. Some of this data is, or may be, collected through third party tools (e.g. as at the date this policy was last updated, we use the Hotjar analytics tool) and/or the use of cookies, web beacons, and similar storage technologies. Please see our cookie policy below for further information on this, including information on how you can disable these technologies.

In other circumstances, we may collect personal information about you, but we will always collect this information from: If possible, we will collect personal information from you directly.You are not required to provide us with your personal information.

you directly
third parties where you have authorised this or the information is publicly available

However, if you do not, we may not be able to provide you with services.

What happens if you do not provide your personal information

You are not required to provide us with your personal information. However, if you do not, we may not be able to provide you with services.

How we use your personal information

We will use your personal information to:

deliver services to you
verify your identity
confirm where you reside for the purpose of comparing Deals for you
connect you to Provider for a Deal that you want to sign up to
market our services and products to you, including contacting you electronically (e.g. by text or email)
improve Supa, and any related services and products
respond to communications from you, including a complaint
complete credit checks

Accessing and correcting your personal information

Subject to certain grounds for refusal set out in the Act, you have the right to access your readily retrievable personal information that we hold and to request a correction to your personal information. Before you exercise this right, we will need evidence to confirm that you are the individual to whom the personal information relates.

In respect of a request for correction, if we think the correction is reasonable and we are reasonably able to change the personal information, we will make the correction. If we do not make the correction, we will take reasonable steps to note on the personal information that you requested the correction.

If you want to exercise either of the above rights, email us at info@supa.energy. Your email should provide evidence of who you are and set out the details of your request (e.g. the personal information, or the correction, that you are requesting).

We may charge you our reasonable costs of providing to you copies of your personal information or correcting that information.

Internet use

While we take reasonable steps to maintain secure internet connections, if you provide us with personal information over the internet, the provision of that information is at your own risk.

If you follow a link on www.supa.energy to another site, the owner of that site will have its own privacy policy relating to your personal information. We suggest you review that site’s privacy policy before you provide personal information.

Data retention policy

The personal information that we collect and use will not be kept longer than necessary for the purposes for which it is collected, or for the duration required for compliance with applicable law, whichever is longer.

Contacting us

If you have any question about this privacy policy, our privacy practices, or if you would like to request access to, or correction of, your personal information, you can contact us at info@supa.energy.