Latest news with #PaulFuge
1News
2 days ago
- Business
- 1News
Tips for keeping your power bill down this winter
Twenty per cent of Kiwis are struggling to pay their power bills, with 11% cutting back on heating their homes, according to Consumer NZ's latest energy survey. Stats NZ figures show the price of electricity has gone up almost 9% in the past year. Some people have told Checkpoint they are in bed by 5pm to save on heating costs, while others take extreme measures, like turning off their hot water cylinder or bathing in cold water. However, Consumer NZ Powerswitch manager Paul Fuge told Checkpoint people could make significant savings on their bill, if they cut back on their energy use. New Zealand currency. (Source: ADVERTISEMENT "Typically, we would say [you can save] around 20%, if you're really disciplined." He said the price of energy had increased significantly, resulting in more people getting into energy hardship and struggling to pay their power bills. "One in five have experienced financial difficulty in paying their power bill over the last year, and around the same number basically missed a payment because of that. That results in late fees, so the issue compounds." The top household energy user was hot water, amounting to around 30% of an average home's electricity bill. Fuge said this was followed by refrigeration at 17% and space heating at 15%. Water coming out of a shower (file picture). (Source: "Those are the biggest things that use energy and offer the biggest potential to save money." ADVERTISEMENT He said the most effective way was to get onto a time-of-use plan, enabling energy usage at times of day when the price was cheaper. "The price of electricity is constantly changing and it's higher when more people are using electricity. "That's early morning, when people are getting up and getting ready for work, and in the evening, when people are coming home. That's the highest price of electricity on the wholesale market." At times, like the middle of the night, when there is less demand for power, the price falls. It's time to "spring forward" one hour (Source: "Retailers take advantage of this and buy electricity at lower cost periods, and pass those savings on through time-of-use plans." He said this included keeping your hot water cylinder on a timer, heating it up in the middle of the night, when electricity is often half the price, and again in the middle of the day, another off-peak time. ADVERTISEMENT Not every hot water cylinder operates on a timer system, typically only newer models. Fuge said the age of appliances also had a significant impact on its efficiency. "Modern appliances are much more efficient than the old ones, particularly things like fridges, but also hot water cylinders." While some may be tempted to power off the hot water cylinder completely to save costs, Fuge warned strongly against it. Opening a fridge (file photo) (Source: "We would not recommend doing that at all, because you can get diseases in the hot water cylinder, when the water's not hot enough, particularly legionnaires' disease, which sort of thrives in those warm stagnant water temperatures." He said another key energy drainer was the 'beer fridge'. ADVERTISEMENT "Modern fridges are way more efficient than the old fridges and that's a real saving. "We stick that old fridge at the bach or out in the shed, so you get an old inefficient appliance in an environment that it's not designed for and it's a perfect storm of badness in terms of electricity consumption." Fuge said, while the key way to save was a time-of-use plan, it wouldn't suit every household's needs perfectly. "If you can use those high-consumption appliances away from peak times and move them into cheaper times, there's some potential savings there, but I would caution that it requires discipline and it doesn't suit all households."
Scoop
3 days ago
- Business
- Scoop
How To Keep Your Power Bill Down This Winter
Twenty percent of Kiwis are struggling to pay their power bills, with 11 percent cutting back on heating their homes, according to Consumer New Zealand's latest energy survey. Stats NZ figures show the price of electricity has gone up almost 9 percent in the past year. Some people have told Checkpoint they are in bed by 5pm to save on heating costs, while others take extreme measures, like turning off their hot water cylinder or bathing in cold water. However, Consumer NZ Powerswitch manager Paul Fuge told Checkpoint people could make significant savings on their bill, if they cut back on their energy use. "Typically, we would say [you can save] around 20 percent, if you're really disciplined." He said the price of energy had increased significantly, resulting in more people getting into energy hardship and struggling to pay their power bills. "One in five have experienced financial difficulty in paying their power bill over the last year and around the same number basically missed a payment because of that. That results in late fees, so the issue compounds." The top household energy user was hot water, amounting to around 30 percent of an average home's electricity bill. Fuge said this was followed by refrigeration at 17 percent and space heating at 15 percent. "Those are the biggest things that use energy and offer the biggest potential to save money." He said the most effective way was to get onto a time-of-use plan, enabling energy usage at times of day when the price was cheaper. "The price of electricity is constantly changing and it's higher when more people are using electricity. "That's early morning, when people are getting up and getting ready for work, and in the evening, when people are coming home. That's the highest price of electricity on the wholesale market." At times, like the middle of the night, when there is less demand for power, the price falls. "Retailers take advantage of this and buy electricity at lower cost periods, and pass those savings on through time-of-use plans." He said this included keeping your hot water cylinder on a timer, heating it up in the middle of the night, when electricity is often half the price, and again in the middle of the day, another off-peak time. Not every hot water cylinder operates on a timer system, typically only newer models. Fuge said the age of appliances also had a significant impact on its efficiency. "Modern appliances are much more efficient than the old ones, particularly things like fridges, but also hot water cylinders." While some may be tempted to power off the hot water cylinder completely to save costs, Fuge warned strongly against it. "We would not recommend doing that at all, because you can get diseases in the hot water cylinder, when the water's not hot enough, particularly legionnaires' disease, which sort of thrives in those warm stagnant water temperatures." He said another key energy drainer was the 'beer fridge'. "Modern fridges are way more efficient than the old fridges and that's a real saving. "We stick that old fridge at the bach or out in the shed, so you get an old inefficient appliance in an environment that it's not designed for and it's a perfect storm of badness in terms of electricity consumption." Fuge said, while the key way to save was a time-of-use plan, it wouldn't suit every household's needs perfectly. "If you can use those high-consumption appliances away from peak times and move them into cheaper times, there's some potential savings there, but I would caution that it requires discipline and it doesn't suit all households."
Otago Daily Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
Tips to keep your power bill down this winter
Twenty percent of Kiwis are struggling to pay their power bills, with 11 percent cutting back on heating their homes, according to Consumer New Zealand's latest energy survey. Stats NZ figures show the price of electricity has gone up almost 9 percent in the past year. Some people have told Checkpoint they are in bed by 5pm to save on heating costs, while others take extreme measures, like turning off their hot water cylinder or bathing in cold water. However, Consumer NZ Powerswitch manager Paul Fuge told Checkpoint people could make significant savings on their bill, if they cut back on their energy use. "Typically, we would say [you can save] around 20 percent, if you're really disciplined." He said the price of energy had increased significantly, resulting in more people getting into energy hardship and struggling to pay their power bills. "One in five have experienced financial difficulty in paying their power bill over the last year and around the same number basically missed a payment because of that. That results in late fees, so the issue compounds." The top household energy user was hot water, amounting to around 30 percent of an average home's electricity bill. Fuge said this was followed by refrigeration at 17 percent and space heating at 15 percent. "Those are the biggest things that use energy and offer the biggest potential to save money." He said the most effective way was to get on to a time-of-use plan, enabling energy usage at times of day when the price was cheaper. "The price of electricity is constantly changing and it's higher when more people are using electricity. "That's early morning, when people are getting up and getting ready for work, and in the evening, when people are coming home. That's the highest price of electricity on the wholesale market." At times, like the middle of the night, when there is less demand for power, the price falls. "Retailers take advantage of this and buy electricity at lower cost periods, and pass those savings on through time-of-use plans." He said this included keeping your hot water cylinder on a timer, heating it up in the middle of the night, when electricity is often half the price, and again in the middle of the day, another off-peak time. Not every hot water cylinder operates on a timer system, typically only newer models. Fuge said the age of appliances also had a significant impact on its efficiency. "Modern appliances are much more efficient than the old ones, particularly things like fridges, but also hot water cylinders." While some may be tempted to power off the hot water cylinder completely to save costs, Fuge warned strongly against it. "We would not recommend doing that at all, because you can get diseases in the hot water cylinder, when the water's not hot enough, particularly legionnaires' disease, which sort of thrives in those warm stagnant water temperatures." He said another key energy drainer was the 'beer fridge'. "Modern fridges are way more efficient than the old fridges and that's a real saving. "We stick that old fridge at the bach or out in the shed, so you get an old inefficient appliance in an environment that it's not designed for and it's a perfect storm of badness in terms of electricity consumption." Fuge said, while the key way to save was a time-of-use plan, it wouldn't suit every household's needs perfectly. "If you can use those high-consumption appliances away from peak times and move them into cheaper times, there's some potential savings there, but I would caution that it requires discipline and it doesn't suit all households."
RNZ News
4 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
How to keep your power bill down this winter
20% of New Zealanders are struggling to pay their power bills with 11% cutting back on heating their homes, according to Consumer New Zealand's latest energy survey. Stats NZ figures show the price of electricty has gone up almost 9% in 12 months. Some people have told Checkpoint they are in bed by five to save on heating costs, others are taking extreme measures like turning off their hot water cylinder or bathing in cold water. Consumer's Manager of Powerswitch, Paul Fuge spoke to Lisa Owen about how to keep your power bill down this winter. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
07-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
What 'running out' supply means for households still using gas
Gas supplies for households probably won't run out. Photo: 123RF Reports that New Zealand's natural gas reserves might be dwindling faster than expected may be unwelcome news to households using it to cook and heat. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment said previous forecasts showed annual gas production falling below 100 petajoules (PJ) by 2029, but revised forecasts indicated that level would be reached by next year . Paul Fuge, general manager at Consumer NZ's Powerswitch, said residential gas use was only about 4 percent of the country's total gas consumption, so gas supplies for households probably would not run out, but he said they would likely become more expensive over time. "This is especially true, if we see a death spiral effect," he said. "As more households disconnect from gas, the cost of maintaining the gas infrastructure is spread across fewer users, pushing prices up further and encouraging even more to leave. "Lower-income households and renters may be left behind on the gas network, facing rising costs, while wealthier households can afford to transit." Consumer's advice was, when household gas appliances reached the end of their life, it made sense to replace them with an electric alternative. Fuge said 46 percent of households used gas of some type and he expected an average increase in gas prices of 10 percent this year. "Retailers cite rising wholesale and network costs as the main drivers of price increases. A significant factor is higher gas network charges - the cost of transporting gas to homes - which typically account for about a third of a household's bill. Starting in 2024, the Commerce Commission approved an annual average increase of 3.8 percent in gas pipeline charges over four years, adding about $48 per year for a typical household. Fuge said Nova and Megatel were the only providers offering gas as a standalone product. Others required people to sign up to a gas-and-electricity package. "As a result, gas customers may find their choices are limited, and they cannot access lower-cost or more innovative electricity plans and suppliers." GasNZ chief executive Jeffrey Clarke said there would be enough gas for household and commercial users for many years. "To put a 100PJ supply into perspective, about 290,000 homes are connected to natural gas in the North Island and they use just 7.3PJ annually." Clarke said there was an estimated 9.5PJ of untapped potential for producing biogas from organic waste in the North Island and 9.1PJ in the South Island. "With sufficient investment to expedite the development of the renewable gas market in New Zealand, there's every expectation that all residential natural gas consumption could be replaced by renewable biogas over this timeframe." Countries like Denmark have replaced about 40 percent of natural gas supply with renewable gas produced from organic waste, with plans to make this 100 percent by 2030, he said. "In total, it's estimated up to 23.5PJ of biogas could be produced annually across New Zealand - enough to supply a good amount for commercial needs as well." He said LPG was also in plentiful supply. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
