Homeowners with solar panels and batteries installed could be paid more to sell electricity back to the grid.
New Zealander’s power bills are too high, according to an agency that wants all Kiwis to be charged less for using electricity at off-peak times.
The Energy Competition Task Force was set up by the Commerce Commission and the Electricity Authority after wholesale power prices soared last winter.
It said peak demand – while everyone was cooking dinner for example – was higher than it should be.
So it has also proposed all companies should offer cheaper power during quiet times, and suggested it would help on cold mornings and evenings when supply was tight, while lowering cost for consumers.
It also had ideas for solar-power households, which electrician Jonathan Piri said year over year, more people were becoming interested in.
“People see their neighbours getting them and they have a chat over the fence and one things leads to another, and they think it’s a good idea.”
Currently, homeowners wanting to sell their extra power back to the market were offered a set price.
Now, the task force has proposed such households should earn more at peak times.
Electricity Authority chairwoman Anna Kominik said: “What we’re wanting to see is that they can actually be then feeding in and rewarded for that fairly — at the moment that doesn’t happen.”
Meanwhile, Electricity Retailers’ Association chief executive officer Bridget Abernethy said it wanted to ensure there wasn’t discrimination against houses who didn’t have the ability to have solar or electric vehicles.
“I think we’ve still got a relatively low uptake of solar installation in New Zealand … and the bit we’ll be looking out for is to make sure that those households that can’t afford to put solar into their homes are not disadvantaged through this proposal.
“Time of use plans that offer cheaper off-peak prices are already available, and there are hundreds of thousands of Kiwis who already take advantage of them,” said Abernethy.
Some say the ideas from the task force didn’t go far enough.
Rewiring Aotearoa chief executive officer Mike Casey said anything which can be done to reward the customer to put a battery in their home and to put a solar panel on the roof was “the cheapest energy system we’re going to get”.
The proposed regulation changes were now out for consultation. However, none would be in place in time for this winter.
