Connecting power when you move house
A move is the one moment you get to choose a power company with no exit fee and no inertia. It is also the one moment it is easy to forget until the day.
Compare 8 power companiesWhat we can show you
What we can tell you about a new address
Before you choose a company for a place you have not lived in, it is worth knowing which network it is on and what power costs there. Both are properties of the address, and both are on this site.
- Towns and suburbs mapped
- 380
- Lines companies
- 29
- Towns with published prices
- 42
each resolved to the lines company that serves it
across 39 network reporting regions
MBIE's survey, May 2026, with the lines share broken out
The lines company comes with the address and cannot be changed. Knowing it before you move is the difference between a surprise and a budget.
Moving is the only moment you choose a power company with a clean slate. No exit fee, no inertia, no comparing against a plan you are already on. It is also, reliably, the last thing anyone thinks about until the week of the move.
Two weeks out
Choose a retailer for the new address and give them the address and your move-in date. If the property has been lived in, this is an account change: the connection exists, the meter is there, nothing physical happens. Have the ICP number if you can get it; on a unit, a rear flat or a subdivided property it is what stops the account attaching to next door.
Check what the new address costs. This is the part people skip and it is the one that surprises them. The lines charge comes with the network, not with the company, and it varies enough between areas to change a bill on its own. We publish the figure and the lines share for every town MBIE surveys, and the lines company for every place we map, in the numbers above.
Ask about your current plan. If it is a fixed term, find out whether it transfers to the new address or ends with a fee. Both happen.
The week of
Book a final reading at the old place for your last day, and give the retailer a forwarding address. Photograph the meter on the way out.
Confirm the new account starts on the day the tenancy or settlement starts, not the day the truck arrives. A gap between the previous occupant's account closing and yours opening is the classic cause of an awkward first week.
If the property is new or has been empty
This is the case that needs more notice. A new build may need an actual connection from the lines company, and a long-vacant property may need the supply re-energised or the meter checked. Neither is a same-day job, and neither is arranged by the retailer alone. Ask early, and ask who does what. The lines company for the connection, the retailer for the account.
Renting?
The account goes in the tenant's name unless the tenancy agreement says power is included. As the account holder you choose the retailer, and the landlord is not involved. Switching changes who bills you and nothing about the property. What you cannot change is anything physical: the meter, the wiring, the roof.
Then
Answer a few questions about the new address and we will show you what the 8 companies we work with offer there. It takes a few minutes, and it is the only time this decade you get to make this decision without an exit fee attached.
Moving house power NZ — common questions
How do I connect power at a new address in New Zealand?
Contact a retailer with the address and your move-in date, ideally a week or two ahead. They look up the connection, open an account from that date and arrange an opening reading. If the property is already connected and someone was living there, nothing physical needs doing. It is an account change.
When should I arrange power for a new house?
One to two weeks before you move. Retailers can usually do it faster, but a short lead time removes the choice, because you take whoever can act quickly rather than whoever suits you. The exception is a brand-new or long-vacant property, where an actual connection may be needed and that takes longer.
Do I have to stay with the same power company when I move?
No, and a move is the best moment to change. You are opening a new account at a new connection either way, so there is nothing to leave and usually no exit fee, unless your current plan is a fixed term, which may follow you or may charge to end. Ask before you assume it transfers.
What do I need to close my old power account?
Your move-out date, a forwarding address, and a final meter reading on the day you leave. Take a photo of the meter. It costs nothing and settles any dispute about the closing figure. An account you simply stop paying stays open in your name and collects the next occupant's usage.
Will my power rates be the same at the new address?
Not necessarily, even with the same company on the same plan. Lines charges are set by the network serving the address, and they vary a lot between areas, which is why moving suburb can change a bill without anything else changing. Check the new address before you budget from the old one.
See what they offer at your address
A few questions about your household — where you are, roughly what you use, what your meter looks like — and we will show you the 8 companies we work with, what each offers, and how to get a quote. Free, and no account needed.
Compare power companiesNo plan pricing is shown yet — we are collecting rate files from the companies rather than estimating. The town figures above are MBIE's May 2026 survey. How we compare
Keep reading
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