Pulse Energy review

Pulse Energy is a mid-sized New Zealand energy retailer that describes itself as 100% community owned. It supplies electricity, piped natural gas, bottled LPG and broadband, which makes it one of the more complete household energy suppliers among the 8 companies we compare.

What Pulse Energy actually offers

Pulse's residential electricity is offered through its Power Shift plan, built around moving consumption away from peak demand, the same load-shifting idea now running through much of the market.

Where Pulse is genuinely broad is gas. It supplies both piped natural gas and 45kg LPG bottles, and it is explicit about the geographic limit: natural gas is available to North Island customers only, because there is no gas reticulation network in the South Island. That is an honest and useful thing to state plainly, and it saves South Island readers a wasted enquiry.

Unlimited broadband plans are also available.

We saw a $180 credit advertised when we checked on 27 July 2026. Joining offers change frequently, so confirm what is current rather than relying on that figure.

Community ownership, and what it means

Pulse states it is 100% community owned. In a market where several large retailers are listed companies or majority Crown-owned, that is a real point of difference for people who care where their money ends up.

It is worth being clear about what it does not mean: community ownership is not a statement about price, and it is not an environmental claim. It is a statement about who owns the company. If it matters to you, it is a legitimate reason to choose a supplier. If it does not, judge Pulse on the same terms as everyone else.

Who it suits

Pulse suits North Island dual-fuel households particularly well. Piped gas plus power plus broadband on a single account, from a supplier that also does LPG bottles if you need them, covers most household energy situations.

It suits people who want an LPG bottle supply on the same account as everything else: the 45kg bottle service is not something every retailer offers.

And it suits anyone who prefers a locally owned supplier on principle.

What to watch

South Island customers cannot get natural gas from Pulse, or from anyone, because the network does not exist there. LPG bottles are the alternative. Pulse says this clearly, but it is the single most important qualifier on its gas offering.

Contract terms are an open question. We could not verify a standard contract term or exit fee from public information. Ask specifically whether there is a fixed term, how long it runs, and what leaving early costs.

No verified environmental claim. Pulse's community ownership is about who owns it, not how the electricity is generated. If renewable generation is your priority, Meridian and Mercury are the companies here that make that claim about their own generation.

How Pulse Energy compares

Against Nova Energy, Pulse is the closest comparison: both mid-sized, both selling power and gas alongside broadband. Pulse adds community ownership and the LPG bottle service; Nova adds mobile.

Against the big four, Pulse trades scale for ownership structure and a broad energy range.

As with everyone we list, we do not yet show what Pulse's power costs. Electricity is priced by network region, user type and meter configuration, and we are collecting rate files from the companies directly rather than estimating them. Compare on what is verifiable: the gas coverage, the ownership, the broadband, and confirm the commercial terms with Pulse before you commit.