Centralines Price Change FAQs - 2025
This year from 1 April, electricity distribution prices will rise to reflect the increasing costs faced by companies like Centralines. Our charges help fund essential network investment, day-to-day operations, and ongoing maintenance to ensure a reliable electricity supply. The price increase will help fund replacing ageing infrastructure and network upgrades to support the ongoing shift to decarbonised transport and industrial processes.
Please note, your electricity retailer sets the final price you pay. Centralines charges the retailer for electricity distribution, and it’s up to the retailer how much of this cost they pass on to you. The following questions and answers provide general background on our recent price changes.
This year Centralines line charges are increasing on average by 14%. The two main parts of these increases are made up of distribution charges (increasing by 13%) and transmission charges (increasing by 19%).
Residential charges are set to increase by 16% on average. The estimate for an average household is that the distribution component of your power bill will go up by $17 per month. Your final electricity charges are set by your retailer, so it is important that you read any updates from your retailer about upcoming price changes.
This depends on how much electricity you use. On average, for most residential customers, the network part, including transmission charges, makes up about 35-40% of your total monthly bill.
Centralines’ prices will increase by less than those of many other electricity networks. This is because Centralines is not restricted by the Commerce Commission’s price regulations, which means prices have been adjusted more gradually in response to rising costs.
In contrast, networks that are regulated on price will see increases of more than 20% in the coming year. This is due to changes to price-quality determination by the Commerce Commission.
For more information, please visit the Commerce Commission’s website.
We understand that rising electricity prices can be challenging for households and businesses. Over the next five years, prices are predicted to increase by 5-10% as investments are needed to maintain a safe and reliable network for our communities. These investments are essential to meet growing energy demands and ensure the network is ready for the future. We’re committed to managing these changes carefully and investing only where necessary to support our consumers.
For large commercial customers, line charges are determined by the level and timing of your electricity use. To understand how these changes affect your business, please contact your account manager at Centralines or your electricity retailer.
Directly comparing charges is tough due to local cost factors. High-density networks, like Vector in Auckland, cost less because more customers share the costs of maintaining the network. Lower density networks, like Buller Electricity on the South Island’s West Coast or Centralines, have higher costs due to fewer customers to share the costs of maintaining the network. Other factors include electricity usage per customer and network reliability. So, only broad comparisons are possible.
Consumers should shop around for the best deals from electricity retailers, as prices can vary significantly in different regions. Switching suppliers is now easy and usually takes less than 10 days. More information is available at www.powerswitch.org.nz.
Local budget advisors and the Citizens Advice Bureau can help consumers find cheaper electricity providers or better pricing plans.