Contact’s New Initiative Good Weekends Launches This Sunday

Weekends are about to get even better with free power from Contact. The gentailer has today announced the launch of its Good Weekends energy plan, available from Sunday 3 December 2023, offering Kiwis free energy between 9am and 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

This comes a year after the launch of Dream Charge offering customers reduced energy costs when charging their EVs between 9pm and 7am, as well as Good Nights where customers receive free power from 9pm until midnight every night of the week.

Since Good Nights began in August 2021, Contact customers on this energy plan have received a combined 84 million hours of free power.

“Three years ago, we started transforming our business with the plan to lead the decarbonisation of New Zealand,” says Contact’s Chief Retail Officer, Matt Bolton. “We asked ourselves how we could help Kiwis lower their own carbon emissions by making a small change to their everyday behaviour. The small change is all about using energy at off-peak times.

“The more we can help shift power use to off-peak times, the greener our electricity becomes. It’s all about encouraging New Zealanders to change a few habits and shift their usage into off-peak periods which not only helps our country decarbonise, but also reduces energy costs for our customers. It’s a real win-win.”

Timing is everything when it comes to powering your home. By delaying when you put the washing on, run hot water, and heat or cool the house, customers on time of use plans1, which offer free or discounted hours, could save hundreds of dollars on energy each year.

“Each Kiwi household is different, and so too are their energy needs,” says Matt. “Therefore, we want to provide our customers with a range of competitive energy plans to best meet their circumstances.”

With the average Kiwi household spending around $2,2002 a year on electricity, time of use plans could be a game changer for family budgets.

“Of course, this all depends on how much energy a household uses, which can also vary from day to day,” explains Matt.

Matt says Contact is starting to see a shift in energy habits as customers embrace time of use plans. “Some of our Good Nights customers have moved more than a third of their daily energy usage to the free period.

“Using energy during off-peak times, like later at night or at the weekend, reduces demand for power during evening peak hours when coal and gas are more likely to be used to supply high levels of energy. So, customers on time of use plans are helping to save the planet as well as saving money.”

More details about Contact’s time of use plans, including Good Nights, Good Charge and Good Weekends, are available at contactenergy.co.nz.

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