What is the average monthly power bill? 

If you’ve opened a power bill and found it’s higher than you were expecting, you might be wondering if what you’re being asked to pay is normal. We’ve looked into the average power bills in New Zealand so you can get an idea of what others are paying each month.

What is the average power bill in New Zealand?  

According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s latest electricity price monitoring data, the average amount a household pays for electricity annually is $2,343. If you divide that by the 12 months, you get an average monthly bill of $195 – but that doesn’t account for most households using more power in winter versus summer.    

The average monthly power bill in New Zealand is much more likely to look like the graph below.   

If you’re looking at those averages and wondering why your monthly bill is higher, there are a lot of factors that could be affecting how much you pay for power. For example, it might be that you’re using electricity for more of  your space and water heating than the average household.  

Nearly half of New Zealand households use gas so might not be using as much electricity to cook or heat their home and water. About 35% of households use a solid fuel, such as firewood or pellets, to heat their home.   

A higher bill could also come down to how many people you live with. The average household size in New Zealand is 2.7 people, so if you’ve got a few more in your house, you’ll also be paying more.   

Other factors that could push your power bill higher than average are having a pool or spa pool – a spa costs about $30 a month to run. Owning an electric vehicle will also increase your electricity consumption by about 20-30%.  

 When we asked people about their power bills in summer time, this is what people told us they were paying. Winter bills are typically 20-30% higher than in summer. 

My power bill still seems excessive for my household, what could it be?  

You could be on the wrong power plan for your household – try using our Powerswitch calculator to see if you could save money.  

Consider a time-of-use power plan – these reward shifting your power use to off-peak times such as night-time or weekends.