Billing & Payments

You can set up a Direct Debit online here.  If you have any further questions, please email us on customer.care@blackboxpower.co.nz

We offer a range of payments options to suit you and your household:

• SmoothPay
• Direct Debit
• My Account
• NZ Post
• Automatic Fixed Payment
• Internet Banking
• Credit Card
• Telephone banking

Visit our payment options page to find out more.

To discuss your payment options, please email us on customer.care@blackboxpower.co.nz

Absolutely. We offer SmoothPay which spreads your electricity payments evenly throughout the year, so you pay the same amount for your bill each month. This takes the sting out of winter bills and allows you to budget your expenses much better.  If you would like to add SmoothPay as your payment option, please email us on customer.care@blackboxpower.co.nz

Of course. You will need to take your Black Box Power bill with the attached barcode remittance slip with you. To view our other payment options, click here. 

From 1 July 2024, there will be a $2.50 fee for paying your bill over the counter at a NZ Post store. There are other easy ways to pay your bill, you can view them on your bill.

Yes, you can pay by either Mastercard or Visa*

Simply log in to your My Account to make a Credit or Debit Card payment, or you can contact us on 0800 269 769.

*A Credit Card surcharge fee will be charged and added to payments made by Credit Card. The surcharge fee is 1.0% for Mastercard and Visa. 

Low User option

If you use less than 8,000 units a year (about 660kwh/month) at your primary residence, the Low User option may be best for you. This rises to 9,000 units (750kwh/month) in parts of the lower South Island.

You pay:

• a lower daily fixed charge
• a higher variable charge for each unit of electricity you use. The Low User option is only available for your primary residence and not, for example, a holiday home.

Standard User option

If you use more electricity, a Standard User option may be better.

You pay:

• a higher daily rate
• a slightly lower rate for each unit of electricity you use. 

There are a couple of reasons why your bill may have been an estimate:

• The meter reader may not have had access to your property
• We might have received an actual read for your electricity but not for gas, so we have estimated your gas usage (or vice versa)
• If you have a smart meter, it may not have been communicating on the scheduled billing date

Please note, your estimate read will be corrected when you get an actual read the following month, so there is no need to generate a new bill. Your next bill from us will be based on an actual read and any difference between your last actual read and your next actual read would be balanced out. 

There could be a few reasons why you have been double charged. This could be due to a price change that has recently happened or if you had recently changed your user plan that you are on.

If you have not had a recent plan change or a price change, please contact our customer care team.

How we do it at Black Box Power

Here at Black Box Power, we do things a little differently. We think it’s important that our customers know exactly what they’re paying for, which is why we provide transparent billing by itemising all our charges.

You’re probably aware that Energy Rates have an impact on how much you pay for power, but you might be surprised to learn that Energy Rates usually only make up a small portion of your bill. From Network Services charges to Electricity Authority Levies and everything in between, we put it all out in the open on your power bill so you can see exactly what your money is paying for.

Page 1 of your power bill: the essentials

The first page of your power bill is fairly straightforward. Here, we provide you with all the essential billing information you need, including the total amount due, your energy usage history and your account information. You’ll also find the contact details of our Customer Care  Team should you need to get in touch with us.

Page 2 of your power bill: beyond Energy Rates

The second page of your power bill is where things start to get a little more interesting. Here, you’ll find a detailed breakdown of all the charges, so you can see exactly where your money is going. This includes:

Energy Rates

This is what we charge you for your electricity. Energy Rates can be separated into two different rates

Uncontrolled: The rate per unit you pay for electricity.

Controlled: There are certain appliances in your home such as your hot water cylinder, which your power company can switch off for short periods of time when there are emergencies or unusually high demand on the network. The controlled rate is how much you pay per unit for the supply of electricity to these controlled appliances.

Delivery

These are all charges related to the delivery of your electricity and includes Network Services, Retailer Services, Metering, and the Electricity Authority Levy. All electricity retailers charge for these components, however, they don't always itemise it on their bills.

Network Service Charges

These costs go toward paying network companies, who are the ones responsible for maintaining power poles, power lines and transformers, and ensuring your electricity gets to your home. Network services charges include fixed daily charges and variable service charges, which are based on how much energy you used during the billing period. Fixed charges apply even if you don’t use any electricity.

Electricity Authority Levy

Your bill will also include an Electricity Authority Levy, which goes toward funding the Electricity Authority, an independent entity that is tasked with regulating New Zealand’s electricity market. The levy is usually based on how much power you used during the billing period.

Metering

As you may know, electricity meters are used to measure and record how much electricity your household uses. Metering charges cover the costs involved with reading and maintaining your electricity meter.

Retailer Services

These are the costs involved with running a retail electricity company, including providing customer support, maintaining billing systems and a range of other administrative tasks. These are variable costs; they are charged per day and on your energy usage.

Broadband

If you have added Broadband to your account, your Broadband plan is charged one month in advance. On your first bill, you will see a pro-rata monthly charge for part of a month and a full monthly charge.

Low cost electricity meets transparent pricing

We believe that all electricity customers have the right to know what they’re paying for when they receive their power bill. By clearly itemising our charges, we’re able to show exactly where your money is going and provide our customers with a greater level of transparency. Please see this handy PDF for more information about reading your Black Box Power power bill.

If you'd like to see where this information is shown on your bill, please check out our example bill.