The Electricity Authority (The EA) - the electricity market regulator in NZ will launch a new power bill comparison website - Billy.co.nz - in a bid to ensure the industry better serves consumers.
Disclaimer - No one has confirmed to us that the new electricity comparison website will be called Billy or at Billy.co.nz yet - but we have been looking around for info - keen to see and know what our EAÂ levy will be paying for - and will it look as lovely as the above?!Â
Earlier in February the Electricity Authority Chief Executive did the media rounds to talk about the upcoming improvements for consumers when it comes to helping them save on their power bills.
The EA announced that they will launch a new power price comparison website (we believe this comparison site will be called Billy.co.nz) at the end of February 2026, as part of wider efforts to improve transparency and competition in New Zealand’s electricity market.
When asked about the challenges of power comparison, Chief executive Sarah Gillies said the Authority is also considering new rules to simplify electricity bills, making them easier for consumers to understand and compare. Something we here at Power Compare are all for!
Alongside clearer billing, the Authority wants to encourage more retailers to offer plans with cheaper off-peak pricing and to improve access to electricity usage data. The goal is to give consumers greater control over how and when they use power — including the ability to automate usage if they choose.
“Last year we made a decision that we needed to see the large retailers offering time-of-use plans,” Gillies said. “There was a sense that some were doing it, but not everybody — so that’s a requirement for everybody over a certain size to do that from July this year.”
Electricity Authority Chief Executive -Â Sarah Gillies
Open Electricity and Consumer Data Rights
In January, the Government confirmed the retail electricity sector would be considered under the Customer and Product Data Act. The move is part of the broader rollout of “open electricity”.
Open electricity is intended to make it easier for households and small businesses to compare their actual electricity needs against every available power plan in the market.
Last year, the Government established a Consumer Data Right framework — a legal structure allowing people to securely access, share and manage their own data (such as transaction history) with trusted third parties. The aim is to promote greater choice, convenience and innovation.
Gillies said the Electricity Authority is working alongside the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to determine what information should be shared and how it should be handled.
“Data is absolutely critical … and the bottom line is it belongs to consumers. It’s about them.” Historically, electricity retailers have been hesitant to release detailed usage data, despite it belonging to the customer.
Billy.co.nz -Â A New Power Comparison Tool
The new power bill comparison website - Billy.co.nz (at least we think that is name... it is all very hush hush!) has been built using two years of electricity usage data from 30,000 households. Here at Power Compare we look forward to seeing what the Billy comparison website will do for the market - we love competition and are keen to see Kiwi consumers get the very best deal they can for their power - so we look forward to seeing what the EA funded tool delivers for Kiwi consumers.
As of now there isn’t a publicly confirmed, exact dollar amount published by the Electricity Authority specifically for how much it’s paying to build or operate the new power comparison website. The available reporting doesn’t include that detail, however, we do have relevant context from existing funding arrangements that gives a reasonable frame of reference:
Previously, the Electricity Authority funded the Powerswitch electricity and gas price comparison tool run by Consumer NZ. Historically, the Authority’s contribution has been around 70–75% of the cost to run that site, with the remaining costs funded by switching fees from retailers.
Under an earlier contract, that funding level was roughly $1.4 million per year from the Authority to support Powerswitch.
Unlike that previous models, the new platform, Billy.co.nz, will not be funded by power companies paying a fee each time a customer switches - so should deliver ALLÂ plans and providers for consumers to compare, which is the same as Power Compare strives to do on our website - a part comparison is essentially no comparison at all!
Consumer NZ’s Powerswitch website will continue to operate but will no longer receive funding from the Electricity Authority so we wait to see how they get on and wish them the best of luck.
If you can't wait for Power Comparison (why would you) -Â You can compare power plans now at Power Compare!
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