Meridian Energy helps customers cut power usage

Meridian Energy helps SME customers cut power usage

Every small and medium business customer of Meridian Energy with annual usage of more than 50,000 units (around $500 a month) has now been allocated a single account manager.

The account managers will provide a single point of contact for these businesses, and will provide an improved level of service and knowledge, says Mr Gaskell.

Account managers will specialise in one of four business areas, which have markedly different power requirements:

farming and irrigation business services and education manufacturing retail

“The electricity industry has become enormously complicated,” he says, “with thousands of possible tariffs and power usage choices for businesses.

Generating Assets Waitaki River system The Upper Waitaki system begins at Lake Tekapo, a storage lake with about 800 GWh of storage capacity, which represents about 22 percent of the country’s hydro storage.

Water passes through the Tekapo A power station and is diverted by a purpose-built hydro canal to Tekapo B station on the shores of Lake Pukaki.

Lake Pukaki has some 1600 GWh of storage capacity – about 44 percent of New Zealand’s total. Water is drawn by canal from both Lakes Pukaki and Ohau to supply Ohau A, B and C power stations, before being discharged into Lake Benmore.

After passing through the Benmore power station, the water flows down the Waitaki River through the Aviemore and Waitaki stations.

Manapouri/Te Anau system The combined storage of Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri is 380 GWh. The Manapouri power station lies 178m underground on the western shore of Lake Manapouri, and is accessed via a 2km road tunnel.

After passing through the station the water flows into Doubtful Sound via two 10km-long tailrace tunnels.

All of the stations are designed to be remote-controlled from a control centre at Twizel.

Australia Meridian Energy Australia Ltd owns hydro generation facilities at five small dams in New South Wales and Victoria, generating a total of 62 MW. [SME / 2]

“Most business owners simply haven’t got the time or expertise to properly assess those choices. The account managers are responsible for checking that a customer is on the best over-all plan and is being billed properly.”

Account managers will also discuss energy efficiency measures with customers and arrange for an energy audit if appropriate, help customers manage changes in premises, negotiate and explain contracts, as well as payment options. The free-call number for business-people wanting to contact their account manager is 0800 496-777.

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