Electricity Authority releases better billing toolkit

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko (Authority) has released a toolkit to support electricity retailers to implement new billing requirements, which come into effect on 30 October 2026.

The new requirements, introduced through changes to the Electricity Industry Participation Code, are designed to make electricity bills clearer, easier to understand and more useful for consumers. They also introduce new protections against large back bills and strengthen requirements for retailers to help customers identify better-value plans.

Under the new requirements, retailers will need to:

• make bills clearer, more consistent and easier to compare
• provide annual better plan checks to help customers identify cheaper plans within the retailer’s offering
• support easier switching through prompts to the Authority’s independent comparison and switching service, and
• limit most back bills to a maximum of six months to reduce the risk of unexpected bill shock.

The toolkit released today includes implementation guidance and a suite of exemplar bills to show how retailers can meet the new requirements across a range of billing scenarios.

The guidelines also include the prescribed wording for the prompt directing consumers to the independent comparison and switching service Billy. It also includes the prescribed format and implementation guidelines for new Product Identification Codes that will support more reliable plan comparison and switching services over time.

The toolkit is intended to support consistency and clarity for retailers ahead of the October 2026 commencement date.

These changes are expected to improve consumers’ understanding of their electricity costs and options, support more informed plan choices, and strengthen competition by making it easier for consumers to compare offers and switch providers when better deals are available.

Clearer and more consistent billing information will also help build the foundations for more innovative digital services and comparison tools over time. The Authority launched Billy.govt.nz in March to help New Zealanders check they’re on the best plan for their household.

Improving electricity billing - Retailer guidance