What Powerswitch does

Powerswitch is a free, not-for-profit electricity and gas price comparison platform serving New Zealand residential households. Operated by Consumer NZ since 1999, the platform compares pricing plans from 15 energy providers covering approximately 98% of the NZ residential retail electricity market, with double-verified pricing and ranking by total annual cost including GST, levies, and discounts. Its technology stack includes an AI-powered Bill Reading tool built on OpenAI's secure API for extracting structured data from uploaded invoices, an Energy Consumption Algorithm that estimates usage based on appliance profiles and regional factors, and a Price Comparison Engine that ranks over 15,000 plans. Data inputs flow directly from retailers via the Electricity Authority's ICP and metering feeds.

The platform operates as a self-service product-led growth motion: users complete an online questionnaire, receive ranked personalized plan recommendations, and can initiate a switch directly through Powerswitch, with the receiving retailer handling the actual transition (typically 3-4 days, no disconnection). The service is 100% free to consumers with no obligation to switch. Powerswitch generates revenue primarily through switching fees paid by electricity retailers when customers switch providers through the platform, supplemented by funding from Consumer NZ, the Gas Industry Company, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE). In 2025, the platform facilitated 1.1 million comparisons, with average user savings of approximately $400-$450 per year from switching.

Powerswitch is exclusively restricted to main residences (excluding businesses, baches, and South Island gas customers due to infrastructure limits). Distribution is entirely digital via the powerswitch.org.nz website, supplemented by email remarketing, paid social/search advertising, and content partnerships with entities such as EECA's Warmer Kiwi Homes programme. The platform also offers adjacent content products including solar buy-back rate comparisons, educational guides on plan types and consumer rights, and profile-saving features for periodic price change notifications.

Name

Powerswitch

Legal name

Consumer NZ

Website

https://powerswitch.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Powerswitch is a free, not-for-profit price comparison platform operated by Consumer NZ that helps New Zealand residential households compare electricity and gas plans from 15 providers, covering 98% of the residential market.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Price Comparison

SIC

Electric Services (4911)

akta.pro primary industry

Auto-Switching & Price Comparison Platforms (EUAGAEAD)

Keywords

• Energy price comparison
• Electricity plan switching
• Gas and electricity plans
• Household energy savings
• Utility comparison service

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retailer Switching Fees: Electricity retailers pay a small fee when a consumer switches to them through the Powerswitch platform. This is the primary funding source for the service.
2. Government/Industry Funding: Receives supplementary funding from Consumer NZ, the Gas Industry Company, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to support operations as a not-for-profit service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Powerswitch operates a free, independent online price comparison and switching service for New Zealand residential electricity and gas plans. Users complete an online questionnaire or upload a recent power bill (read by an AI bill-reading tool) to receive personalized plan recommendations ranked by total annual cost across 15 energy providers covering 98% of the NZ retail market. The service then facilitates switching to the selected retailer, with new retailers handling the transition process. Average user savings are approximately $400-$450 per year.

Product overview

Powerswitch is a free, independent power price comparison website operated by Consumer NZ. The platform offers a unified service combining a comparison calculator that evaluates 15,000+ electricity and gas plans from 15 energy providers (covering 98% of the NZ market), a switching service to facilitate provider changes, an AI-powered bill upload feature for accurate comparisons, solar buy-back rate comparisons, and extensive educational content on power plans, consumer rights, and energy savings. Users can save profiles to track savings and receive price change notifications. The service is funded by switching fees from retailers and supplementary funding from Consumer NZ, Gas Industry Company, and MBIE.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Powerswitch Price Comparison Calculator Free, independent online tool that compares electricity and gas plans from 15 energy providers across New Zealand, covering 98% of the residential retail market; users enter their address or upload a recent power bill and receive personalized plan recommendations ranked by total annual cost.
• Retailer Switching Service End-to-end switching facilitation that connects users with their chosen new electricity or gas retailer, with the new retailer handling the transition (no disconnection; typical 3-4 day switch time).
• Solar Buy-Back Rate Comparison Comparison tool showing how much electricity retailers will pay for solar energy exported back to the grid, helping New Zealand households with solar panels find the best buy-back rate.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average annual savings of $400-$450 per household from switching
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Consumer NZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerConsumer NZ is the parent not-for-profit organization that owns and operates Powerswitch. As NZ's independent consumer organization established in 1959, Consumer NZ provides organizational backing, funding support, and brand credibility to Powerswitch as part of its mission to help consumers make informed decisions.
• Warmer Kiwi Homes (EECA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEECA (Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) runs the Warmer Kiwi Homes programme offering grants for insulation and heaters. Consumer NZ and Powerswitch partnered with Warmer Kiwi Homes on a joint consumer education campaign providing tips and resources for saving power and reducing energy costs.
• Microsoft AzurecoreTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft Azure provides cloud hosting and computing infrastructure for Powerswitch and Consumer NZ's digital services.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreTechnology or IntegrationAWS provides cloud hosting service for Powerswitch and Consumer NZ platforms.
• OpenAIcoreTechnology or IntegrationOpenAI provides the secure AI tool used to read and extract data from uploaded electricity bills. Contractual agreement ensures data is not retained, reused, or shared by OpenAI.
• Electricity AuthoritycoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Electricity Authority is an independent Crown entity that oversees NZ's electricity market. Powerswitch receives metering details, ICP information, and plan data from retailers via the Electricity Authority to provide accurate comparisons.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Selectra: Selectra is an international energy (and telecom) price comparison and switching platform operating in multiple countries including Australia/NZ, with a directly comparable business model of comparing retailers and earning switching fees.
• uSwitch: uSwitch is a UK energy and broadband comparison and switching site owned by RVU; same business model (compare plans, refer user to provider, earn switching fee) as Powerswitch, though operating in a larger market.
• Finder: Finder is a global comparison site with a New Zealand presence that compares electricity and broadband plans and earns affiliate/switching fees; same comparison-and-referral monetization as Powerswitch.
• Compare The Market (Australia): Compare The Market's Australian site offers energy plan comparison with switching functionality, monetized through affiliate/switching fees — the same revenue mechanic Powerswitch uses with NZ retailers.
• MoneySupermarket: MoneySupermarket is a UK price comparison platform that includes energy switching alongside insurance and financial products, monetized via referral/switching fees to providers.
• iSelect: iSelect is an Australia-headquartered comparison platform that earns commission when users switch energy, broadband, and insurance products — directly analogous to Powerswitch's retailer switching-fee model.

Emerging players

• MoneyHub: MoneyHub is a New Zealand personal finance comparison site that includes energy provider comparisons, targeting the same residential household audience as Powerswitch with a content-led, affiliate-supported approach.
• Canstar: Canstar is an Australia/NZ financial product comparison and ratings business that compares energy plans among other verticals, using a hybrid of advertising and referral revenue that overlaps with Powerswitch's model.

Others

• Electric Kiwi: Electric Kiwi is a New Zealand electricity retailer; not a comparator but a competing destination for the same residential switching demand that Powerswitch channels to retailers.

Regional players

• What's My Number (Vector): What's My Number is a New Zealand energy comparison tool historically run by lines companies including Vector; it offers similar residential electricity comparison functionality to Powerswitch within the same single market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Powerswitch