Pulse survey aims for 20,000 responses

Jeremy Wilkinson - Tue, 11 April 2017

Pulse Energy hopes to get twice as many respondents in its second Great New Zealand Energy Survey.

The company launched the survey in 2014 and offered free power for life in order to get as many responses as possible on what's important to energy consumers. That prize is on offer again this year.

The first survey garnered 12,100 responses. It revealed solar uptake to be low among respondents at 1.8 per cent. However, 85 per cent of those people believed solar was equal to or less expensive than retail day-time electricity prices, while 67 per cent thought they would possibly generate their own power in the future.

This year Pulse hopes for 20,000 responses.

Chief executive Gary Holden says it’s time for an update on their last survey. “The energy industry is always changing. We know it’s vital for us to understand what is important to our current and future customers.”

Pulse has seen its retail base grow from less than 500 in March 2009 to more than 58,000 customers today. More than 2,000 of those also take gas.

In 2016 it was de-listed from NZX following a takeover by majority shareholder Buller Electricity and Pioneer Energy. Electra joined the alliance in February.

Survey
This year’s survey asks which electricity retailer respondents currently use, whether they're satisfied with the price they're paying and what energy-saving measures they're already undertaking in their homes.

It also asks whether solar power would be more attractive if the upfront cost of the panels was free but a solar plan was still priced the same.

It also delves into whether respondents would buy an electric vehicle if it was available at the same price point as diesel and petrol powered cars today.

The survey also explains the different aspects that make up power bills - including generation, metering and transmission. It asks whether being able to see the split between the different aspects would be beneficial when paying for power.

2014 results
In the first survey, 95 per cent of respondents believed electricity prices would rise over the following three years. Only 15 per cent said electricity was good value for money. 65 per cent were satisfied with their current retailer.

A majority 62 per cent agreed that global warming needs proactive action but only 39 per cent considered themselves very active at reducing energy consumption.
Only 5 per cent of respondents thought having an EV would save energy while 45 per cent said they would buy one if the price was equal to normal vehicles.

Bill transparency outranked customer service last time around, with 80 per cent valuing their bills being separated out into a cost breakdown. 77 per cent rated customer service as important when choosing a retailer.

The original article may be viewed here.