Working on Sunshine: powering a brighter future
The way we use electricity is evolving. We’re used to thinking of power simply flowing one way from massive central power plants to our homes and businesses, but distributed energy could reshape our energy landscape. Thanks to smarter technology and renewable resources, we have more control over how and when we use power.
Our Working on Sunshine plan makes it easier, and cheaper, to use electricity when the sun is shining.
Working on Sunshine is enabled thanks to Vector, Unet, Counties, and Marlborough networks, which offer extra low/no off-peak charges, a benefit we can pass on to our customers
How does it work?
Electricity prices fluctuate based on supply and demand. When there’s an abundance of solar energy, the cost of electricity drops. The Working on Sunshine plan takes advantage of this by offering cheaper power during the sunniest parts of the day:
Weekdays (11 am – 5 pm) – When solar generation is at its peak, electricity rates are lower.
Weekends (7 am – 11 pm) – Extended off-peak hours mean you can take advantage of cheaper power all day.
By shifting energy-hungry tasks, like running your dishwasher, doing laundry, or charging your EV, to these hours, you can save money while making better use of renewable energy.
Got solar panels? Even better.
If you generate your own solar power, Working on Sunshine makes it easier to get rewarded for exporting excess electricity back to the grid. Here’s how the export rates stack up:
Peak export (7 am – 11 am, 5 pm – 9 pm, weekdays) – 23 cents per kWh
Off-peak export (11 am – 5 pm, 9 pm – 11 pm, weekdays; 7 am – 11 pm, weekends) – 10 cents per kWh
Night export (11 pm – 7 am, every day) – 5 cents per kWh
By sending energy back to the grid when demand is high, you’re helping to stabilise the system while earning money for the power you don’t use.
A smarter way to use electricity
The shift toward renewables isn’t just about adding more solar panels and wind farms, it's about using energy more intelligently. The more we align our electricity consumption with clean energy generation, the less we rely on fossil fuels.
You can check out our time-of-use calculator OctoShift to see how shifting your energy use can lead to savings, and if Working on Sunshine might be the right for you here.
