1. Introduction & Overview
1.1 These Special Promotion Terms & Conditions (“Promotion Terms”) apply to the Christchurch Free Smart EV Charging Trial (the “Promotion”) offered by Octopus Energy NZ (“Octopus Energy”) in partnership with Orion New Zealand Limited (“Orion”).
1.2 By registering for and participating in this Promotion, you agree to be bound by these Promotion Terms in addition to the standard Octopus Energy Customer Terms & Conditions, the Intelligent Octopus Terms & Conditions, and our Privacy Policy.
1.3 In the event of any inconsistency between these Promotion Terms and the General or Intelligent Octopus Terms, these Promotion Terms will prevail regarding the specific financial credits or parameters of this trial.
1.4 This promotion will only apply to eligible charging that takes place between 1 June 2026 and 30 October 2026.
To participate in this Promotion and receive free EV charging credits, you must meet and maintain all of the following requirements:
Location: Your residential property must be located within the Orion electricity distribution network area (Christchurch and central Canterbury region) and linked to an active Installation Control Point (ICP) supplied by Octopus Energy.
Account Status: You must be an active residential electricity customer of Octopus Energy or switch your supply to Octopus Energy prior to onboarding.
Hardware Requirements: You must have a compatible, smart EV charger (Wallbox or MyEnergi) with a charging capacity of 4kW or greater, or an eligible electric vehicle (Tesla) compatible with the Intelligent Octopus platform.
Metering & Connectivity: Your property must have a functioning smart meter capable of half-hourly data transmission, an active and stable home Wi-Fi connection reaching the charging location, and a compatible iOS or Android smartphone running the latest version of the Octopus Energy mobile app.
Exclusions: Commercial properties, business accounts, and public charging networks are strictly excluded from this Promotion.
3.1 Under this Promotion, "Free EV Charging" is provided in the form of a bill credit to offset the cost of home electricity used strictly for EV charging managed by the Intelligent Octopus service.
3.2 How it works: When you plug in your vehicle at home, Octopus Energy’s Intelligent Octopus platform will automatically manage and create an optimised charging schedule based on grid demands and wholesale prices.
3.3 Calculation of Credits: Octopus Energy tracks the exact kilowatt-hours (kWh) consumed by your EV during the charging windows scheduled and successfully controlled by Intelligent Octopus at your linked ICP.
3.4 Credit Application: Your total monthly electricity bill will reflect all household usage (including EV charging) at your active plan rates (e.g., OctopusFlexi, OctopusPeaker). A promotional credit equal to the cost of the tracked Intelligent Octopus managed EV charging usage will then be calculated and applied to your account at the beginning of the following calendar month.
3.5 Cap on Credits (Fair Use Policy): The "Free EV Charging" benefit is subject to a reasonable residential usage cap to prevent commercial exploitation. Total promotional credits are capped at a maximum of 250 kWh per month, per residential account. Any consumption exceeding this cap will be charged at your plan's standard applicable time-of-use (Peak, Off-Peak, or Night) rates.
4.1 To qualify for the promotional credits during any given billing period, you must allow Intelligent Octopus to manage all home EV charging at your registered ICP for the complete calendar month.
4.2 Overrides and "Bump" Charges: If you choose to manually override the optimised schedule using the "Boost" or "Bump Charge" feature in the app to demand immediate charging:
The energy consumed during that manual override period does not qualify as Intelligent Octopus managed charging.
You will be billed for that usage at the standard rate active during that time-of-use period (Peak, Off-Peak, or Night) as outlined in your electricity plan.
Frequent manual overrides may result in removal from the trial at Octopus Energy’s discretion.
4.3 You must disable all conflicting third-party timers or native scheduling systems built into your electric vehicle or smart charger software to allow Intelligent Octopus exclusive control.
5.1 This Promotion is part of a demand-side flexibility beta trial aimed at exploring how residential demand management can alleviate pressure on the Orion network during peak periods.
5.2 Because this is a beta trial, technical interruptions, Wi-Fi dropouts, or API communication drops may occur. Neither Octopus Energy nor Orion guarantees uninterrupted service. If an error or connectivity drop prevents Intelligent Octopus from controlling a charge session, that specific session will not qualify for a promotional credit.
5.3 You are responsible for ensuring that your EV, smart charger, and residential electrical wiring are safe, compliant with all New Zealand electrical regulations, and properly maintained.
6.1 This Promotion is a limited-time trial. Spaces are constrained and entry is granted on a first-come, first-served basis.
6.2 Termination by Customer: You may opt out of the Intelligent Octopus managed charging trial at any time via the 'Account & Settings' tab in the mobile app. Upon opting out, you forfeit future promotional credits, and your EV charging will be billed normally under your standard plan rates.
6.3 Termination or Variation by Octopus/Orion: Octopus Energy and Orion reserve the right to modify, amend, suspend, or terminate this Promotion, its credit values, or its Fair Use limits at any time.
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