Electricity price hike to hit 17,000

More than 17,000 Marlborough households will be affected when TrustPower increases its electricity prices by 4.3 per cent next month.

TrustPower community relations manager Graeme Purches attributed the increase to the rising wholesale cost of electricity and increased lines charges.

Contact Energy, which has 2300 Marlborough customers, said it was raising its prices by 5 per cent two weeks ago.

Mr Purches said TrustPower prices would go up from March 24.

The company reviewed its prices every year. Last March, TrustPower customers experienced an increase of 5.1 per cent.

Mr Purches said the increase was smaller this year because the cost of wholesale electricity did not go up as much.

Marlborough Lines information shows 74 per cent of the 23,000 electricity consumers in Marl-borough are with TrustPower.

All Marlborough TrustPower customers will receive notification in the mail within the month, Mr Purches said.

Consumer New Zealand advises customers considering changing power retailers to find out when they last changed their prices first, to avoid leaving a company for another that was about to increase its prices.

Electricity Minister Gerry Brownlee said last year although electricity prices wouldn't come down, the rate of increases would flatten out.

He said the Government was working on fixing the issues that had seen electricity prices rise by 72 per cent in nine years.

A ministerial review of the electricity market performance had made 29 recommendations and the Government was going to implement them.

Electricity prices can be compared on the website, consumer.org.nz/powerswitch

- The Marlborough Express