Outage FAQs
Our priority is making sure we can maintain a safe, reliable, high-quality supply of electricity throughout the network.
Here are some helpful frequently asked questions about power outages.
We’re here to help. Get in touch if you need help. Or, check out our FAQs.
Check your terms and conditions with your electricity retailer – it will detail notification periods for planned electricity network outages and any compensation clauses.
Check your insurance provisions – How long does power need to be off before the policy covers you?
Have a good backup plan, and make sure your staff know what to do during a power outage.
Consider the use of manual EFTPOS and credit card options.
Can your site be supplied by a generator? Know your capacity requirements, connection options, and generator hire contact details.
Have alternative locations for storage of perishable goods and freezer blankets.
Have a plan for working in alternative work locations and for diverting calls to mobile phones. Know which equipment needs to be reset after a power outage.
If you will be affected by a planned outage, your electricity retailer will send you a letter in advance so you can make other arrangements. Planned outages are also listed on our website – visit the MainPower outage map.
Special consideration is given to the continuity of supply to customers whose health or livelihood could be adversely affected by an interruption. Priority customers include those who maintain essential services as well as medically dependent customers.
Customers with serious medical conditions who rely on continuity of supply to support life are treated as priority customers. Every effort is made to maintain continuity of supply and, if necessary, to advise them of any interruptions to supply so that alternate arrangements can be made. If you are a medically dependent customer, please make sure we are aware of your needs by contacting your electricity retail provider and letting them know. Or, contact us on 0800 30 90 80.
There are two types of power outage: planned and unplanned.
Planned outages occur when we need to complete maintenance work on the network. If you will be affected by a planned outage, you will receive a notification from your chosen electricity retailer in advance.
Unplanned outages occur when unforeseen circumstances cause damage to the network (such as car accidents, or tree branches or other debris being blown into power lines).
MainPower provides a 24-hour fault response service. When a customer’s property or actions have caused the fault, the responsible customer will be charged a call-out fee.
Call-outs caused by a MainPower network fault will not incur a fee.
MainPower call-out fees
Fault call-out during normal working hours (7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday to Friday):
$228.00+GST minimum charge, plus travel.
Additional charges will be billed for any equipment required. Additional time during business hours will be charged at our standard rate ($114.00+GST per hour).
MainPower call-out fees are charged from the time our staff leave a depot to the time they return to a depot.
Fault call-out after hours:
$342.00+GST minimum charge, plus travel.
Additional charges will be billed for any equipment required. Additional time during business hours will be charged at our standard rate ($114.00+GST per hour).
MainPower call-out fees are charged from the time our staff leave a depot to the time they return to a depot.
All chargeable call-outs will incur a minimum fee for a two-hour period (plus travel costs). Where we are required to stand staff down as a result of attending an after-hours call-out, we reserve the right to charge a stand-down fee.
MainPower continuously monitors the load across the electricity distribution network of North Canterbury. When necessary, adjustments are made to ensure a continuous supply of electricity for the region. Load control helps to keep the cost of distributing electricity as low as possible.
Like roading networks, electricity networks experience peak times when demand is high and capacity is near the limit. On a roading network, this would look like a rush-hour traffic jam.
Peak times on the MainPower network typically occur on cold winter mornings and evenings (when most customers are running heaters, lights, and other appliances at the same time), or in summer when irrigators and air conditioning are running at full capacity. Hot water cylinders are remotely controlled when the electricity network is experiencing high load.
Electrical load on the network is continuously monitored through our network control system. When areas of the network approach peak load, signals are sent out through the network to switch off the hot water cylinders in the affected area.
These signals are called “ripples” and reach “ripple receivers” fitted to the meter board at each house or business, signalling them to switch off the hot water cylinder. Hot water cylinders are switched back on as soon as the load on the network starts to reduce.
MainPower limits the amount of load control to four hours within any eight-hour period. In most cases, the effects of load control aren’t noticed by customers. Hot water cylinders store enough heat to stay hot throughout the four-hour window, as well as meeting an average household’s hot water needs.
Only the part of the network that is nearing peak load will be controlled.
Irrigators use a large amount of electricity. Irrigators on the MainPower network may be connected to our emergency load control system. Houses, sheds, etc. are not connected to the emergency load control system. Irrigation load is managed continuously throughout the year.
In emergency situations where MainPower needs to urgently decrease the load on the network, we may turn off the electricity supply to irrigators. This is to ensure continued supply across the region and only happens in extremely rare, emergency situations. If it is necessary to turn off irrigators, MainPower will try to contact affected customers, but this may not always be possible in short-notice, emergency situations.
We’re here to help
If you need some assistance or advice, please get in touch with our team.