No power?

• 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 outages page.

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 ensure we are aware of your needs by contacting your electricity retail provider and letting them know. Or, contact us on 0800 30 90 80. Click here to find out more about medically dependent customers. 

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 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.