Genesis takes on billing

By CHRIS DANIELS

State-owned power company Genesis Energy is about to start sending its own bills to 220,000 former On Energy customers.

Consumers in Wellington, Auckland and Thames Valley were among the 288,000 On Energy customers bought last year from NGC.

NGC agreed to continue servicing these customers on behalf of Genesis until the transition was complete.

The Commerce Commission is still investigating whether the sale of the On Energy customers to Genesis and Meridian (another state-owned enterprise) breached competition law.

Meridian became the new owner of 116,000 customers, mainly in the Canterbury area.

The first to join the Genesis database were 140,000 electricity and gas consumers in the Waikato and surrounding areas, who were transferred in January.

Genesis chief executive Murray Jackson said the goal of the company had been to ensure that all the information from the On Energy system was "accurately captured", which was a major undertaking.

He said that any benefits On Energy customers had, such as the AA Rewards scheme, would be kept, and added to Genesis benefits, which included cheaper toll calls and internet services.

The former On Energy customers will get their first Genesis bill in June and will be looked after by the Genesis call centre in Hamilton.