Just over a year earlier, there was a big spike in the number of switches when Powerswitch launched - 50,000 people moved their accounts in May last year.
Electricity Authority chief executive Carl Hansen said: "Having 1532 people switching to a better deal each day [through What's My Number] is stimulating competition and we are seeing signs of retailers improving offers."
Sue Chetwin, chief executive of Consumer NZ, cited Contact Energy as an example of a power company offering deals because of an increase in rivalry. The company has increased its Online OnTime payment discount from 12 per cent to 22 per cent.
Contact retail general manager Ruth Bound said: "Naturally, we have been concerned at the numbers of customers who have chosen to change providers in the past few months. We've already had incredibly positive feedback from our customers ... [on the new pricing plans]."
Consumers should not be afraid to bargain with their company if they thought they were paying too much, Chetwin said. "Often people will find that if they are thinking about switching, the incumbent will get in touch and offer them a similar deal."
Another tactic is Mercury Energy's three-year fixed-price product. Customers are offered the chance to lock in their power price so they do not have to deal with future increases. In return, Mercury locks customers in - they face a $150 charge if they want to break the contract.
A company spokesman said: "It is similar to a fixed-rate mortgage in that customers who sign up to the deal do pay a slight premium on current rates but those prices are then locked in for the next three years, regardless of what happens to power prices."
So far, more than 70,000 people have signed for the deal.
Chetwin said she did not think the fixed-price offer was a bad option. "You pay quite a lot more now but they agree to hold [the price] for the next two or three years." Judging by power price trends, it seemed likely that would pay off: "It's not a bad gamble."
The difference in prices between power companies could be put down to a range of factors, Chetwin said.
Suppliers often cited overheads as one of the reasons but Chetwin said that was only part of it.
"Competition and customer inertia also play a part. The big players have relied on consumers not worrying too much about their electricity bills, so when a smaller player enters the market offering cheaper prices the bigger ones do nothing."
At the end of June, Genesis Energy had the biggest share of the electricity market at 23.59 per cent. Contact Energy was close behind at 23.39 per cent. Mercury was third, then Meridian and TrustPower.
Changing companies no sweat
When Emma Robertson noticed her power bills were growing a couple of months ago, she decided to use Powerswitch to see if she was paying too much.
"I was receiving really expensive bills that were hard to keep on top of, so I decided to shop around to see if I could find a better deal," she says.
Powerswitch was easy to use and suggested she could save $70 a week by changing from Contact Energy to Energy Online.
She put in an application online to switch and Energy Online rang the next day to confirm it with her. They also asked her to tell them how much power she had been billed for in her last account, to make sure she really would get a saving.
"They then arranged everything and even contacted my old company to inform them that I had moved. I didn't have to do a thing."
Contact rang about a week later to ask if there was anything they could do to hold on to her as a customer. She suggested they could lower their prices but was told it wasn't an option.
"My old bills for a family of two adults and a baby, running one heater and just the typical appliances, were around the $220 mark. Now it's an average of $114."
It's not $70 a week, but it's still significant.
Five ways to save
* Use What's My Number or Powerswitch websites to identify whether you are getting the best deal.
* Check what prompt payment discounts are on offer and set up an AP or credit card deduction.
* See if your supplier offers a discount for people who receive bills electronically.
* Raewyn Fox, chief executive of the New Zealand Federation of Family Budgeting Services, recommends that if you struggle to pay winter power bills, you set up a smooth pay system, where you pay for more than you use in summer but have consistent bills year-round.
* Get the right plan: If you are a one- or two-person household, look for a low-user plan - you could save about $50 a year.
