When Meridian chief executive Mark Binns says the country's biggest power generator has some "grunty" assets, he's not kidding.

Retail investors are being offered Meridian Energy shares at a dividend yield of 6.5 per cent this financial year and 7.2 per cent next year.

Electricity remains out for 1000 homes in Canterbury after last week's storm battered the network.

Businesses in Avondale are without power and residents are being urged to save electricity while urgent network repairs are carried out this morning.

The Government's decision to move earlier than signalled on the Meridian Energy float shows there is positive interest in the float but pricing will remain key

Thousands of senior citizens are set to get lower power bills with the launch today of Grey Power Electricity.

Five months after the first share float of Mighty River Power a referendum on asset sales is to go ahead - news accidentally tweeted by the Greens co-leader.

No sooner had Mark Binns taken over as chief executive of Meridian Energy in January last year, than he was confronted with the lowest inflows into its hydro lakes in more than 80 years.

Funding generated by the Government's asset sales programme now extends to the $40 million bill for the Mighty River share loyalty bonus scheme.

Meridian Energy could be listed on the sharemarket before the end of October after clearing a big hurdle by finalising contract talks over the Tiwai Pt aluminium smelter.

Meridian Energy's renegotiated contract with the owners of the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter includes lower electricity prices and a potentially more abrupt closure.

Lines company Chorus would benefit and consumers would lose out from Government proposals made at the start of a review of telecommunications law.

There has been a bit of head-scratching in the Taranaki settlement of Oakura after an electricity company mailed a bill to a street lamp.

People are suffering from "energy poverty" and switching off their electricity to save money as new figures reveal power bills have risen an average of $65 in the past year.

Electricity consumers may soon be able to use online tools to work out the most cost-effective time to use appliances.

People should not buy low-wattage heaters expecting to save money on heating, experts say.

About a quarter of NZ homes are using heat pumps to provide warmth this winter, but experts warn that if buildings have inadequate insulation the power bills may be unnecessarily high.

The Southland District Council is preparing to soften the impact of electricity price hikes on Stewart Island after outrage from residents, businesspeople and holiday home owners.