REVEALED: WHICH POWER PROVIDER IS CHEAPEST

With winter well and truly here, an extra jumper and a blanket are not always enough to fight off the chill.
But after the relatively low energy use of summer and increasing price of power, it can be easy to turn up the heat without realising the impact it will have on your monthly power bill.
If you've been hit with a power-shock, or are curious to know if you are getting the best deal you can, now is a good time to review your service provider and pricing plan to make sure you are getting the best deal you can.
An investigation by the Wanganui Chronicle using Consumer's Powerswitch calculator revealed the best deals vary greatly depending on where you live, and what combination of electricity and/or gas you use.
Powerswitch is a free, independent online service which allows you to input your recent power usage data and compare the prices with other providers.
It can also be used as a guide to choosing a new power company, as it can estimate your annual kilowatt usage over a year if you input the type of power your new home will use.
The Chronicle compared electricity prices for a hypothetical family of four in Wanganui, Marton/Bulls, Raetihi and Waverley.
The family used an electric cylinder to heat their hot water, plug-in electricity as their main heat source and cooked with an electric oven and cooktop.
There was no one at home during the day, and discounts for electronic and prompt payments are included in the prices.
The results varied depending on area, Meridian Energy coming out cheapest in Wanganui and Raetihi, Mercury Energy in Marton/Bulls, and Opunake Hydro in Waverley.
The most expensive plans came from Trust Power in all four regions, costing our family $380 more if they lived in Raetihi, and a whopping $841 more than the cheapest plan if they lived in Waverley.
The same family using a combination of continuous gas as their main heat source and to heat their water, but cooking using an electric oven and cooktop revealed a composite of two companies provided the best value.
Combined gas and electricity plan comparisons were only available for Wanganui and Marton/Bulls, but in both areas a combination of a Powershop plan for electricity, and a Mercury Energy plan for gas was the cheapest option, $80-$150 less than the plans supplied by Mercury Energy, the next cheapest single provider of both resources in both areas.
Contact Energy was the most expensive mixed provider in Wanganui at $311 more, and Energy Direct New Zealand was the most expensive in Marton/Bulls at $324 more.
Although these results are based on annual estimated usage, at the very least, they show it is worthwhile going online with your exact usages and taking a look.
If you do decide to change companies or plans, Consumer advises that it should not cost anything to switch, but it is worth asking about any hidden costs.
 It is also advisable to double check with your new supplier to confirm the savings you expect to make. Powerswitch shows if price increases are expected in the near future.
Simple things like only heating the rooms you are in and washing in cold water are also ways to cut costs,  bearing in mind that Consumer rates water and space heating as accountable for between half to three-quarters of the total energy use in most households.