What our members say

These are references from PowerHub members, in their own words. We asked each of them the same three things: why they joined, how it has gone so far, and how they plan to manage the dry-year risk. Nothing here is a promise about what your bill will do; every home is different, which is why we start with a free bill analysis.

Tim from Auckland

EV early adopter · on wholesale pricing without a battery, for now · September 2026

Why I joined

We were coming off a long, fixed-price contract with a large power retailer who we’d been with for roughly a decade. As a very early EV adopter, we’d had access to some very good rates to encourage overnight charging, from both of our last electricity retailers, so we had already gotten used to shifting our large power use into off-peak times. That, plus our fixed rates being 3-years old, meant our power bills had remained reasonable even as everyone around us was losing their mind due to the excessive and continuous price rises.

Unfortunately, it also meant, when we came to renew, the new rates offered were well over 40% higher than what we’d been on! I knew something like that was coming, so I’d been shopping around for a while and, being a bit of a nerd, I’d already been looking into energy arbitrage via DIY and commercial batteries (our bitsy roof is not well suited to solar), and it was clear that - if you can handle the risk - wholesale rates were the way to do that. In that respect, PowerHub’s launch came at an excellent time, and we only were stuck with around 3 weeks of those expensive new rates before we could migrate.

I should add, Sophia and the team are also clearly energy nerds themselves, which gave me some confidence that they had a similar mindset, to ‘hack’ the energy market, that I was bringing!

My experience so far

Good. PowerHub are clearly a small, start-up team, but they are making it work. It’s early days, but I’ve already calculated a $180 saving (compared to the rates I had been offered), so I’m feeling good about that. I’m conscious of the wildly fluctuating wholesale rates (I literally built a dashboard to track them!), and confess I did turn off the heat pump for an hour when the wholesale prices briefly hit dollars/kWh early in August, but we were already used to heating water, charging cars, and running things like dishwashers and dryers in off-peak times. Having access to true wholesale pricing just means we now have more off-peak times available.

How I intend to manage the dry-year risk

We accept the risk is there. Our usage doesn’t (yet) justify a battery, even though that undoubtedly would help in that situation, but we are conscious of the live rates (via my dashboard). Of course, as Mike Tyson said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face”, and I know extreme power bills were a big factor in why the last round of wholesale power resellers, like Flick, ran into problems a few years back. My sense is that, while our energy sector has gotten more expensive overall, they have also become more cognisant about the risk and, especially with big new loads that require industrial dependability - like mega data centres - coming online, I’m hoping both political and customer pressure will ensure appropriate firming infrastructure continues to be installed, to reduce the extremity of that risk.

- Tim

Cam

High-usage household · on wholesale pricing · September 2026

Why I joined

We joined PowerHub after our power bills were getting up around $1,800 to $2,000 a month and we were becoming increasingly frustrated with the limited options and pricing available through the traditional retailers.

When I heard about PowerHub and the idea of giving everyday consumers direct access to the wholesale electricity market, I thought it was a brilliant concept. For us, it was about having a more transparent alternative and taking a bit more control over what we were paying for power.

My experience so far

Our experience so far has been awesome. Sophia has been incredibly responsive and great to deal with, and you can genuinely see how passionate and invested she is in PowerHub and the reasons behind creating it.

How I intend to manage the dry-year risk

In terms of dry-year risk, we understand that accessing wholesale pricing means accepting some price volatility and that there may be periods where prices are higher. We’re comfortable managing that risk and looking at the bigger picture rather than judging it month by month. For us, the potential long-term benefits and transparency of accessing the wholesale market make that trade-off worthwhile.

Overall, it’s been a really positive experience so far and we’re excited to see where PowerHub goes.

- Cam

Andrew

Large solar array · load shifting, battery on the way · September 2026

Why I joined

I joined PowerHub to take advantage of our ability to load shift and make the most of cheap wholesale electricity, and PowerHub is the best on the market.

My experience so far

Since joining PowerHub we’ve seen the wholesale off-peak rates mostly between 0 and 3 cents.

How I intend to manage the dry-year risk

We have a large solar system and will soon have a home battery to avoid all peak time periods, and even sell back to the grid during high wholesale rate periods.

- Andrew

Barry

Battery owner · new to spot pricing · September 2026

Why I joined

I joined PowerHub because they are one of the few electricity retailers offering access to spot pricing.

My experience so far

This is all new for me as well. I find PowerHub to be very responsive and informative, and I have the feeling that my concerns and questions are taken seriously.

How I intend to manage the dry-year risk

Firstly, while the low spot prices are great, my model really only depends on price volatility - as long as there are periods over the 24 hour cycle when the spot price plus network cost is lower, then I can manage.

Secondly, at the moment I am just using a battery to take advantage of the lower prices, but in a prolonged dry period with higher prices I will look at installing solar panels to reduce my exposure.

- Barry

Mike Barron, Rankin McManus Electrical

Business member · battery installed, solar to come · September 2026

Why I joined

We joined PowerHub because we wanted a smarter way to manage our electricity costs and reduce exposure to price volatility.

My experience so far

The battery system has been straightforward to install and operate, and it’s already helping us access better rates while also giving us protection against spot price swings.

From an electrician’s perspective, the system is well thought out and designed, and it gives us flexibility and resilience. The big value for us is that it creates a platform we can build on over time - including integrating additional generation like solar - which helps with resilience during outages and provides a backstop in periods of higher pricing.

How I intend to manage the dry-year risk

In terms of managing dry-year risk, our plan is to use the battery to reduce exposure to peak pricing and spot volatility, and to progressively add complementary generation (such as solar) so we’re less reliant on the grid during constrained periods.

Overall, it’s a practical, well-rounded solution that balances cost management with future flexibility, and we’re happy to recommend PowerHub based on our experience so far.

- Mike Barron, Managing Director, Rankin McManus Electrical