Power at my Business

We’re committed to our business customers and helping ensure employees stay safe around electricity while at work.

If you’re a large business with significant electricity needs, we’re always keen to better understand your electricity supply requirements, so we can ensure we effectively tailor solutions to meet your business needs.

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Who owns the electrical assets on my property?

Unison own, manage and maintain all electrical assets located outside the boundaries of private properties in Hastings, Napier, Rotorua and Taupo.

Any electrical assets inside your property boundary, such as power lines and poles, underground cables and power boxes will in most cases be owned by the property owner. This includes assets supplying power to factories, offices or other commercial buildings located on your site.

In these cases, it is the property owner who is responsible for all management and maintenance (and the associated costs) of these assets.

For example, if there is a problem or damage to the service line connecting your office or factory building to Unison’s power lines at the roadside, in most cases it will be the property owner responsible for all costs associated with repairing the line.

There are some variations to this ownership rule. If you’re unsure, or would like to confirm, who owns the lines or other electrical assets on your property, please contact us on 0800 2 UNISON (0800 2 86476)

What if I am leasing the property?

The responsibility for maintenance of the assets will sit with the property owner, not the tenant, so it’s important you discuss this as part of your tenancy or lease agreement.

Ensuring privately-owned electricity assets are in a safe operating condition is crucial for commercial and industrial customers, not only to reduce a loss of productivity from asset failure, but also to ensure the safety of employees.

Need help maintaining your electrical equipment?

If your business owns electrical distribution equipment, such as transformers or switchgear, Unison can help ensure it continues to perform reliably and safely. The Electricity Act requires all electrical distribution equipment to be maintained to standards, and the responsibility for maintaining your electrical equipment sits with you, the owner. Unison can carry out an audit of your electrical equipment condition and maintenance needs and provides maintenance services.

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Use Your Electricity Wisely

With electricity being an ongoing overhead cost, it pays to take the time to review your energy efficiency. From lighting choices, to scheduling equipment operation, there are a number of ways to save electricity and reduce your overheads. For small to medium-sized businesses, online resources like www.eecabusiness.govt.nz can help you make energy saving decisions, and for larger companies, Unison has a dedicated account manager who can offer energy-efficiency advice.

Plan for Power Outages

While Unison aims to deliver uninterrupted supply to its customers, there are times when unplanned outages are caused by external forces such as storms. Preparing a power outage response strategy can help minimise the impact on your business. Identifying critical power requirements, understanding the electrical distribution system within your business, and determining emergency power requirements (such as diesel generators), will help prepare your business to get through. Unison can assist with site back up generation solutions for industrial customers.