Unison's Role in Your Energy Journey
Unison Networks is your local electricity distribution company. We own and operate the electricity lines that deliver power to homes and businesses across Hawke's Bay, Rotorua, and Taupō. We're not an electricity retailer, we don't install solar or batteries, and we don't sell you power.
What we do is manage the network that makes it all possible. And as more customers transition to new energy technologies, our role in your journey becomes increasingly important — particularly early on.
What Unison does
- Owns and maintains the electricity lines, cables, substations, and transformers in our regions
- Connects homes and businesses to the electricity network
- Processes applications to connect solar (distributed generation) and other generation to the grid
- Plans and invests in network capacity to support growing demand, including from electrification
- Works with large industrial customers on connection solutions for major decarbonisation projects
What Unison does not do
- Sell electricity (that's your retailer)
- Install or maintain solar panels, batteries, EV chargers, or heat pumps (that's your installer)
- Advocate for any particular energy technology or solution
- Tell you which retailer to use
When should you contact us?
Most residential electricity connections don't need Unison's involvement for standard energy efficiency upgrades. But there are some situations where you should talk to us early:
- You want to install solar panels: you'll need to complete our Application to Connect Distributed Generation (DG1 form) before installation. This is a legal requirement.
- You're planning a large solar or battery system: larger systems may require a technical assessment of your connection.
- You want to install a rapid EV charger (Level 2 or 3): depending on your current connection, an upgrade may be needed.
- Your business is converting from gas to electric process heat: this often requires significant network connection upgrades. The sooner you talk to us, the better.
- You're planning a major expansion or new connection: contact us at the earliest planning stage.
For large industrial or commercial projects, please contact us directly to speak with our commercial connections team. We'll work with you and your engineering consultant to understand your requirements.